Chinese food
Nian gao
Cantonese-style
nian gao
|
Alternative names
| Year cake, Chinese New Year's cake, tikoy, ti kuih
|
---|
Place of origin
| China
|
---|
Region or state
| East Asia (Mainland China,
Hong Kong
,
Macau
, and
Taiwan
)
Southeast Asia (
Singapore
,
Malaysia
,
Cambodia
,
Indonesia
,
Myanmar
,
Philippines
,
Thailand
and
Vietnam
)
South Asia (
Sri Lanka
)
|
---|
Variations
| Varies by region (Cantonese, Shanghai, Fujian, etc.)
|
---|
Other information
| Typically consumed during
Chinese New Year
|
---|
|
Nian gao
(
Chinese
:
年?
;
pinyin
:
niang?o
;
Jyutping
:
nin4 gou1
), sometimes translated as
year cake
[1]
[2]
or
New Year cake
[1]
[3]
[4]
or
Chinese New Year's cake
, is a food prepared from
glutinous rice flour
and consumed in
Chinese cuisine
. It is also simply known as "
rice cake
".
[3]
While it can be eaten all year round, traditionally it is most popular during the
Chinese New Year
. It is considered good luck to eat
nian gao
during this time of the year because
nian gao
(
年?
) is a
homonym
for "higher year" or "grow every year" (
年高
), which means "a more prosperous year".
[4]
[3]
The character
年
is literally translated as "year", and the character
?
(
g?o
) is literally translated as "cake" and is identical in sound to the character
高
, meaning "tall" or "high".
[4]
[5]
In Mandarin (though not all Chinese languages),
Nian gao
(
年?
) also is an exact homonym of "sticky cake" (
??/粘?
),
[1]
the character
?/粘
(
nian
) meaning "sticky".
This sticky sweet snack was believed to be an offering to the
Kitchen God
, with the aim that his mouth will be stuck with the sticky cake, so that he cannot badmouth the human family in front of the
Jade Emperor
.
[3]
It is also traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year.
Originally from China, it spread to or gave rise to related rice cakes in Southeast Asian countries and Sri Lanka due to
overseas Chinese
influences.
History
[
edit
]
Making of
nian gao
can be traced back to the
Northern and Southern dynasties
(386?589 AD). The agricultural text
Qimin Yaoshu
, written during that time, referenced an older recipe book
Shi Ci
(
食次
) and the glutinous rice dish,
ye
(
?
): "Use glutinous rice flour, sieve with silk cloth, add water and honey, use hand to knead the dough, making two-inch squares, cut to four sticks, put date and chestnut meat on and under the sticks, grease around, cover with bamboo leaves, steam thoroughly, set aside two hours, if the leaves are still on, ripped off, set the sticks free."
Ye
was the earliest variant of
nian gao
known to have been made.
[6]
[7]
Significance and rituals
[
edit
]
Nian gao
sounds identical to 年高, meaning "higher year," implying promotions or prosperity year after year. This association makes nian gao a popular gift item during the New Year period. The traditional nian gao is round with an auspicious decoration such as the character for prosperity (
福
) on its top. The character is often written in the traditional Chinese script.
As a gift item, nian gao are fashioned into different shapes with attractive packaging to suit the festive season. Popular designs include a pair of carps (
年年有餘
) symbolizing surplus every year, ingots (
元寶
), or the
God of Wealth
(
財神
). These designs are auspicious symbols and send good wishes for the New Year.
Production
[
edit
]
Despite numerous varieties, they all share the same
glutinous rice
ingredient that is pounded or ground into a paste and, depending on the variety, may simply be molded into shape or cooked again to settle the ingredient.
Nian gao
has many varieties, including the types found in
Cantonese cuisine
,
Fujian cuisine
,
Shanghai cuisine
, and northern Chinese cuisine.
