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''Nian gao'' (年糕; also ''niangao''; ''nin4 gou1'' in Cantonese), sometimes translated as year cake or New Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake, is a food prepared from
glutinous rice flour Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated animals, or domesticated plants. These traits were identified by Charles Darwin in '' The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication. ...
and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply known as "rice cake". While it can be eaten all year round, traditionally it is most popular during the
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
. It is considered good luck to eat ''nian gao'' during this time of the year because ''nian gao'' (年糕) is a homonym for "higher year" or "grow every year" (年高), which means "a more prosperous year". The character 年 is literally translated as "year", and the character 糕 (''gāo'') is literally translated as "cake" and is identical in sound to the character 高, meaning "tall" or "high". ''Nian gao'' (年糕) also has the exact homonym for "sticky cake" (粘糕); the character 粘 (''nián''), meaning "sticky". This sticky sweet snack was believed to be an offering to the Kitchen God, with the aim that his mouth will be stuck with the sticky cake, so that he cannot badmouth the human family in front of the
Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...
. It is also traditionally eaten during the Duanwu Festival. Originally from China, it spread to or gave rise to related rice cakes in Southeast Asian countries and Sri Lanka due to
overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...
influences.


History

Making of'' nian gao'' can be traced back to the Northern and Southern dynasties (386–589 AD). The agricultural text '' Qimin Yaoshu'', written during that time, referenced an older recipe book ''Shi Ci'' () and the glutinous rice dish, ''ye'' (): "Use glutinous rice flour, sieve with silk cloth, add water and honey, use hand to knead the dough, making two-inch squares, cut to four sticks, put date and chestnut meat on and under the sticks, grease around, cover with bamboo leaves, steam thoroughly, set aside two hours, if the leaves are still on, ripped off, set the sticks free." ''Ye'' was the earliest variant of ''nian gao ''known to have been made.


Significance and rituals

''Nian gao'' sounds identical to 年高, meaning "higher year," implying promotions or prosperity year after year. This association makes nian gao a popular gift item during the New Year period. The traditional nian gao is round with an auspicious decoration such as the character for prosperity () on its top. The character is often written in the traditional Chinese script. As a gift item, nian gao are fashioned into different shapes with attractive packaging to suit the festive season. Popular designs include a pair of carps () symbolizing surplus every year, ingots (), or the God of Wealth (). These designs are auspicious symbols and send good wishes for the New Year.


Production

Despite numerous varieties, they all share the same
glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...
ingredient that is pounded or ground into a paste and, depending on the variety, may simply be molded into shape or cooked again to settle the ingredient.'' Nian gao'' has many varieties, including the types found in
Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( or ) is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Maca ...
,
Fujian cuisine Fujian cuisine or Fujianese cuisine, also known as Min cuisine, is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the cooking style of China's Fujian Province, most notably from the provincial capital, Fuzhou. "Fujian cuisine" in this articl ...
, Shanghai cuisine, and northern Chinese cuisine.


Types


Guangdong/Cantonese cuisine

The Guangdong variety is sweetened, usually with brown sugar. It is distinct with a dark yellow color. The paste is poured into a cake pan and steamed once more to settle the mixture. The batter is steamed until it solidifies and served in thick slices. It may be eaten as is. The ''nian gao'' becomes stretchy and extremely sticky. It can also be served as a
pudding Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, ins ...
flavored with
rosewater Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavour ...
or
red bean paste Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or g ...
. The next stage is optional, as it can be sliced and be pan-fried afterwards, often with egg, to make fried'' nian gao'' (). When fried, it is slightly crispy on the outside, and remains pasty on the inside. During the Chinese New Year, it is cut into square pieces and served along with similar cake ''
dim sum Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cuis ...
''dishes, like water chestnut cakes and taro cakes. People also send pieces of ''nian gao'' to their friends and relatives as wishes for prosperity and good fortune.


Fujian/Hokkien cuisine

In the Southern region of Fujian,'' nian gao'', natural amber, is mainly used for the New Year ritual and gifts. It is made of glutinous rice and taro, which are then usually sliced and cooked before eating. It can also be wrapped in egg or cornstarch (corn flour) or sweet potato to fry.


