According to legend, Tangyuan originated in the Song Dynasty. At that time, a novel food appeared in Mingzhou (now Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province), that is, black sesame seeds and pork suet were used as stuffing, a little sugar was added, and glutinous rice flour was rubbed into a circle outside. After cooking, it tastes sweet and soft, with endless aftertaste. Tangyuan symbolizes family reunion, and eating it also means that the family will be happy in the new year, so it is a must-have food for the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month.
Tangyuan culture
Eating dumplings is a traditional custom of the Han nationality, especially in Jiangnan. There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". Chen Zhisui's poem "Tangyuan" said: "Every winter solstice, everyone cooks, and at the age of one, everyone knows nothing." As the saying goes: "Every family in Ningbo cooks glutinous rice, and contentment is always happy." Hu also wrote a poem: "Xiangze glutinous rice makes dumplings, and the boiling water is salty."
The entrance is sweet and smooth, and the whole family is happy and intoxicated. "Ningbo Tangyuan" is an essential food and a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Circle" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls during festivals symbolizes family harmony and auspiciousness, so it is also called "floating Zi Yuan".
As a kind of food, Ningbo Tangyuan on the 15th day of the first month of Lantern Festival has a long history in China. This kind of food was originally called "floating Zi Yuan", and later it was called "Tangyuan", also known as Yuanxiao; "Tangyuan" is filled with sesame, red bean paste, walnut kernel, nuts, jujube paste and so on. And wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a circle, which can be vegetarian and have different flavors. It can be boiled, fried and steamed, which means happy reunion.