Nian gao
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Alternative names | Year cake, Chinese New Year's cake, tikoy, ti kuih |
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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 | |
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Hanyu Pinyin | tián guǒ |
Southern Min | |
Hokkien POJ | tiⁿ-kóe or tiⁿ-ké |
Nian gao (
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
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 (䊦): "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
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
Production
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
Guangdong/Cantonese cuisine
The
The next stage is optional, as it can be sliced and be pan-fried afterwards, often with egg, to make fried nian gao (Chinese: 煎年糕; pinyin: jiān nián gāo; Jyutping: zin1 nin4 gou1).[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
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
Nian gao is white along the lower reaches of the
Northern cuisine
.Similar food in Asia
Burmese cuisine
It is commonly called tikay (တီကေ့) in
Cambodian cuisine
Buddha cake, or nom preahpout, (នំព្រះពុទ្ធ) is a
Indonesian cuisine
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
Japanese cuisine
In
Korean cuisine
In Korea, tteokguk, a soup dish that uses the garae-tteok similar to the Shanghai variety of nián gāo, is traditionally eaten during the Korean New Year.
Peranakan cuisine
Philippine cuisine
In the
Sri Lankan cuisine
In Sri Lanka, seenakku (Sinhala: සීනක්කු) 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
Bánh tổ is a Vietnamese counterpart to the Chinese nian gao. It is a speciality of Quảng Nam province and also consumed by the ethnic Chinese community.
Influence outside Asia
Mauritian cuisine
In Mauritius, the nian gao is commonly called gâteau 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
Chinese Americans eat cooked or fried nian gao on
See also
References
- ^ OCLC 954105485.
- ^ )
- ^ )
- ^ ISSN 0378-2166.
- OCLC 154698918.
- ^ "9". Qimin Yaoshu (in Chinese).
《食次》曰䊦:用秫稻米末,绢罗,水、蜜溲之,如强汤饼面。手搦之,令长尺馀,广二寸馀。四破,以枣、栗肉上下着之,遍与油涂,竹箬裹之,烂蒸。奠二,箬不开,破去两头,解去束附。
- ^ "味蕾上的江南印记 年糕,年年高". Sohu (in Chinese).
- ^ "ခေါက်ဆွဲစားတဲ့ မြန်မာများ". BBC News မြန်မာ (in Burmese). Retrieved 2023-05-28.
- 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.
- ISBN 955-8529-001.
- ^ a b c Rédaction, La (2019-02-02). "Fête du printemps: Le gâteau la cire en voit de toutes les couleurs". lexpress.mu (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ Edouard, Olivia (2020-01-26). "Nouvel an chinois: fête du Printemps, tout sauf ratée!". lexpress.mu (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ a b c Grimaud, Carole (2020-01-25). "Le "gato lasir" apporte des couleurs à la Fête 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). "Fête du Printemps: des gâteaux intergénérationnels". lexpress.mu (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-05.