cáe̤ng /Min Dong Chinese pronunciation:[tsɔyŋ˨˩˨][2]
Zongzi(Chinese:Tống tửⓘ;ZOHNG-zih),rouzong(Chinese:Nhục tống;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:bah-càng), or simplyzong(Chinese:Tống;Jyutping:zung2) is a traditional Chinese rice dish made ofglutinous ricestuffed with different fillings and wrapped inbambooleaves. Fillings can be either sweet, such asred bean paste,or savory, such aspork bellyorChinese sausage.[3]The bamboo for wrapping thezongziis generally of the speciesIndocalamus tessellatus,although sometimesreedor other large flat leaves may be used.Zongziare cooked by steaming or boiling.[4]People in theEastern worldoften translate this dish into English asrice dumplingsorsticky rice dumplings,although the Chinese government has registeredZongzias the formal name in global use.[5]
As it diffused to other regions of Asia over many centuries,zongzibecame known by various names in different languages and cultures,[6]includingphet htoke(ဖက်ထုပ်) inBurmese-speaking areas (such asMyanmar),nom changinCambodia,machanginPhilippines,bacanginIndonesia,khanom changinLaos,andba-changinThailand.
Vietnamese cuisinealso has a variation on this dish known asbánh ú troorbánh tro.[7]
Japanese cuisinehas leaf-wrapped glutinous rice flour dumplings calledchimaki.They may betetrahedral,square, rectangular, or long narrow conical in shape.
In some areas of the United States, particularlyCaliforniaandTexas,zongziare often known as "Chinesetamales".[9][10]
What has become established popular belief amongst the Chinese is thatzongzihas since the days of yore been a food-offering to commemorate the death ofQu Yuan,a famouspoetfrom thekingdom of Chuwho lived during theWarring States period.[12]Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried to counsel his king to no avail, and drowned himself in theMiluo Riverin 278 BC.[13][a]The Chinese people were grateful for Qu Yuan's talent and loyalty to serve the country. They cast rice dumplings into the Miluo River on the day when Qu Yuan was thrown into the river every year, hoping that the fish in the river would eat the rice dumplings without harming Qu Yuan's body.
Qu Yuan died in 278 BC, but the earliest known documented association between him and thezongdumplings occurs much later, in the mid 5th century (Chinese:Thế thuyết tân ngữ;pinyin:Shìshuō Xīnyǔ,orA New Account of the Tales of the World),[14]And a widely observed popular cult around him did not develop until the 6th century AD, as far as can be substantiated by evidence.[15]But by the 6th century, sources attest to the offering ofzongzion theDouble FifthFestival (5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar) being connected with the figure of Qu Yuan.[16]
As for the origin myth, a fable recounts that the people commemorated the drowning death of Qu Yuan on theDouble Fifthday by casting rice stuffed in bamboo tubes; but the practice changed in the earlyEastern Handynasty (1st century AD),[17][b]when the ghost of Qu Yuan appeared in a dream to a man named Ou Hui (Chinese:Khu hồi, âu hồi) and instructed him to seal the rice packet withchinaberry(orMelia) leaves and bind it with colored string, to repel the dragons (jiaolong) that would otherwise consume them. However, this fable is not attested in contemporary (Han period) literature, and only known to be recorded centuries later inWu Jun[zh](Ngô quân;Wu chün,d. 520)'sXu Qixieji(『 tục tề hài ký 』;Hsü-ch'ih-hsieh-chih).[18][19][20][21]
Also, Qu Yuan had (dubiously, by "folklore" or by common belief) become connected with the boat races held on the Double Fifth, datable by another 6th century source.[22]《 kinh sở tuế thời ký 》(6th c.), under the "Fifth Day of the Fifth Month" heading.[23]Modern media has printed a version of the legend which says that the locals had rushed out indragonboatsto try retrieve his body and threw packets of rice into the river to distract the fish from eating the poet's body.[24]
Zongzi(sticky rice dumplings) are traditionally eaten during theDuanwu Festival(Double Fifth Festival) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of theChinese lunisolar calendar,and commonly known as the "Dragon Boat Festival" in English. The festival falls each year on a day in late-May to mid-June in the International calendar.
The practice of eatingzongzion the Double Fifth orsummer solsticeis concretely documented in literature from around the late Han (2nd–3rd centuries).[c]At the end of theEastern Han dynasty,people madezong,also calledjiao shu,lit. "horned/angled millet" ) by wrappingsticky ricewith the leaves of theZizania latifoliaplant (Chinese:Cô;pinyin:gu,a sort of wild rice[25]) and boiling them inlye(grass-and-wood ashwater).[26]The namejiao shumay imply "ox-horn shape",[25]or cone-shape. That thezongorziao shuprepared in this way was eaten on the occasion of the Double Fifth (Duanwu) is documented in works as early as theFengsu Tongyi,AD 195).[26]These festive rice dumplings are also similarly described in GeneralZhou Chu(236–297)'sFengtu Ji,"Record of Local Folkways"[23][27][28]Various sources claim that thisFengtu Jicontains the first documented reference regardingzongzi,[29][30]even though it dates somewhat later than theFengsu Tongyi.
