Why is it that dumplings are an indispensable part of every northern Chinese New Year meal?

Audit expert: Wang Guoyi

Postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Food Safety, China Agricultural University

Whenever the part “Let’s make dumplings together” appears at the end of the Spring Festival Gala, my friends from the South will comment: People in the South don’t eat dumplings.

Source: Weibo screenshot

So, why is eating dumplings so popular in the north?

1The Evolution of Dumplings

As the saying goes, "every ten miles apart, the customs are different; every hundred miles apart, the customs are different." When it comes to dumplings, different regions have different names for them, such as flatbread, laowan, fenjiao, jiaozi, bianshi, shuibaobo, etc. The origin of dumplings is closely related to its name. From its creation to the present day, it has a history of nearly two thousand years.

Source: pexels

"Guangya·Shiqi" says, "Wonton is a cake." Wonton, also known as "huntun", first appeared in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Dumplings were derived from wontons and formed in the Northern Dynasties. Yan Zhitui once said in "Yanshi Jiaxun": "Today's wontons are shaped like a waning moon and are eaten all over the world." This "wanton shaped like a waning moon" is very similar to the current "semi-circular pasta with fillings" - dumplings.

Why did people at that time call dumplings "jiao" or "jiao'er"? It is said that they were called that because they have sharp corners at both ends. For example, in the 41st chapter of "Dream of Red Mansions", it is described as follows: "In the box, there were also small dumplings about an inch in size... When Jia Mu asked what the filling was, the maids hurriedly replied that it was crab."

2 Northern Dumplings vs Southern Rice Cakes and Rice Balls

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there have been obvious differences in the food customs of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day between the south and the north. In the north, people often make dumplings on New Year's Eve, while in the south, people usually eat rice cakes and Yuanxiao on New Year's Eve. Why is there such a big difference in the diet of the north and the south during the New Year? This has to start with the fact that my country is vast and has a vast territory. There are huge differences between the north and the south in many aspects such as climate, geography, and humanities. In terms of planting conditions, wheat is mostly planted in the cold north, while rice is mainly planted in the hot south. This is because wheat has different temperature requirements at different stages. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 15-20℃, the minimum temperature for root growth is 2℃, and growth is inhibited when it reaches 30℃. Therefore, it is not suitable for wheat planting in the southern region with higher temperatures.

Source: Baidu

Compared with wheat, rice has higher requirements for temperature and humidity. It likes high temperature, high humidity and sunshine. This growth habit makes it more suitable for growing in southern my country. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a humid and warm climate, have always been one of the main rice-growing areas in my country. Let's talk about taste. I wonder if you have participated in the recent "sweet and salty in the north and south" dispute? In fact, before the Northern Song Dynasty, it was a common phenomenon for northerners to like sweet food. This is because honey and maltose were the main sources of sweetness in people's diet in ancient times, and honey was widely used in the diet of northerners. After the Northern Song Dynasty, the migration of northerners to the south caused a great change in the taste map of Chinese people, from the original salty in the south and sweet in the north to the transition from sweet in the south and salty in the north. In addition, the change of the main sweet source is also one of the important influencing factors. That is, sucrose replaced honey and maltose and became the main source of sweetness in the diet of the ancients. Compared with northerners, southerners have gained a more convenient geographical advantage. With the continuous formation and fixation of people's eating habits, it has created the situation today that northerners like salty food more and southerners like sweet food more. Therefore, salty dumplings are more popular in the north, while southerners are more accustomed to sweet rice cakes and glutinous rice balls. Of course, this is also inseparable from the raw materials used to make dumplings, rice cakes and glutinous rice balls. Dumpling wrappers are mostly made of wheat, while the raw material for making rice cakes is usually glutinous rice. It can be seen that the differences in diet during the New Year between the north and the south are the result of the combined influence of many factors.

3. Chinese Feelings in Dumplings

There are many things to pay attention to when eating dumplings, but the most important thing is that dumplings must be eaten when the family is reunited, which implies the good hope of family reunion. Slowly, dumplings are no longer just a kind of food, but also contain the unique cultural atmosphere of the Chinese people, and occupy an important position in the hearts of the Chinese people who pursue family reunion. China's special humanities and geographical environment from east to west and from south to north have caused the collision of people's thoughts in various fields such as social politics, economy, and philosophy. The combined effect has produced cultural diversity and differences, and also produced the unique "round" psychology of the Chinese people. In a small plate of dumplings, people's good hopes for the coming year are placed. It is not only a delicacy on people's tables, but also a witness to people's journey to a better life.

Source: pexels

So whether we eat dumplings or glutinous rice balls during the Chinese New Year, the most important thing is reunion!