Food with Chinese Characteristics

Chinese food is large in number and rich in its classification. Food is closely related to culture. Among the many famous Chinese dishes, which one can best represent China? Which can only be enjoyed in China? Which can be considered as the most popular Chinese food? This passage explores the TOP 3 food with great Chinese characteristics.

1. Zongzi(Rice dumpling)

zongzi is eaten on China Dragon Boat Festival. Zongzi is made of glutinous rice, stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. The appearance of zongzi is cylindrical and its strange appearance can tell how hard it is to wrap a zongzi.

The fillings used for zongzi vary from region to region,and different people love different flavors. The most common and classic fillings of a zongzi are meat, bean and red date.

Zongzi was first made to honor Qu Yuan, a pioneering poet and patriotic official in ancient China. He tried his best to fight political corruption and finally killed himself by throwing himself to the river. Since the death of Quyuan, Zongzi has been cooked by people to remember Quyuan.

2. Jiaozi (Dumplings)



Jiaozi, or dumplings with meat and vegetable fillings, is very popular during the Spring Festival and other festivals. It tops the list of delicacies of people in north China, where people eat jiaozi at nearly all traditional holodays.

Since the appearance of dumplings looks like the V-shape ingot which is used as money in ancient China, people eat jiaozi to express their wish to make money the next year. Although time has changed, the tradition has remained. Today eating jiaozi has been a tradition and those who don’t eat jiaozi during holidays are believed to have a bad forture.

3. hot pot



In the winter season, when the low temperature and chilly winds deprive us of warmth, people like to eat food that immediately warms their bodies. That’s why hot pot is so popular during winter in China. Family members or friends sit around a table and eat with a steaming pot in the middle of the table. Their body soon warms up and they can eat, drink, chat and select the food at the same time. Different from ordinary meals in which cooked dishes are put on the table, diners are required to select whatever raw food they want to eat from the plates scattered around the table and boil the food by themselves. In other words, they can enjoy the food that are boiled by themselves.

Hot pot is the most famous and favorite dish in Chongqing. Chongqing local people consider the hot pot a local specialty, which is noted for its peppery and hot taste, scalding yet fresh and tender.

These photo took and edited by myself.