In theJin dynasty(Tấn,AD 266–420),zongziwas officially aDragon Boat Festivalfood.[31][32]Anecdotally, an official calledLu Xun[zh]from the Jin dynasty once sentzongziwhich usedyizhiren[zh](Chinese:Ích trí nhân,thefruitofAlpiniaoxyphyllaor sharp leafgalangal) as additional filling; this type of dumpling was then dubbedyizhi zong(Chinese:Ích trí tống,literally "dumplings to increase wisdom" ).[31][33]Later in theNorthern and Southern dynasties,mixedzongziappeared, the rice was filled with fillings such as meat, chestnuts,jujubes,red beans,[34][32]and they were exchanged as gifts to relatives and friends.[31][32]
In the 6th century (Suito earlyTang dynasty), the dumpling is also being referred to as "tubularzong"(Chinese:Đồng tống / đồng tống;pinyin:tongzong), and they were being made by being packed inside "young bamboo" tubes.[35][d]The 6th century source for this states that the dumplings were eaten on the Summer Solstice,[35](instead of the Double Fifth).
In theNorthern Songdynasty period, the "New augmentation to theShuowen Jiezi"(Chinese:Thuyết văn tân phụ;pinyin:Shouwen xinfu) glossedzongas rice with reed leaves wrapped around it.[e][36]Mijiian Zong(zongzi withglacé fruit) was also popular in the Song dynasty.[32]Also during the Song dynasty, there were manypreserved fruitzongzi.At this time also appeared apavilionfilled withzongzifor advertising, which showed that eatingzongziin the Song dynasty had been very fashionable.
During the Ming andQing dynasties,zongzibecame auspicious food. At that time, scholars who took theimperial examinationswould eat "penzongzi",which was specially given to them at home, before going to the examination hall. Because it looked long and thin like awriting brush,the pronunciation of "penzongzi"is similar to the Chinese word for" pass ", which was for good omen.[failed verification]Hamzongziappeared in the Qing dynasty.[37][better source needed]
Every year in early May of the lunar calendar, the Chinese people still soak glutinous rice, wash the leaves and wrap upzongzi.[32]
Video ofzongzibeing made inHainan,ChinaPrepackaged dried bamboo leaves for makingzongzi
The shapes ofzongzivary,[38]and range from being approximatelytetrahedralin southern China to an elongatedconein northern China. In theChiang Kai-shek Memorial Hallin Taipei, plastic mock-ups of rectangularzongziare displayed as an example of thezongzieaten by Chiang Kai-shek.[citation needed]Wrappingzongzineatly is a skill that is passed down throughfamilies,as are the recipes. Making zongzi is traditionally a family event in which everyone helps out.
While traditionalzongziare wrapped in bamboo leaves,[39]the leaves oflotus,[40]reed,[41]maize,banana,[42]canna,shell ginger,andpandansometimes are used as substitutes in other countries. Each kind of leaf imparts its own unique aroma and flavor to the rice.
The fillings used forzongzivary from region to region, but thericeused is almost alwaysglutinous rice(also called "sticky rice" or "sweet rice" ). Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked bystir-fryingor soaked in water before using. In the north, fillings are mostly red bean paste andtapiocaortaro.Northern stylezongzitend to be sweet[43]and dessert-like. In the northern region of China,zongzifilled withjujubesare popular.[32]
Southern-stylezongzi,however, tend to be more savoury or salty.[43]Fillings of Southern-stylezongziinclude ham,[32]salted duck egg,pork belly,taro, shredded pork or chicken, Chinese sausage, pork fat, andshiitake mushrooms.[44]However, as the variations ofzongzistyles have traveled and become mixed, today one can find all kinds of them at traditional markets, and their types are not confined to which side of theYellow Riverthey originated from.
Zongzineed to besteamedorboiledfor several hours depending on how the rice is prepared prior to being added, along with the fillings. With the advent of modern food processing, pre-cookedzongzi(usually invacuum packsorfrozen) are now available.
Southern and Northern Chinese stylezongziUnwrappedzongziwith pork and mung beans (left), pork and peanuts (right)
Jiaxing zongzi( gia hưng tống tử ): This is a kind ofzongzifamous in mainland China and named after the cityJiaxing,Zhejiang. Typically savory with the rice mixed with soy sauce and having pork, water chestnut and salted duck egg yolk as its filling, but sweet ones withmung beanor red bean filling also exist.
