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Chinese New Year Food Dishes

There are few festivities celebrated around the world on the same grand scale that the Chinese New Year is celebrated. This is an occasion that affects people all around the world. The celebrations are quite exotic and a lot of fun for everyone involved. One thing that many outsiders may not appreciate is that the majority of the aspects of the Chinese New Year celebrations have a very specific purpose and connotation. Even the food.

Whether you are Chinese are not, I 'm sure that you could use a bit of good fortune to make things run a little more smoothly in your life.

When it comes to cooking for a Chinese New Year celebration there are a few things you have to bear in mind. The foodstuffs that are cooked each have their very own significance and a specific reason for being prepared.

Dumplings are believed to bring wealth in the New Year to those who eat them on this particular day. Of course, wealth is something that most people want to have and there are many means of doing so. Other foods that symbolize the attainment of wealth on the Chinese New Year are bamboo shoots, black moss seaweed, egg rolls, and oranges. This is just the beginning of the lesson in the symbolic nature of dishes for the Chinese New Year.

Longevity or long life is something else that the Chinese famously yearn for. Eternal youth some may call it. The secret, they say, to a long life is the consumption of the right food as part of the New Year festivities. Those foods include: noodles, Chinese garlic, chives, and peanuts.

Prosperity is attributed to foods such as lettuce, whole fish, and pomelo. In addition to success whole fish and pomelo are believed to bring abundance and togetherness (as in marriage or romance) during the coming year.

Chicken is the main course if happiness is the goal. In addition, chicken is associated with marriage, particularly when consumed with foods, which are considered to be dragon foods, such as lobster.

Those wanting children in the not too distant future ought to add eggs, seeds (such as watermelon seeds) and pomelo - especially the last two, if you want a couple of children.

Finally, if good luck is what you most need, try to add a tangerine or some seaweed to your plate on this auspicious day. If your run of luck has been really atrocious recently, you may want to double up on your helping of both.

The Internet contains loads of delicious recipes to help you commemorate the Chinese New Year as traditionally as you can. Recipes for foods such as Jiaozi (Chinese noodles) and egg rolls are to be found online and they will go some way towards creating the right ambiance. Add a few lettuce wraps and longevity noodles and you will have a good starting point for a Chinese New Year meal.

The only other thing you require then to make your Chinese New Year celebrations go with a bang (quite literally) is fireworks. The Chinese New Year would not be the same without them, so choose your food well, either buy it or cook it (or both) and then let off your fireworks safely for a great winters evening's entertainment.

About the Author

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the programmable crock pot. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots.