舌尖上的春節:帶來好運的十大過年傳統美食

While the Western New Year is more about drinking, the Chinese New Year is an opportunity to honor family and friends, and to enjoy some culinary traditions. We consulted Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, and Doris Lum, president of the Association of Chinese Cooking Teachers, as well as Rosemary Gong's book on Chinese culture and celebrations, Good Luck Life, to find out what foods we should have on hand to ensure a prosperous and happy year to come.

西方人過新年，總免不了開懷暢飲，而中國人過春節，講究的則是親朋好友團聚，享用傳統美食。究竟如何吃出一個喜慶繁榮的好運年呢？在這裏，三位美食達人——《魚翅與花椒》的作者扶霞·鄧洛普、膳藝社主管多麗絲·林與《紅運生活》的作者羅斯瑪麗·龔——將向你細細道來。

1. Tangerines and Oranges

福橘

Displaying and eating these fruits is said to bring wealth and luck. According to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, the tradition stems from the way the Chinese words for gold and orange sound alike, while the word for tangerine echoes luck."It's good if they have leaves," adds Lum, "because leaves symbolize longevity." But don't group them in fours, because, Dunlop says, this number is associated with death.

春節擺福橘，吃福橘，能帶來財富與好運。舊金山中國文化中心的成員告訴我們，在中文裏，“金”與“橘”諧音，而“橘氣”又代指“好運氣”，於是就有了吃福橘的傳統。“福橘最好能帶上葉子。”多麗絲·林補充道，“因爲葉子象徵長命百歲”。而鄧洛普提醒，可千萬別把福橘成四放置，因爲數字4在中文裏音近“死”。

2. Long Noodles

長壽麪

If noodles are served, then "keep them as long as possible for long life," says Lum.

林說，春節裏做麪條，“儘量做得越長越好，那代表着長壽”。

3. The Tray of Togetherness

八寶盒

Put out for visiting relatives to snack on, or given as a gift, the eight ("a traditionally symbolic lucky number," explains Dunlop) compartments of the tray are filled with things such as preserved kumquats for prosperity, coconut for togetherness, longans to bring many sons, and red melon seeds for happiness.

春節期間，走親串戶，家家都會準備八寶盒，既可作零嘴，也可當贈禮。八寶盒分爲八格（鄧洛普解釋道：“8是個吉祥數字。”），分別裝有象徵財富的金桔，象徵團聚的椰片，象徵多子多孫的龍眼，象徵喜慶的紅瓜子，等等。

4. Nian Gao

年糕

"Nian gao means year cake, but gao sounds the same as the word for tall or high," says Dunlop. Hence the cakes symbolize achieving new heights in the coming year. The steamed sweets are made of glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, and oil. Some versions have white sesame seeds, red dates, or nuts in them (the dates are said to bring "early prosperity," writes Gong in Good Luck Life). If you want to try your hand at making nian gao, here's our recipe. Chowhounds also have some tips.

“年糕是種麪食，不過‘糕'與‘高'同音，意義非凡，”鄧洛普表示。因此，年糕就被賦予了年年高升的寓意。年糕味甜，由糯米、紅糖及食用油製作而成。有時，人們也會加入芝麻、紅棗或堅果（羅斯瑪麗·龔在《紅運生活》中寫道，據說紅棗能讓人早生福氣）。如果你想動手做年糕，我們的網站（）上有相應食譜及烹飪小貼士。

5. Pomelo

祿柚

This large citrus fruit is popular, writes Gong, because it is thought to bring "continuous prosperity and status." The tradition comes from the way the Cantonese phrase for pomelo sounds similar to the words for prosperity and status, explains Lum.

龔在書中還寫道，柚子在春節期間很受歡迎，因爲中國人認爲它象徵着“財源廣進，揚名四海”。林則解釋道，廣東人把“柚子”稱作“祿柚”，吉祥之意由此而來。

6. Jai

齋菜

This vegetarian dish is eaten because it's "part of the Buddhist culture to cleanse yourself with vegetables," says Lum. It's also packed with good-luck foods, writes Gong, breaking it down by ingredient: sea moss for prosperity; lotus seeds for children/birth of sons; noodles for longevity; lily buds to "send 100 years of harmonious union"; Chinese black mushrooms to "fulfill wishes from east to west"; and more. Try our recipe.

春節期間，也有食素的傳統。“佛教認爲，吃齋能淨化自己，”林解釋道。龔也在書中寫道，製作齋菜，選料還需圖個喜慶，比如：裙帶菜代表着興旺，蓮子代表着多子多孫，麪條代表長壽，百合則寓意着“百年好合”，香菇象徵了“萬事如意”，等等。不妨試試咱們的食譜吧。

7. Long Leafy Greens and Long Beans

綠葉時蔬與長豆

Gong writes that leafy greens, such as Chinese broccoli, are "served whole to wish a long life for parents."

龔在《紅運生活》中寫道，春節期間烹製綠葉時蔬，比如芥藍，寄託着子女“希望父母長命百歲”的美好心願。

8. Whole Fish

全魚

The Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundance, says Lum. It's important that the fish is served with the head and tail intact, writes Gong, "to ensure a good start and finish and to avoid bad luck throughout the year."

林解釋道，中文裏，“魚”和“餘”同音。春節吃魚，得連着魚頭魚尾吃一整條。《紅運生活》中這麼寫道，“如此一來，才能保證一年到頭紅紅火火，黴運全無”。

9. Sweets

甜食

Serving desserts brings a sweet life in the new year. Gong writes that a childhood favorite was the flaky cookie pockets called gok jai, filled with peanuts, coconut, and sesame.

春節期間吃甜食，寓意新年甜甜蜜蜜。龔在書中記錄了兒時最愛的甜點——糕仔，口感酥脆，裏頭有花生、椰片與芝麻。

10. Yuanbao (Jiaozi)

元寶（餃子）

"In North China, everyone eats the jiaozi dumplings," says Dunlop. "Families will make a dough and wrap it around pork and cabbage, and boil [the dumplings], then serve them with vinegar and soy sauce. You can wrap them in the shape of an old silver ingot." Gong writes that during New Year celebrations jiaozi are called yuanbao, a reference to the ancient, ingot-shaped Chinese currency, and that eating them is said to bring prosperity. While making them, families sometimes tuck added good-luck foods like peanuts (to bring long life) into some of them.

“中國北方過年，人人都要吃餃子。”鄧洛普說，“家家戶戶都要包白菜豬肉餃子，入鍋烹煮，以醋與醬油作蘸料。而且，餃子常常會被包成元寶的形狀。”龔則在書中進一步解釋道，元寶是中國古代的貨幣。每逢春節，中國人會把餃子稱作元寶。於是，吃餃子便寓意了來年財源廣進。另外，不少人家還會在一些餃子中包入其他吉利食品，比如花生，寄寓了長壽之意。