Types
[
edit
]
Guangdong/Cantonese cuisine
[
edit
]
The
Guangdong
variety is sweetened, usually with
brown sugar
. It is distinct with a dark yellow color. The paste is poured into a cake pan and steamed once more to settle the mixture. The batter is steamed until it solidifies and served in thick slices. It may be eaten as is. The
nian gao
becomes stretchy and extremely sticky. It can also be served as a
pudding
flavored with
rosewater
or
red bean paste
.
The next stage is optional, as it can be sliced and be
pan-fried
afterwards, often with egg, to make fried
nian gao
(
Chinese
:
煎年?
;
pinyin
:
ji?n nian g?o
;
Jyutping
:
zin
1
nin
4
gou
1
).
[3]
When fried, it is slightly crispy on the outside, and remains pasty on the inside.
[3]
During the Chinese New Year, it is cut into square pieces and served along with similar cake
dim sum
dishes, like
water chestnut cakes
[3]
and
taro cakes.
People also send pieces of
nian gao
to their friends and relatives as wishes for prosperity and good fortune.
[3]
Fujian/Hokkien cuisine
[
edit
]
In the Southern region of
Fujian
,
nian gao
, natural amber, is mainly used for the New Year ritual and gifts. It is made of glutinous rice and taro, which are then usually sliced and cooked before eating. It can also be wrapped in egg or cornstarch (corn flour) or sweet potato to fry.
Jiangnan and Shanghainese cuisine
[
edit
]
Nian gao
is white along the lower reaches of the
Yangtze River
(the
Jiangnan
region), and it is a mild food. It is made by mixing rice with glutinous rice; the ratio between the two can be adjusted according to personal preferences. The softer version has an increased proportion of glutinous rice. Cooking methods include steaming, frying, sliced frying, or in soup. Ningbo
nian gao
is the most famous, and common practices include pickled pork soup
nian gao
and shepherd's purse fried
nian gao
. Shanghai's ribs
nian gao
are also distinctive. The Shanghai Niangao style is usually packaged in a thick, soft rod to be sliced up or packaged sliced and either stir-fried or added to soup. Depending on the cooking method, this style is a soft to a chewy variant. The Shanghai style keeps the
nian gao
white, and is made with nonglutinous rice. The color is its distinct feature. When served as a dish, the most common is the stir-fry method, hence the name (炒年?,
ch?o nian g?o
). Three general types exist. The first is a savory dish; common ingredients include
scallions
,
beef
,
pork
,
cabbage
,
Chinese cabbage
, etc. The second is a sweet version using standard
white sugar
. The last version is almost tasteless, and is often consumed for its chewy textures.
Northern cuisine
[
edit
]
Northern
nian gao
can be steamed or fried, and is mainly sweet in taste. The
Beijing
versions include
jujube
and either glutinous rice or yellow rice, mince
nian gao
, and white
nian gao
. The
Shanxi
makes nian gao using fried yellow rice and red bean paste or jujube paste for filling.
Hebei
uses jujube, small red beans, and green beans to make steamed
nian gao
. In
Shandong
, it is made of red
dates
and yellow rice. The
Northeast
type is made of beans on sticky
sorghum
.
Similar food in Asia
[
edit
]
Burmese cuisine
[
edit
]
It is commonly called
tikay
(
?????
) in
Burma
, from
Hokkien
tike
(
??
). Introduced by the
Sino-Burmese
, it is commonly eaten during the Lunar New Year.
[8]
Cambodian cuisine
[
edit
]
Buddha cake, or
nom preahpout
, (???????????) is a
Cambodian
counterpart consumed during
Khmer New Year
.
Indonesian cuisine
[
edit
]
In
Indonesia
, it is known as
kue keranjang
or
dodol Tionghoa
or
dodol Cina
, the latter both meaning "Chinese
dodol
", a similar Indonesian rice flour confection.
