8 Foods To Eat During Chinese New Year In Taiwan

Chinese New year is almost upon us, and while here in Taiwan it’s a holiday steeped in both culture and tradition, for many locals, the most exciting aspect about this time of the year is the food on the table. As we all know, Taiwan is famous for its incredible cuisine, so it should come as no surprise that there are many dishes associated with the holiday. Here are some of the most popular.

Fish

The Chinese word for ‘fish’ sounds quite like the word for ‘surplus’, a word often found in spring couplets. However, it’s important that you don’t finish all the fish. Leaving some on the table signifies that you will have everything in abundance for the coming year.

Nian Gao

Nian Gao are sticky rice cakes that are usually deep-fried and eaten as a dessert. The words ‘Nian Gao’ are similar to the words ‘each year higher’, which are obviously quite auspicious. They imply that this year will be better than last year, and you can apply it to almost any situation from prosperity to a child growing.

Zhu Jiao Mian Xian

The dish of pig knuckle with noodles is a common meal eaten on the first day of the New Year. Pigs were at one time a sign of wealth and so throughout history pork dishes have always symbolized money and prosperity. The long strands of each noodle are said to symbolize a long and healthy life.

Chicken

It’s not uncommon to see a whole chicken at the table during Chinese New Year. This is said to symbolize the coming together of the family, and every bit of it must be finished. And as you already know, New Year is all about family reunions.

Pineapple

Pineapple, whether it’s fresh or as a pineapple cake, symbolizes wealth and prosperity. The reason behind this is the fact that the Hokkien pronunciation for pineapple is ‘Ong Lai’, which can be loosely translated as ‘prosperity coming’. As you can imagine, this means one thing only: good luck!

Dumplings

The shape of a dumpling often resembles that of a gold ingot, and yes, you guessed it, this is supposed to bring prosperity for the New Year. In days gone by, some families would place a coin in one dumpling and the person who found it would have a lucky year. These days some people keep the tradition alive but use nuts or other edible items instead of a coin.

Kumquats or oranges

The word for kumquat in Chinese contains the character for gold, so as you can imagine this is considered an incredibly lucky fruit to have at the table. Regular oranges are also eaten for their color (similar to gold) and the fact that in Chinese they sound similar to the word for luck. This is a great food gift to offer to a local during Chinese New Year.

Hot pot

Hot pot doesn’t quite have the traditional significance of the other foods on this list, but it is nonetheless an incredibly popular option for the New Year. This is because of the relative simplicity of preparing a hot pot meal. You may not be able to dump a whole chicken in there, but it is a great meal for the cold weather of Chinese New Year.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.