Rice dumpling is a traditional Chinese food which is eaten during Dragon Boat Festival. In Chinese, rice dumpling is called "
zongzi". Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. During the festival, people buy rice dumplings from stores or warp rice dumplings by themselves at home and eat to commemorate the death of
Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of
Chu. He lived during the Warring States Period. He tried to warn his king against the expansionism of the kingdom of
Qin, but he failed. And in the end the Qin Dynasty took Chu's capital in 278 BC. Qu yuan was so sad that he drowned himself in the Miluo river. According to legend, people wrapped rice into packets and thrown them into the river to prevent fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. That's why zongzi became a traditional food in China and we eat it every year.
There are lots of kinds of zongzi in China. The shape of zongzi is various. Some of them are tetrahedral and some are cylindrical. The fillings also have lots of variations. For example, jujubes, pork, dried shrimp, chicken and mung beans. Wrapping a zongzi neatly is a difficult work. The skill is passed down through families. When I first wrapped a zongzi, I totally messed it up.Zongzi need to be steamed or boiled for several hours. And frozen zongzi could be easily found in Chinese markets. Every year, we eat zongzi not only because it is delicious but also because it represents our best wishes towards Qu Yuan.
