![]() ![]() On the first day of the new year, we always eat vegetarian because it cleanses the body so you can start the year fresh and healthy. My mom would cook up a feast consisting of at least a whole chicken and steamed fish representing wishes for abundance and luck in the new year. Although the celebrations are not as big here in Berlin as in Asia, my family would still try to incorporate as many traditions as possible-and a big dinner on New Year’s Eve is no exception. Last year I had the opportunity to celebrate in Hong Kong and although Covid restrictions limited the festivities, the spirits were still high and the New Year markets were full. Growing up as a Cantonese-German, Lunar New Year is one of my personal favorite holidays. « Although the celebrations are not as big here in Berlin as in Asia, my family would still try to incorporate as many traditions as possible-and a big dinner on New Year’s Eve is no exception. Kitchen Stories recipe I recommend trying for Lunar New Year: I didn’t have the luxury to smoke or access those sausages after moving to Germany, so I picked up a new tradition from the northern Chinese diasporas: making dumplings together, a skill I started to slowly master after deep diving in this topic last year. The celebration lasts days until the lantern festival – the 15th of January on the lunar calendar when we eat a bowl of glutinous rice balls with sesame filling (汤圆, tang yuan), symbolizing togetherness with beloved ones. ![]() The absolute stars on the festive table are an abundance of smoked meat (腊肉, la rou) and sausages (香肠, xiang chang), prepared a month ahead and steamed on the day, accompanied by dishes like cold salads, crispy fried pork belly, and steamed sticky rice. In Sichuan where I grew up, the most important meal to celebrate Spring Festival is in fact New Year’s eve lunch. « The absolute stars on the festive table are an abundance of smoked meat (腊肉, la rou) and sausages (香肠, xiang chang), prepared a month ahead and steamed on the day. ![]() As with most holidays, Lunar New Year would not be complete without the sheer range of delicious, delectable food made and enjoyed! The answers were so delightfully varied and packed with drool-worthy recipes and memories that we had to share them with you. So I asked our Kitchen Stories team to share their stories from the holiday: How they celebrate the beginning of the new year, and most importantly, what they eat. I grew up in Korea and my family celebrated 설날 (Seollal) every year, but I know there are many more ways to greet the new year in different cultures, even households. Regardless of the animal that stands as the icon, millions of people around the world will celebrate the beginning of the year in colorful and sumptuous fashion: multiple days (sometimes weeks) are marked off as holidays, supermarkets advertise special ingredients and deals, streets are filled with food vendors and decorated with festive signs and flags… The festivities take place especially prominently across mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Korea, but they also extend globally to wherever their cultural diasporas have settled, and welcome whoever chooses to partake (with full, steaming plates of food)! And that includes us at Kitchen Stories. According to the Chinese zodiac consisting of 12 animals, it will be the year of the rabbit, while if you follow the Vietnamese zodiac, it will be the year of the cat. In 2023, the first day of the lunar new year falls on January 22nd in the Gregorian calendar. ![]() Food Editor at Kitchen Stories Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit! ![]()
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