Yes, during the Lantern Festival in my country, people have the custom of eating glutinous rice balls.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, we eat Yuanxiao, which is called glutinous rice balls. Tangyuan is stuffed with sugar, roses, sesame, bean paste, cinnamon, walnut kernels, nuts, jujube paste, etc., and is wrapped into a round shape with glutinous rice flour. It can be meat or vegetarian and has different flavors.

The following is an introduction to the relevant knowledge about the custom of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival~~

In the Song Dynasty, a novel food eaten during the Lantern Festival was popular among the people - called "Floating Yuanzi". It is called "Yuanxiao", and businessmen also call it "Yuanbao". In ancient times, the price of "Yuanxiao" was relatively expensive. There is a poem that says: "Dignified guests hook up the curtain to look at the imperial street, and the treasures in the market come at once. There is no way for the flower stand in front of the curtain. If you don't get the money, you won't get it back."?

Lantern Festival Eating glutinous rice dumplings from time to time will warm the spleen and stomach, and the person's breath will become quite smooth, causing the whole body to heat up and play a role in keeping out the cold. It is especially suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach. Yuanxiao was originally called "tangyuan" because it floats on the water after boiling. It is really beautiful and reminds people of a bright moon hanging in the sky. The bright moon in the sky, glutinous rice balls in the bowl, and the reunion of every household symbolize reunion and good luck. Therefore, eating Yuanxiao expresses people's love for family reunion. ?

Eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival not only symbolizes the joy of family reunion, but also has the health-preserving effects of keeping out the cold, replenishing the spleen and stomach, and replenishing lung qi. The main material of Yuanxiao glutinous rice balls is glutinous rice. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", glutinous rice is a grain that nourishes the spleen and stomach and replenishes lung qi. Glutinous rice is sweet in taste and warm in nature. After eating, it can nourish the body's qi and blood and nourish the spleen and stomach.

The ancients used glutinous rice to make glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. In addition to the sticky nature of glutinous rice, the dumplings are easy to put into the pot and will not fall apart. Glutinous rice also has the property of keeping out the cold. According to legend, glutinous rice dumplings are round in appearance and filled or solid inside. They are called Yuanxiao in the north, and they are called glutinous rice balls in the south.

Yuanxiao glutinous rice balls can come in many varieties, especially those with fillings. Sweet fillings generally include bean paste, white sugar sesame, assorted osmanthus, date paste, nuts, sesame paste, almonds, ginkgo, hawthorn, etc.; salty fillings generally include diced fresh meat, dried shrimps, etc. There are also vegetable dumplings stuffed with mustard, onions, garlic, leeks, and ginger, which are called "five-flavored dumplings", implying hard work, longevity, and progress. ?

The traditional method of making glutinous rice balls in the south is to mix glutinous rice flour with water to form a skin, and then wrap the filling; in the north to make Yuanxiao, first knead the filling into small uniform balls and put them on the table. The basket with dry glutinous rice flour is constantly shaken, and water is added from time to time to make the stuffing adhere to more and more glutinous rice flour until it is of the right size.

Things to note when eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival

First of all, although glutinous rice balls are delicious, it is not advisable to eat too much. Tangyuan is a high-calorie, high-sugar food that contains fat and lacks nutrients. Apart from calories and sugar, it does not have much nutrition. ? Secondly, glutinous rice balls should not be eaten in the morning. The function of the gastrointestinal tract is the weakest in the morning, and the outer shell of glutinous rice balls is mostly made of glutinous rice, which is not easy to be digested. Eating it for breakfast can lead to indigestion. ? Thirdly, when eating glutinous rice balls, avoid eating other foods high in sugar, and reduce the intake of other staple foods. Generally speaking, eating 3 glutinous rice balls is equivalent to 1 tael of staple food. Generally, the intake of staple food is about 2 taels. It is best to control the intake of glutinous rice balls to about five to six. Excessive intake will cause a burden on the gastrointestinal tract. ?

The story and legend of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival

It is said that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a palace maid named "Yuanxiao" who stayed in the palace for many years, missing her parents and thinking Tears washed away. Dongfang Shuo was determined to help her, so he lied to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the God of Fire was ordered by the Jade Emperor to burn Chang'an on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The only way to escape the disaster was to have the "Yuanxiao girl" do a lot of fire work on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. They love to eat glutinous rice balls, and all the subjects light up lanterns to worship them. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty announced that the "Yuanxiao" girl finally met her family. After that, the Lantern Festival was formed, and the custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the Lantern Festival also spread at this time.

The above is an introduction to the customs, precautions, and stories and legends about eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival. If you have anything to add, please leave a message below~~