Green sticky rice balls colored with fresh spring
By Tan Weiyun |
March 15, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
QINGTUAN, literally "green cakes," look like glossy round stones and are traditionally eaten around the Qingming Festival, which falls on April 4 this year.
The sweet glutinous rice dumplings were traditional ritual offerings in ancient times in southern China. Their popularity has spread to other parts of the country.
They may be filled with sweet red bean paste, black sesame paste with sugar, mashed jujubes, nuts and sometimes even pork.
The green color traditionally came from the juice of fresh grass shoots known as maiqing. It symbolizes spring and the fragrance of meadows. The grass takes hours to stew so many qingtuan are commercially made nowadays with green food coloring.
Eating sticky qingtuan dates back more than 2,000 years.
In olden days, families always made qingtuan at home. Sometimes mugwort, which is also green, was substituted for maiqing. A little lime water reduced the mugwort's astringent flavor.
The green juice was mixed with glutinous rice to make dough to encase the fillings.
The green cakes were always eaten cold on Tomb Sweeping Day. The story goes that no fire was allowed on that day, as a gesture honoring Jie Zitui, a great minister of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-467 BC), who was burned to death in a forest fire on that day.
The sweet glutinous rice dumplings were traditional ritual offerings in ancient times in southern China. Their popularity has spread to other parts of the country.
They may be filled with sweet red bean paste, black sesame paste with sugar, mashed jujubes, nuts and sometimes even pork.
The green color traditionally came from the juice of fresh grass shoots known as maiqing. It symbolizes spring and the fragrance of meadows. The grass takes hours to stew so many qingtuan are commercially made nowadays with green food coloring.
Eating sticky qingtuan dates back more than 2,000 years.
In olden days, families always made qingtuan at home. Sometimes mugwort, which is also green, was substituted for maiqing. A little lime water reduced the mugwort's astringent flavor.
The green juice was mixed with glutinous rice to make dough to encase the fillings.
The green cakes were always eaten cold on Tomb Sweeping Day. The story goes that no fire was allowed on that day, as a gesture honoring Jie Zitui, a great minister of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-467 BC), who was burned to death in a forest fire on that day.
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