What to eat during the Ghost Festival? A comprehensive list of the most traditional foods

What to eat during the Ghost Festival? The Zhongyuan Festival is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to worshipping ancestors, people also report the harvest to the God of Land on this day. Of course, there are many food customs during the Ghost Festival in different regions. Next, let’s take a quick look.

What to eat during the Ghost Festival

Eat rice noodles

In Guangdong, there is a custom of eating rice noodle during the Ghost Festival. Rice noodle is a traditional food at Dongguan’s birthday banquet. Eating rice noodle during the Ghost Festival symbolizes longevity, good fortune and longevity.

Eat duck

On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the Ghost Festival, people in many parts of the country choose to eat duck. Legend has it that deceased ancestors will return home to visit relatives on the Ghost Festival and have to cross the Naihe Bridge, but they cannot cross without a boat. Therefore, the living people would send some ducks down so that the ducks could swim and carry them back. Over time, this became a tradition of eating ducks during the Ghost Festival.

Making Eggplant Pancakes

Every Ghost Festival, every household makes eggplant cakes. Legend has it that eggplant cakes can serve as dry food for deceased ancestors to take to the Ullambana Festival. In fact, eggplant pancakes are now a common home-cooked dish. They are made by cutting fresh eggplant into shreds, mixing it with flour, and frying it in oil.

Steamed Lamb

In North China, on the Ghost Festival, mothers use white flour to make a pair of sheep for their married daughters. Of course, they have to steam them and wrap the sheep's heads with red cloth strips. The new son-in-law will start cutting the lamb. After he finishes cutting the lamb, he will eat the lamb's head, while the married girl will eat the lamb's feet. The rest will be distributed to the elders and neighbors of the man's side to show harmony and share the joy and auspiciousness.

Eating flower bun

Before the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, it is popular among women to make flower-shaped steamed buns. First, according to the actual number of people in the family, make a big flower bun for each person. The flower buns given to younger generations should be pinched into a flat shape, called a "mianyang", which means a lamb kneeling on its knees to drink milk, hoping that the younger generations will not forget the grace of their parents' upbringing; the flower buns given to older generations should be pinched into a human shape, called a "mianren", which means a house full of children and grandchildren, and a long life; the flower buns given to peers should be pinched into a fish shape, called a "mianyu", which means abundance year after year.