FOODIE INTERRUPTION #2:
Today's post is devoted to the zongzi, which is the traditional food of the Dragon Boat Festival. This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn about the beginnings of the sport of dragon boating, too. But first, let's recognize the sponsors of the Jiaxing Dragon Boat Festival, 五芳斋 (Wufanzhai), by many accounts, the most famous zongzi makers in China. We all had some. They were absolutely delicious, and I don't usually enjoy zongzi. Check out their website.
Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice stuffed with different assortments of filling that are wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and steamed or boiled. Zongzi are eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, known in Mandarin Chinese as Duānwǔ Jié (端午節). Duānwǔ literally means "double fifth," because the holiday always falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar (usually late May - mid June). This day commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the Chu Kingdom who lived during the Warring States period in ancient China. Well-known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his countrymen against the attack of the neighboring Qin Kingdom. When the Qin general Bai Qi seized the Chu capital Yingdu, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so great that he drowned himself in the Miluo River.
Qu Yuan (屈原): 339 BCE – 278 BCE
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According to popular legend, the villagers desperately tried to save Qu Yuan after he immersed himself in the Miluo River, but they were too late. However, in order to keep the fish and evil spirits away from Qu Yuan's body, they beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles. They also tossed rice into the river both as an offering to Qu Yuan's spirit and to lure the fish away from disturbing his body. Late one night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared to his friends and told them of his death. Then he asked his friends to wrap their rice into three-cornered silk packages and throw them into the river to ward off the river dragon. And thus, the zongzi and the dragon boat festival were born.
Today zongzi is wrapped in bamboo or read leaves, instead of silk. The act of racing to search for Qu Yuan's body became the cultural tradition of dragon boat racing, which is held on Duānwǔ Jié, the anniversary of the Qu Yuan's death. Other countries around China, such as Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysai, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines, also celebrate the festival as part of the process of cultural sharing with China.
Today zongzi is wrapped in bamboo or read leaves, instead of silk. The act of racing to search for Qu Yuan's body became the cultural tradition of dragon boat racing, which is held on Duānwǔ Jié, the anniversary of the Qu Yuan's death. Other countries around China, such as Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysai, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines, also celebrate the festival as part of the process of cultural sharing with China.
Common zongzi fillings include: mung beans, red bean paste, jujubes, Chinese barbecued pork, Chinese sausage, salted pork fat, Chinese black mushrooms, salted duck eggs, chestnuts, peanuts, dried scallops, red-cooked pork, chicken, and taro.
And apparently, there are other ways to enjoy zongzi...