January 22nd is Chinese New Year!
The traditional Chinese calendar is ruled by the moon instead of the sun. This means that Chinese New Year takes place on a different date each year: this year, it will be on Sunday 22nd January. Not only celebrated in China, Chinese New Year is observed in many Asian countries including Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines.
Many foods are traditionally associated with Chinese New Year and are said to bring happiness and good luck for the coming year. This edition of the Jack's Ovens blog reveals some of the foods you should be eating at the start of 2023, the year of the rabbit.
Tangerines and Oranges
Likened to gold, the colour of these tangy citrus fruits is said to symbolise wealth. In addition, the evenly-round shape of the fruits is symbolic of completeness and fullness. The spoken word meaning 'orange' in Chinese is very similar to the word meaning 'success', while the written word for 'tangerine' includes a Chinese character that means 'good luck'.
Noodles
Noodles are long, which is said to represent an equally-long life. However the noodles are cooked and served, whether it is fried as a side dish or boiled and served with broth in a bowl, they should never be cut. Slurping is not only allowed, it is in fact encouraged and is recognised as a compliment to the chef!
Dumplings
Dumplings are one of the most traditional aspects of Chinese cuisine and have been eaten in that country for many thousands of years. To make the delectable treats, a thin piece of dough is wrapped around chopped meat and/or vegetables, with the resulting dumpling being gently steamed to perfection. When eaten as part of a Chinese New Year celebration, the dumplings are shaped like ingots, once again representing wealth. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat, the wealthier you will become as the new year progresses!
Fish
Language once again plays a part in this food being regarded as lucky as the Chinese word for 'fish' sounds like the word meaning 'surplus'. Eating fish is thus regarded as representing prosperity as you will have more money than you need. Some of the fish prepared on Chinese New Year's Day is traditionally saved to eat the following day.
The kitchen is regarded as one of the home's most important rooms and is thus kept scrupulously clean, just like the kitchen at Jack's Ovens that has earned us a five-star Health & Hygiene rating. All of the food prepared and eaten at Chinese New Year must be completely fresh and brand new, so it's like Chinese New Year every day here at Jack's Ovens!
Check out our website to discover our sumptuous breakfast and lunch menus. Don't forget that we also offer a bespoke gourmet private catering service. Happy Chinese New Year from the Jack's Ovens team!