Auspicious Foods

At these affairs and throughout New Year's Day, everyone peppers their speech with words and phrases suggested auspicious things. This idea is carried through to the reunion meal where every dish has a name which symbolizes in some way health, honor, and riches. One specialty served is called " Broth of Prosperity," a steamed chicken filled with "gold and silver ingots" (egg dumplings and pigeon eggs). Steamed pork shoulder is called "Mist of Harmony." Winter bamboo shoots, because they grow so tall, suggest the phrase "year after year, ascend to great height". Giant pork meatballs, or "lions' heads" symbolize happy reunion because of their round shape. A fried fish or chicken served whole with head to tail to suggest "a favorable start and finish."
The most popular New Year dessert is niangao, a sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding. when people eat this dish, they preface their first bite with the phrase "promotion step by step" (bubu denggao) because the word for cake also sounds like the word for "soaring high". Connoisseurs of Chinese food regard the New Year cake made in Ningpo (Zhejiang Province) as the very best because it uses a glutinous rice flour made from the winter harvest. Niangao from Ningpo is not sweet but salty in taste, with vegetables, shredded meat, cabbage, turnip, or spinach being added to the mixture.