As the New Year approaches, are you all excited? Because there's a wonderful holiday, and New Year's delicacies will tell you what to eat for the New Year. Let me introduce you to New Year's delicacies from other countries, allowing you to try some new international flavors this New Year.
The New Year is near, enjoy a new beginning, and enjoy the delicious flavors of the New Year. An abundance of delicious food not only gives people a good appetite for the new year, but also gives them a good mood for the whole year. Let's see what delicious foods people from all over the world are preparing to welcome the New Year?
Korea
Special Recommendation 1: Tteokguk
Tteokguk symbolizes growth in the new year and is a traditional Korean food. The most typical food in Korea has to be tteokguk. It is said that on New Year's Day, Koreans must have a bowl of tteokguk, because they believe that without eating it, they cannot get a year older. Moreover, according to traditional customs, Korean families hold a major ancestral worship ceremony on New Year's Day, and it is held only in the house of the eldest son. Other relatives will travel from all over to the eldest son's house on this day to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony together, and tteokguk is the most important sacrificial food at this time. Koreans also use tteokguk to entertain visiting friends and relatives.
How to eat:
Tteok is made from rice, which is a bit like the rice cakes we eat. The difference is that the soup base is first boiled, and then the rice cakes are put in to cook. The broth of tteokguk is very particular. The traditional method is to simmer beef bones for several hours. Now, fish can also be used instead of beef to make the soup. Finally, according to personal preference, seasonings like tofu, oysters, and seaweed are added.
Special Recommendation 2: Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki is also an indispensable food for Koreans during the New Year, with glutinous rice as the main ingredient. The making of tteokbokki emphasizes the technique of "pounding." Rice cakes are made from glutinous rice flour, while tteokbokki is pounded from cooked glutinous rice. Tteokbokki also contains other ingredients, such as red bean paste, cooked bean flour, sugar, and salt. This type of tteokbokki is stickier, smoother, and more delicious than regular rice cakes. The surface of the tteokbokki is sprinkled with soybean flour, peanut and sesame powder, and red bean powder, making it sweet, fragrant, and soft.
How to eat:
The method is quite complex. First, the glutinous rice must be soaked in clear water for more than ten hours, then placed in a steamer and steamed over high heat for about half an hour. Next, the steamed glutinous rice is placed on a cutting board and pounded with a wooden mallet. This process requires two people to work together, pounding and turning the rice over, to make the tteokbokki even and chewy. The "pounding" process also requires skill. At the beginning, one cannot use too much force, otherwise the grains of rice will fly everywhere. The person turning must wet their hands and constantly wipe the cutting board; otherwise, the tteokbokki will stick to the board and cannot be turned. It must be pounded until the individual grains of rice are no longer visible. Then, the pounded cake is cut into appropriate small pieces and can be eaten by wrapping it with red bean paste or cooked bean flour. It can also be dipped in sugar or salt according to personal preference.
Malaysia
Special Recommendation: Nasi Lemak
Nasi lemak is creamy white in color and exudes a rich coconut fragrance. It is said that nasi lemak is also the favorite food of Malaysian singer Victor Wong, and it is the most traditional New Year food for Malaysians. In Malaysia, as long as you walk into any local restaurant, you can almost find its presence.
How to eat:
The preparation of nasi lemak is very particular. The rice is soaked in rich coconut milk before cooking. The cooked rice is creamy white and tempting, exuding a rich coconut fragrance. The rice usually also includes sambal belacan (spicy chili paste with fermented shrimp paste), roasted peanuts, cucumber shreds, and egg shreds, making it rich in flavor and nutritious. Nasi lemak also comes with many side dishes, commonly including fried chicken, curry fish, curry chicken, curry beef, curry mutton, fried eggs, tofu, shrimp, squid, etc., all with rich flavors.
Vietnam
Special Recommendation: Square Sticky Rice Dumplings (Bánh Chưng)
The shape of bánh chưng is very similar to the sticky rice chicken we often eat. Sticky rice dumplings are a must-eat food for Vietnamese people during the New Year. The whole family must share them together on New Year's Eve, and they are also given as gifts to each other during the festival. In Guangzhou, Vietnamese sticky rice dumplings are rarely seen. Because their shape is more square and their size is larger, they are more like sticky rice chicken, so they are also called "square dumplings."
How to eat:
Similar to our zongzi, Vietnamese sticky rice dumplings are also made with glutinous rice, filled with ingredients like pork and mung beans. When eating, they can be dipped in fish sauce for a unique flavor.
Singapore
Special Recommendation: "Yu Sheng" (Raw Fish Salad)
It is delicious and symbolizes "prosperity and good fortune." During the New Year, Singaporeans must eat "Yu Sheng." It is colorful and delicious. Because it symbolizes "prosperity and good fortune," it carries people's hopes for happiness in the coming year and has a very auspicious meaning, so it is widely popular.
How to eat: When eating this dish, chopsticks are used to mix the raw fish with various ingredients like lettuce, celery, and carrots.
Japan
Special Recommendation: Soba Noodles
Soba noodles symbolize health and longevity. The famous Japanese writer Ryōhō Kawakami's story "A Bowl of Soba Noodle Soup" has moved and inspired many people. This well-known work mentions soba noodles as an indispensable traditional food for Japanese people during the New Year. Soba is grown in many regions of Japan, and the history of soba noodles can be traced back to the Edo period. At that time, soba noodles were a food people prayed for happiness, and nowadays, many people still give soba noodles as gifts. It is said that according to traditional customs, on New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers to eat soba noodles. Because of its special place in the hearts of Japanese people, it is also known as "New Year's noodles."
How to eat:
Cold soba noodles are refreshing, and the broth is also delicious. The long noodles symbolize health and longevity. Moreover, biting through the soba noodles symbolizes biting through misfortune and debt, expressing beautiful hopes for the coming year.
On such an exciting day, let's cheer together to welcome 2012!