As we all know, Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. Reunion dinner is the most important meal of the year as it is the day where all of the family members must return to their hometown to enjoy the meal together with the whole family. Apart from that, there are some delicious desserts that come after the meal that you shouldn’t miss too! Here are 3 CNY sweet treats that we like the most!
Nian Gao
Nian Gao is also known as ‘rice cake’ as it is made from sticky glutinous rice or yellow rice. There are different types of shapes to represent gold and silver bricks or bars. The ‘gao’ in nian gao is a homophone of gao which means tall or high. It means you will be successful and ‘higher’ than the last. Some parents like to let their children eat this to help them grow taller too.
Fa Gao
If you realise, most of the Chinese desserts are name with ‘gao’. What gives fa gao a unique meaning is the ‘fa’. It is the same as ‘Fa Cai), which means gaining wealth and making a fortune. In the olden days, rice is soaked before grinding into the paste, then ferment it to make it ‘fa’. After that, it is put on the stove for steaming. When the cake comes out, everyone will come and check if the dough has raised well. If the cake is fluffier, the better the luck it will bring.
Osmanthus Jelly
The sweet-scented flower is often seen in Chinese celebrations. In Chinese, the flower name is a homophone to 贵(gui)which means noble, it represents auspiciousness, friendship and success. The main ingredients are glutinous rice powder, fresh osmanthus petals and bits of crystal sugar.
Have you eaten three of this must-have desserts in Chinese New Year? If you haven’t, this is the time where you can buy now!
Read also: What Is The Meaning Behind Chinese New Year Dishes
