Chinese food Zongzi

Chinese food Zongzi

The
zongzi or zong zi 粽子 is a food or snack to traditional
Chinese glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo
leaves or reed in the manner of twists. They are known under the name chimaki
in Japanese. In the West, they are known as Chinese tamales. In the Philippines, zong zi is more known as Masan. Laotians, Thais
and Cambodians also have similar traditional dishes influenced by the zongzi.

The
Zong zi is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Duan wǔ Jie) which falls on
the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (around early to
mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan 屈原, a famous poet Chinese
kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Known for his
patriotism, Qu Yuan tried in vain to warn his king and his compatriots against
the expansionism of Qin. When General Bai Qi Qing took Yingdu, capital of Chu
kingdom in 278 BC, Qu Yuan grief was so intense that he committed suicide in
the Miluo River after writing the poem Lament for Ying . According to legend,
packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating the body
of the poet. Another legend says that Zong zi were thrown to appease a dragon
that lived in the river.

The
shape of zong zi is tetrahedral in southern China cylinder in the north.

Wrap
a zong zi is a skill which is transmitted in families. During production, all
family members give a hand.

Although
traditionally the zong zi is wrapped in bamboo leaves, lotus leaves, corn,
banana, canna, or pandanus leaves are sometimes used as substitutes in other
countries. Each type of leaf prints its own smell and gives a unique flavor to
the rice.

The
fittings used for zong zi vary in each region, but it uses only sticky rice.
Depending on the region, rice may be slightly blown or soaked in water before
use.

For
the filling, you can use mung beans, red bean paste, jujube, pork (salted,
sausage …), Chinese black mushrooms, salted duck eggs, chestnuts, peanuts,
green beans, dried shrimp, Saint-Jacques scallops, chicken, taro, turnip slices
dried shallots, etc.

The
zong zi should be steamed or boiled for several hours. Once cooked, it can
easily be frozen for later consumption.

Variations

–
Jia Zong : instead of glutinous
rice, using beads mochi. They are generally smaller than most zong zi and well
sticky.

–
Shuijing Zong or “crystalline
Zong zi” are not filled zong zi made with a special glutinous rice, cooked
long, has a slightly translucent paste wherein the rice grains have
“melted.” They are eaten cold or slightly frozen, dipped in powdered
sugar, syrup or honey.

–
Jianshui Zong  or “alkaline
Zong zi” are usually eaten as a dessert. Sticky rice is treated with aqueous
sodium carbonate that gives them a yellow color. They usually contain no
garnish or are filled with a sweet mixture (eg, sweet bean paste) and are often
consumed with sugar or syrup.

–
Nyonya or Nianre Zong Zong : specialty
Peranakanne kitchen. They are similar to the zongzi southern China except
that the packaging is made of pandanus leaves.

Recently,
varieties containing expensive ingredients-based jokes due to their rarity or
their medicinal virtues have appeared; they are given as gifts.

Image source:http://www.chinadecoded.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Zongzi.jpg

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