Why do we eat fish for New Year's Eve dinner? Seven must-have dishes for New Year's Eve dinner

Every family will have a New Year’s Eve dinner during the Chinese New Year, and fish is usually an indispensable part of the dinner. So, why do we eat fish for the New Year’s Eve dinner? Why must there be fish in the New Year’s Eve dinner? Do you understand?

Why do we eat fish for New Year's Eve dinner?

Eating fish at the New Year’s Eve dinner is for good luck. People believe that the New Year's Eve dinner is very particular. There must be fish at the dinner and it must not be eaten up. This implies "abundance every year" and is a hope for good luck. The homonym of “fish” is “yu”, which not only represents surplus, but also symbolizes exorcising demons and ghosts.

The custom of eating fish during the Chinese New Year

1. There seems to be an unspoken rule about eating fish during the Spring Festival in many areas south of the Yangtze River. Fish is the last dish at the banquet. When it is served on the table, people usually do not eat it but leave it aside as a lucky charm, which means "abundance every year". In some places, people pay attention to eating fish during the New Year’s Eve dinner, and they must keep the head and tail of the fish until the next year (i.e. the beginning of the next year), to express the wish of having a "beginning and end" in the New Year.

2. There are also some rules for arranging fish. The fish head should be facing the distinguished guest or elder to show respect; if the guest is a scholar, the fish belly should be facing him to praise him for his knowledge and articles; if the guest is a military general, the fish spine should be facing him to praise him for his bravery and boldness, and he can be regarded as the backbone. Also, when the fish is served on the table, the fish's head should be facing whom and its tail should be facing whom, and once it is placed, it cannot be moved. The person facing the fish head "cuts the ribbon", and the person facing the fish tail "sponsors"; first the two people drink a glass of wine together, and then the person facing the fish head picks up the chopsticks to eat the fish (the so-called "cutting the ribbon"), and then everyone can pick up the chopsticks, and the atmosphere is lively and full of joy.

Fish have different meanings in different places

The meaning of fish is different in different places. In Shanghai, Ningbo, Zhejiang and other places, there is a custom of welcoming the God of Wealth at the beginning of the lunar year. It is to string a live carp with a silk rope and then paste three red papers on it as a sacrifice, which is known as "yuanbao fish". Some people will also place two yellow croakers on a tin plate as an offering, symbolizing gold, because in the past local people called gold bars "big yellow croaker" and "small yellow croaker"; in some places, the live carp after the offering are taken to the rivers and released into the wild, which means "business is booming all over the world, and wealth is abundant in the three rivers." There is also a fish custom in the eastern Zhejiang area. At the wedding, when the new bride gets off the sedan chair, she will scatter some copper coins on the ground. Copper coins are commonly known as copper coins. When a new bride scatters copper coins, it means "carp scattering eggs". It is said that carp lays many eggs, which means it has strong reproductive ability and "a house full of descendants". Haha, this meaning is really interesting.

Seven must-have dishes for New Year's Eve dinner

1. One pot stew - a full bowl

This is actually not a dish, but a method of cooking. It mainly involves putting many delicacies together. In Taiwan, it is called "weilu", there is hot pot in Sichuan, pot in Guangdong, Buddha jumps over the wall in Fujian, family portrait in Shanghai, pork stewed with vermicelli in Northeast China, and a cured meat platter in my hometown of Jiangxi. This "hodgepodge" method symbolizes harvest and abundance, and a prosperous new year. It is a dish that will be available for the New Year's Eve dinner.

2. Braised fish - abundant harvest every year

There is a Chinese tradition that says there will be plenty every year, so fish is a must-have dish for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Eat carp on New Year’s Eve, as “li” is homophonic with “li”, which means good luck; eat crucian carp on New Year’s Eve, as “ji” is homophonic with “ji”, which means good fortune and luck. We eat silver carp on New Year’s Eve. Silver carp sounds like “lian” (lian), which means abundance every year. If you only cook one fish, you can eat the middle part at the New Year’s Eve dinner, and eat the head and tail on New Year’s Day. It symbolizes a good harvest and abundance for years to come.

3. Saliva Chicken - Golden Rooster Brings Blessings

I have recommended this dish, mouth-watering chicken, before. The Chinese have a saying that "no chicken, no feast", so no matter how big or small the banquet is, chicken is an indispensable and important dish, and the New Year's Eve dinner is no exception. The chicken means "having a plan", which means having a plan to make money and turning misfortune into good fortune. I recommend the mouth-watering chicken. In the past, it was mostly cooked by steaming, boiling in soup, or cooking with other ingredients such as abalone, but this dish is more refreshing and less greasy, so you can try it.

4. Braised pork trotters – bring wealth

This dish is included in many hotel set meals, with names such as "Get Rich Easy", "Windfall Easy", "Get It as You Go", etc. In addition to its good meaning, the collagen-rich pig's trotters cooked with peanuts and hair algae are nutritious and delicious.

5. Braised Tripe in Soy Sauce - Money all over the Ground

There is usually a dish of braised food on the menu, also called tripe, which is shaped like a copper coin and the beef tripe is golden in color. It is served together with other braised foods, or mushrooms shaped like ingots, and becomes the "wealth symbol" on the New Year's Eve dinner table, symbolizing prosperity and wealth.

6. Meatballs - Round and Round

The biggest highlight of Hubei New Year dishes is the various meatballs, which symbolize reunion. Other places also have some meatballs, beef meatballs, four-happiness meatballs, braised meatballs, and glutinous rice meatballs. In addition to being made into separate dishes, they can also be put in the first dish to enrich the content, add more people to the family, and make the family more reunion.

7. Stir-fried French beans - Peaceful seasons

Season beans have become the vegetable of choice for many people's New Year's Eve dinner because of their bright colors and crisp taste. In addition, their straight shape is similar to bamboo, so they are often given the meanings of "rapid advancement", "reaching the top of the pole", "soaring straight up", "flourishing", and "peace all year round". Moreover, this dish is light and can meet the dietary needs of modern people.