Kue keranjang
was originally named as
nien kao
or
ni-kwee
or yearly cake or seasonal cake, because they are only made once a year. In
East Java
, this cake was named
kue keranjang
because the wrapper is made from a
bamboo
basket with a little hole in the middle. In
West Java
, it was named China cake, as the origin of the cake from China, but some call it China Cake because the producers are Chinese (known as
Tionghoa
).
Japanese cuisine
[
edit
]
In
Japan
,
mochi
is a similar glutinous rice cake eaten primarily for the
Japanese New Year
.
Korean cuisine
[
edit
]
In
Korea
,
tteokguk
, a soup dish that uses the
garae-tteok
similar to the Shanghai variety of
nian g?o
, is traditionally eaten during the
Korean New Year
.
Peranakan cuisine
[
edit
]
Peranakan Chinese
offer steamed sticky cakes called
kueh bakul
(粘?;
nian gao
) to the Kitchen God, Zao Jun (also known as Zao Shen and Zao Wang) as offerings.
[9]
Philippine cuisine
[
edit
]
In the
Philippines
, the food is called
tikoy
, originating from the
Hokkien
word
??
. It is popular during the Lunar or Chinese New Year and was culturally assimilated within the population's own cooking techniques through trade networks between the Philippines and Hokkien-speaking regions such as Fujian and Taiwan. It is sweetened with brown sugar, giving it a dark yellow to light brown colour, but it is also often prepared with different flavours, such as
ube
(
purple yam
), giving it a purple colour, or
pandan
, giving it a green colour.
Tikoy
may be eaten as is, but can also be dipped in beaten egg and lightly pan fried until crispy, but still chewy inside. Also a version of
tikoy
is made in southern Quezon province. Unlike others, this variant is sweet and is similar to Japanese
mochi. Tikoy
can also be consumed as an ingredient in the Filipino dessert called
turon
or be eaten with ice cream and chocolate or covered with grated coconut flesh and peanuts.
[10]
Sri Lankan cuisine
[
edit
]
In
Sri Lanka
,
seenakku
(
Sinhala
:
???????
) has a Malay origin and derives from Chinese influence.
[11]
Seenakku
is a popular sweet among the country's
Sinhalese
and
Malay
communities and is served with grated coconut.
[11]
Seenakku
is called
cheena kueh
by the Sri Lankan Malay community, with its name reflecting its Chinese origin.
[12]
Vietnamese cuisine
[
edit
]
Banh t?
is a
Vietnamese
counterpart to the Chinese
nian gao
. It is a speciality of
Qu?ng Nam province
and also consumed by the ethnic Chinese community.
Influence outside Asia
[
edit
]
Mauritian cuisine
[
edit
]
In
Mauritius
, the
nian gao
is commonly called
gateau la cire
(literally translated as '
wax
cake'); however, it can be written in diverse ways such as
gato la cire, gato lasir,
or
gato lacire, etc
.
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
It is a traditional cake of the
Sino-Mauritian
community. Traditionally, it is made with
rice flour
, sweetened with
sugar
, sometimes
honey
, and has
orange
zest
as the key ingredient.
[13]
The classic colour of the
nian gao
in Mauritius has traditionally been
brown
; however, new colours along with new flavours, such as white (which is
coconut-milk
based), green (which is
pandan
-based),
red
, and
yellow
, has recently been introduced on the island in 2018.
[13]
[15]
In Mauritius, the
nian gao
is a cake which symbolized
sharing
;
[15]
it is customary for
Sino-Mauritians
to share and distribute
nian gao
to celebrate
Chinese New Year
to their families and friends;
[17]
[18]
and thus,
nian gao
is consumed by locals regardless of their ethnicity. Some
nian gao
found on the island is imported while others are traditionally made by the
local ethnic Chinese community
. The traditional way of making
nian gao
is still transmitted from generations to generations in some families.
[19]
American Cuisine
[
edit
]
Chinese Americans eat cooked or fried
nian gao
on
Chinese New Year's Eve
and on
New Year's Eve
.
[2]
In
Hawai'i
,
nian gao
is known as
gau
and is a popular food consumed during the Chinese New Year.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Mcwilliams, Mark (2016).