Jia zong( giả tống ): Instead of glutinous rice, balls of glutinous rice flour (so no individual grains of rice are discernible) are used to enclose the fillings of thezongzi.These "fakezong"are typically smaller than most and are much stickier.
Northwestern stylezongziJianshui zong( dảm thủy tống ): These "alkaline waterzong"are typically eaten as a dessert item rather than as part of the main meal. The glutinous rice is treated withjianzongshui( dảm tống thủy, alkali[ne]zongziwater, aqueoussodium carbonateorpotassium carbonate), giving them their distinctive yellow color.Jianshui zongtypically contain either no filling or are filled with a sweet mixture, such assweet bean paste.Sometimes, a certain redwood sliver (Tô mộc) is inserted for color and flavor. They are often eaten with sugar or light syrup.
Cantonese jung( quảng đông tống ): This is representative of the southern variety ofzongzi,usually consisting of marinated meat, such as pork belly, and duck, with other ingredients like mung bean paste, mushrooms, dried scallops, and salted egg yolk. Cantonesejungare small, the front is square, back has a raised sharp angle, shaped like an awl.[further explanation needed]
Chiu Choujung( triều châu tống ): This is a variation of Cantonesejungwith red bean paste, pork belly, chestnut, mushroom, and dried shrimp, in a triangular prism.[46]
Banlamzang( mân nam tống ):Xiamen,Quanzhouarea is very famous for its pork rice dumplings, made with braised pork with pork belly, plus mushrooms, shrimp, and so on.
Sichuan zong( tứ xuyên tống ): Sichuan people like to eat spicy and "tingly-numbing" ( ma ) sense food, so they make spicy rice dumplings. They addSichuan peppercorns,chili powder,Sichuan salt, and a little preserved pork, wrapped into four-cornered dumplings. Cooked and then roasted, it tastes tender and flavorful.
Beijing zong( bắc kinh tống ): The Beijingzongare sweet and often eaten cold.[44]Common fillings include red dates and bean paste, as well as preserved fruit.[47]
Nyonya Chang on sale in Singapore.Nyonyachang( nương nhạ tống ): A specialty ofPeranakan cuisine,thesezongziare made similarly to those from southern China. However,pandan leavesare often used, in addition to bamboo leaves, for the wrapping while minced pork with candiedwinter melon,a spice mix, and sometimes ground roasted peanuts are used as the fillings. As with a common practice found in Peranakan pastries, part of the rice on thesezongziare often dyed blue with the extract fromblue pea flowerto add to the aesthetic.[49]
^After composing theJiu Zhang( "Nine Declarations" ) part of theChu ci;this according toWang Yi,the ancient (Han dynasty period) commentator to Qu Yuan as a poet.[13](More specifically, penningLament for Yingportion of the Nine Declarations when the Qin generalBai Qicaptured Yingtu, then the capital of Chu, in 278 BC[citation needed]).
^The first year of Eastern Han (Year 1 of Jianwu era, AD 25) to be more precise.
^The claim that thezongzidates to theSpring and Autumn periodoccurs in a book by a non-expert (Dong Qiang[zh],a French literature professor and translator), and only an unnamed "Record" is cited as evidence.[25]Other web sources concur with this claim.
^Here following Ian Chapman who renders (tong zong) as "tubularzong".[23]
^The originalShuowen Jiezidates to c. AD 100, but this character was added to the dictionary in the 10th century. The leaf plant is given aslu(simplified Chinese:Lô;traditional Chinese:Lô;pinyin:lu), or "reed".
^Gwee, William Thian Hock (2006). "kueh chang".Baba Malay Dictionary: The First Comprehensive Compendium of Straits Chinese Terms and Expressions.Tuttle Publishing. p. 113.ISBN978-0-8048-3778-1.
^abChan, Timothy Wai Keung (July–September 2009). "Searching for the Bodies of the Drowned: A Folk Tradition of Early China Recovered".Journal of the American Oriental Society.129(3): 385 and n1.JSTOR20789417.
^Wu, Yue vọng nhạc (2007).Ershisi jieqiNhị thập tứ tiết khí dữ thực liệu[Twenty-four solar terms prescribed food therapy]. Jilin Science and Technology Press cát lâm khoa học kỹ thuật xuất bản xã.
Zongziassembly in Shanghai
Jianshuizongziwithout fillings
Japanese-stylechimakimay have a long narrow conical shape
A very largezongzi
Dessertzongzimade with translucent glutinous rice paste
Fancy decoratedzongziin a museum display
