1. Dumplings. Dumplings are an indispensable food on the New Year's Eve dinner table in the north. Dumplings and Jiao are homophonic, which means "Gengsui Jiaozi".

In addition, dumplings are shaped like ingots. Eating dumplings during the Spring Festival means "bringing in wealth." People also wrap coins in dumplings. People who eat the dumplings will have good fortune in the new year.

2. Dumplings and noodles. In many places in Henan, dumplings and noodles are eaten on the morning of New Year's Day, which is called "Golden Thread Wearing Yuanbao".

On New Year's Eve, the dumplings are cooked and eaten, which is called "fishing for ingots".

3. New Year cake. In the early days, people in Suzhou made rice cakes to commemorate Wu Zixu. Later, they gradually became popular all over the country, such as Shandong’s red date rice cake, Beijing’s mince rice cake, Fujian taro rice cake and red/white sugar rice cake, and Ningbo’s water mill cake.

New Year cakes, Suzhou sweet-scented osmanthus sugar rice cakes, etc.

Rice cakes, which are homophonic to "nian high", are a must-have food during the Spring Festival and place people's expectations of "nian high" on them.

4. Noodles.

In some areas of Fujian, noodles (mostly noodles) are eaten on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, which means "long-term".

5. Fish.

The Spring Festival diet pays great attention to the meaning, and of course fish is indispensable. It is usually the last dish on the table. In some places, this dish is almost not eaten, which means "more than enough every year".

And some places are also particular about the choice of fish for New Year's Eve dinner. Silver carp means more than one year after year, crucian carp and carp mean good luck, and salmon means more than wealth.

6. Wontons.

In Jingjiang, Jiangsu, whether you are entertaining guests, celebrating festivals or celebrating weddings, you must eat wontons.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, every household begins to chop vegetables and stuff them into wontons, which they eat from the 30th of the New Year to the 15th day of the first lunar month. "Wontons are like wine, and the more you eat, the more you get." This expresses the good wishes of Jingjiang people for the new year.

7. Tangyuan.

In Sichuan, glutinous rice balls are eaten for breakfast on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The glutinous rice balls on this day are called "Yuanbao", and eating glutinous rice balls is called "De Yuanbao", which means reunion, perfection and sweetness.

On the first day of the New Year, Yangzhou people eat Sixi Tangyuan, which means everything goes well and the family is reunited; Shanghainese also eat Tangyuan for breakfast on the first day of the New Year, which means perfection, wealth and power.

8. Chicken "No feast without chicken" is the mantra of the Cantonese people. People in Guangdong and Hong Kong must eat chicken during the Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of chicken and auspiciousness are similar, which represents good luck in life.

People in Hubei drink chicken soup during the Chinese New Year, which symbolizes peace and tranquility.

Chicken wings mean spreading your wings and flying high, chicken feet mean "making money in the New Year", and eating chicken bones means "getting ahead".

9. Glutinous rice cake.

The Tujia people in Xiangxi, Hunan, have a saying of "making daddy at the age of twenty-eight".

On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Tujia people make glutinous rice cakes, and Hakka people also have the habit of eating glutinous rice cakes during the festival.

10. Zongzi.

The Zhuang people in Guangxi have the custom of eating rice dumplings during the Chinese New Year. Zhuang people make or buy rice dumplings a few days before the Spring Festival every year. They must eat rice dumplings when guests come over on the first and second days of the lunar new year.

11. Lettuce.

Cantonese people also eat lettuce during the Chinese New Year. Lettuce and wealth are homophones, which means prosperity in the coming year.

12. Poached eggs.

In the Spring Festival customs, some places have the tradition of eating and giving eggs. They are also essential on the New Year's Eve dinner table, called "Reunion Eggs".

Poached eggs should be eaten on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the yolk should be eaten first, which means that the new year will be successful and prosperous.

13. Lucky Orange.

Lucky oranges are a specialty of Fujian. In some areas, lucky oranges are placed and eaten during the Chinese New Year. Oranges are homophonic to "吉", which means "luck" and "lucky", implying good luck and good luck.

14. Eight-treasure rice.

Eight-treasure rice is an indispensable food for Shanghainese’s traditional New Year’s Eve dinner, symbolizing reunion, good luck and peace.

15. Taipingyan.

An indispensable dish in Fuzhou people’s New Year’s Eve dinner is Taipingyan, also known as flat meat swallow.

Fuzhou people must eat Taipingyan during festivals, weddings and funerals, and gatherings of relatives and friends, so there is a saying that "there is no banquet without swallows, and there is no adult without swallows."

16. Overnight meal.

In southern Fujian, a pot of rice is cooked on New Year's Eve and placed on the dining table on the first day of the first lunar month. It is also called "New Year's rice", which means "more than enough every year."