Food and communication : proceedings of the oxford symposium on food 2015
. [S.l.]: Prospect Books. p. 232.
ISBN
978-1-909248-49-6
.
OCLC
954105485
.
- ^
a
b
Food, cuisine, and cultural competency for culinary, hospitality, and nutrition professionals
. Sari Edelstein. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 2011. p. 84.
ISBN
978-0-7637-5965-0
.
OCLC
316824340
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link
)
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Roufs, Timothy G. (2014).
Sweet treats around the world : an encyclopedia of food and culture
. Kathleen Smyth Roufs. Santa Barbara. pp. 79?80.
ISBN
978-1-61069-221-2
.
OCLC
890981785
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
a
b
c
Fong, Mary (2000-01-01).
"
'Luck Talk' in celebrating the Chinese New Year"
.
Journal of Pragmatics
.
32
(2): 219?237.
doi
:
10.1016/S0378-2166(99)00048-X
.
ISSN
0378-2166
.
- ^
Lee, Josephine Tsui Yueh (2007).
New York City's Chinese community
. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. p. 33.
ISBN
978-0-7385-5018-3
.
OCLC
154698918
.
- ^
"9".
Qimin Yaoshu
(in Chinese).
《食次》曰?:用?稻米末,??,水、蜜?之,如强??面。手?之,令?尺?,?二寸?。四破,以?、栗肉上下着之,遍?油?,竹??之,?蒸。奠二,?不?,破去??,解去束附。
- ^
"味?上的江南印? 年?,年年高"
.
Sohu
(in Chinese).
- ^
"?????????????? ??????????"
.
BBC News ??????
(in Burmese)
. Retrieved
2023-05-28
.
- ^
Knapp, Ronald G. (2012).
Peranakan Chinese home : art and culture in daily life
. A. Chester Ong. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle Publishing.
ISBN
978-1-4629-1185-1
.
OCLC
830947706
.
- ^
"Chinese New Year Treat Turned Filipino Favourite: 5 Facts on Tikoy You Probably Didn't Know"
.
- ^
a
b
Hussein, Asiff (21 January 2017).
"Ten Wonderful Things We Have The Malays To Thank For"
.
roar.media
. Roar
. Retrieved
11 January
2018
.
- ^
Sri Lankan Malay Recipes
. Galadari Hotel Colombo. p. 35.
ISBN
955-8529-001
.
- ^
a
b
c
Redaction, La (2019-02-02).
"Fete du printemps: Le gateau la cire en voit de toutes les couleurs"
.
lexpress.mu
(in French)
. Retrieved
2021-02-05
.
- ^
Edouard, Olivia (2020-01-26).
"Nouvel an chinois: fete du Printemps, tout sauf ratee!"
.
lexpress.mu
(in French)
. Retrieved
2021-02-05
.
- ^
a
b
c
Grimaud, Carole (2020-01-25).
"Le "gato lasir" apporte des couleurs a la Fete du Printemps"
.
lexpress.mu
(in French)
. Retrieved
2021-02-05
.
- ^
"Chinatown Food and Cultural Festival : vitrine de la culture sino-mauricienne"
.
Le Defi Media Group
(in French)
. Retrieved
2021-02-05
.
- ^
a
b
Expat News (4 February 2021).
"What you need to know about Chinese New Year celebrations in Mauritius"
.
Expat
. Retrieved
5 February
2021
.
- ^
"Holidays in Mauritius - Spring Festival Mauritius"
.
www.sunresortshotels.com
. Retrieved
2021-02-05
.
- ^
Turenne, Christine (2019-02-05).
"Fete du Printemps: des gateaux intergenerationnels"
.
lexpress.mu
(in French)
. Retrieved
2021-02-05
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Nian gao
.
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Burmese
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Chinese
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Filipino
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Indonesian
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Japanese
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Korean
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South Asian
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Other
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