The fillings of Yuanxiao are mostly sesame seeds, peanuts and other things with high sugar content, which can be produced on a large scale by machine rolling. Eating methods include boiling, frying, steaming, baking, drawing and so on. Now you can only cook it and eat it, but you can't keep it for a long time (it will crack if it is kept for a long time, and it will crack if it is refrigerated). The glutinous rice skin of Yuanxiao is thin and the surface is dry. When it is cooked in the pot, the skin absorbs water and becomes paste.
The traditional fillings of Yuanxiao are mostly lard bean paste, white sugar sesame, jujube paste, ginkgo, nuts, almonds, hawthorn and so on. The stuffing of glutinous rice balls is traditionally sweet, but now there are some innovations on the basis of traditional sweet stuffing, such as adding diced meat, diced ham and dried shrimps.
Tangyuan culture:
Eating dumplings is a traditional custom of Han people, especially in Jiangnan. There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". The entrance is sweet and smooth, and the 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".
On the 15th day of the first month of the Lantern Festival, Ningbo Tangyuan, as a kind of food, 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" contains sesame seeds, red bean paste, walnuts, nuts, jujube paste and so on. And wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a circle, you can be vegetarian and have different flavors. It can be boiled, fried and steamed, which means happy reunion.