With the Chinese New Year festivities in full swing, it’s a season for feasting and gathering with family. However, some foods are just not favoured during a Chinese New Year dinner. Bitter gourd, or anything known to be bitter is banned from the dining table. This is because Chinese believe that if you eat bitter foods (the Mandarin words for bitter has the same sound as the Mandarin word for suffering), your life in the coming year will be full of trials and tribulations.

The Chinese are also very particular about fish served during this occasion. The Mandarin word for fish “yu” is a homophone for the Mandarin word “abundance”. During the reunion dinner, it is customary to serve a fish at the end of the evening meal as it is an auspicious sign for more abundance and prosperity in the New Year. Fish is also served whole, with head and tail, this signifies a whole year’s worth of prosperity, from beginning to the end.

During Chinese New Year, the pregnant Pek Tor (white spotted rabbitfish) is a must-have for the Teochews. Amazingly, these fishes start to spawn only during Chinese New Year. The female fish are filled with roe while the males are filled with milt. Steaming the Pek Toh is a popular choice and it is paired with a garlic chilli dip.

The Northern Chinese will eat jiaozi (dumplings) for breakfast during Chinese New Year as the shape of the dumpling resembles the gold ingots used in Ancient China. Eating dumplings represents a hope for financial abundance in the coming year.

Makansutra and Makanation wishes all our readers a Happy and Healthy Chinese New Year!