1. Croquettes: There is one thing "closely related to steamed buns" in Old Beijing's Spring Festival eating, which is croquettes.
There must be meatballs at the New Year's Eve dinner because meatballs symbolize family reunion.
In the past, during the Spring Festival, every family always had to pay New Year greetings or receive New Year greetings. There was no fixed meal time, and there was not much time for cooking.
Prepare the meatballs in advance and eat them right away.
2. Mutton In ancient times, "sheep" was associated with "auspiciousness", so eating mutton was a very auspicious symbol.
People all over the world have the habit of eating mutton, but only the mutton culture in Beijing, China, can be said to be broad, profound and inclusive.
The famous all-sheep banquet has a total of 108 dishes, covering every part of the sheep.
There are many ways to do it, including stewing, braising, rinsing, popping, roasting, roasting, etc. are the most common.
Each method has its own flavor and characteristics, as well as varying nutritional content.
3. Carp: Old Beijing has the custom of eating fish on New Year’s Eve.
The fish must be carp. It was originally used as a sacrifice to the gods, but later it was associated with the auspicious saying of "good luck and good fortune". Fish is both a delicacy and an offering.
4. Rice cakes and rice cakes - Eating rice cakes during the Spring Festival means "righteousness brings success to the year, and it is used to pray for good fortune." It means that everything goes well and every year is prosperous.
The title "cake" already existed in Yang Xiong's "Dialect" in the Han Dynasty, and it became popular in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Jia Sixie's "Qi Min Yao Shu" records the production method.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, rice cakes had developed into a snack available all year round on the market, with different flavors from the north to the south.
In old Beijing, rice cakes are supplied in large quantities by Muslim snack bars during the Spring Festival.