By: Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot: āSharing Savory Stories on the Makings of Americaās Cuisinesāā¦
As you likely know by now, Lunar New Year aka Chinese New Year ushers in the Year of the SNAKE ! šā¦That's right, Lunar New Year 2025 starts today January 29, 2025, marking the transition from the Year of the Dragon š to the Year of the SNAKE š! Iāve learned itās celebrated for 15 days and culminates on Thursday, February 13, 2025 with whatās known as the Lantern Festivalā¦
No surprise Iām celebrating Lunar New Year the way I know bestāby honoring the incredible richness and diversity of fabulous Asian food cultures (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnameseā¦) and the countless culinary delights from the vast continent of Asia and its expansive diaspora. With much GRATITUDE and great appreciation, I recognize the peopleāpast, present, and futureāwho have cultivated, created, and graciously shared such a plethora of amazing dishes and food traditions with and throughout the world. (I just KNOW I wouldnāt have survived those months working in London some moons ago if not for the awesome and amazing Chinatown there ā where I could always get my grub on with some healthy, delicious eats!) ā¦
Yay itās the time of year when some of my FAVE savory delights like dumplings, whole fish and noodle dishes abound as theyāre believed to bring luck and good fortune (see also list below)ā¦... Shown here in this post enjoying delicacies like these + delicious greens from a local Chinese market, nutrient dense seaweeds, bean threads or āglassā noodles, great green teas ā¦ PLUS shared cultural values including connective concepts of Community, Tradition, and Shared Prosperity . ā¦Like I said, I receive it all with the gratitude for each and every culinary culture that has brought and continues to bring deliciousness to our nationās tables today and every day ā including way back in the day and for many, many more to comeā¦
ALSO, as a person of predominantly W. African heritage (from circa 300+ yrs ago) I also love to explore, discover, learn about and share the myriad synergies I see between āAsiaticā and āAfricanicā culinary cultures. More specifically ā how to connect cultural culinary dots between the two because there are manyl, including but not limited to:
the huge role RICE plays in nearly every African and Asian food culture
the cultivation, consumption and outright LOVE of LEAFY GREENS (either in soups or as stand-alone sides
an abundance of SEAFOOD (fresh fish, whole fish, crab, etc.)
the artful use of aromatic ALLIUMS like green onion, garlic...
incorporation of ingredients like PEANUTS, GINGER and SWEET POTATO varieties in both savory and sweet modes..
as well as SESAME seeds & oils (also known as ābenneā in W. African food cultures) ā¦
and more!...
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Ok back to the HOLIDAY at hand!
Lucky Foods to Know (& Have!) Throughout This Fabulous Two-Week Food-Filled Holiday
(as desk-researched and as told!) primarily from Chinese food cultures :
ā¢ Dumplings: Particularly those that resemble gold ingots and symbolize wealth (Jiaozi)
ā¢ Fish: Served whole, representing abundance; eating the head and tail ensures a good start and finish to the year.
ā¢ Spring Rolls: Resemble gold bars, symbolizing prosperity.
ā¢ Longevity Noodles: Eaten uncut for long life and happiness.
ā¢ Glutinous Rice Cake (Nian Gao): Sweet and sticky, it symbolizes growth and prosperity.
ā¢ Mandarins & Oranges: Represent wealth and good fortune due to their golden color and round shape.
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A Few Tidbits & Tips: Also from Chinese culinary traditionsāāHow and what you eat mattersā
ā¢ Always leave some fish on the plate to symbolize surplusā¦
ā¢ Dumplings made with family signify togethernessā¦
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And you can always explore the full monthās food & drink holiday calendar via THIS LINK for even more culinary celebrations and o explore more FREE food & drink āholidaysā ā¦