Jiangnan and Shanghainese cuisine

''Nian gao'' is white along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River (the Jiangnan region), and it is a mild food. It is made by mixing rice with glutinous rice; the ratio between the two can be adjusted according to personal preferences. The softer version has an increased proportion of glutinous rice. Cooking methods include steaming, frying, sliced frying, or in soup. Ningbo ''nian gao'' is the most famous, and common practices include pickled pork soup'' nian gao'' and shepherd's purse fried'' nian gao''. Shanghai's ribs ''nian gao'' are also distinctive. The Shanghai Niangao style is usually packaged in a thick, soft rod to be sliced up or packaged sliced and either stir-fried or added to soup. Depending on the cooking method, this style is a soft to a chewy variant. The Shanghai style keeps the'' nian gao'' white, and is made with nonglutinous rice. The color is its distinct feature. When served as a dish, the most common is the stir-fry method, hence the name (炒年糕, ''chǎo nián gāo''). Three general types exist. The first is a savory dish; common ingredients include scallions, beef, pork,
cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...
, Chinese cabbage, etc. The second is a sweet version using standard white sugar. The last version is almost tasteless, and is often consumed for its chewy textures.


Northern cuisine

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...
''nian gao'' can be steamed or fried, and is mainly sweet in taste. The Beijing versions include jujube and either glutinous rice or yellow rice, mince ''nian gao'', and white ''nian gao''. The
Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
makes nian gao using fried yellow rice and red bean paste or jujube paste for filling. Hebei uses jujube, small red beans, and green beans to make steamed'' nian gao''. In
Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
, it is made of red
dates Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner **Group dating *Play date, an ...
and yellow rice. The
Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
type is made of beans on sticky
sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
.


Similar food in Asia


Burmese cuisine

It is commonly called ''tikay'' () in Burma, from Hokkien 甜粿.


Cambodian cuisine

Buddha cake (នំព្រះពុទ្ធ) is a
Cambodian Cambodian usually refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia ** Cambodian people (or Khmer people) ** Cambodian language (or Khmer language) ** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia ** Fo ...
counterpart to the Chinese ''nian gao''. It is consumed during Khmer New Year.


Indonesian cuisine

In Indonesia, it is known as ''kue keranjang'' or ''dodol Tionghoa'' or ''dodol Cina'', the latter both meaning "Chinese ''
dodol ''Dodol'' is a sweet toffee-like sugar palm-based confection commonly found in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Originating from the culinary traditions of Indonesia, it is also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippi ...
''", a similar Indonesian rice flour confection. ''Kue keranjang'' was originally named as ''nien kao'' or ''ni-kwee'' or yearly cake or seasonal cake, because they are only made once a year. In East Java, this cake was named ''kue keranjang ''because the wrapper is made from a bamboo basket with a little hole in the middle. In West Java, it was named China cake, as the origin of the cake from China, but some call it China Cake because the producers are Chinese (known as Tionghoa).


Japanese cuisine

In
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, '' mochi'' is a similar glutinous rice cake eaten primarily for the Japanese New Year.


Korean cuisine

In Korea, '' tteokguk'', a soup dish that uses the '' garae-tteok'' similar to the Shanghai variety of ''nián gāo'', is traditionally eaten during the
Korean New Year Seollal () is a festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It is one of the most important traditional holidays in both North and South Korea. The celebration usually lasts three days: the day ...
.


Peranakan cuisine

Peranakan Chinese The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, t ...
offer steamed sticky cakes called ''kueh bakul'' (粘糕; ''nian gao'') to the Kitchen God, Zao Jun (also known as Zao Shen and Zao Wang) as offerings.


Philippine cuisine

In the Philippines, the food is called ''tikoy'', originating from the Hokkien word 甜粿. It is popular during the Lunar or Chinese New Year and was culturally assimilated within the population's own cooking techniques through trade networks between the Philippines and Hokkien-speaking regions such as Fujian and Taiwan. It is sweetened with brown sugar, giving it a dark yellow to light brown colour, but it is also often prepared with different flavours, such as'' ube'' ( purple yam), giving it a purple colour, or pandan, giving it a green colour. ''Tikoy'' may be eaten as is, but can also be dipped in beaten egg and lightly pan fried until crispy, but still chewy inside. Also a version of ''tikoy ''is made in southern Quezon province. Unlike others, this variant is sweet and is similar to Japanese ''mochi. Tikoy ''can also be consumed as an ingredient in the Filipino dessert called ''turon'' or be eaten with ice cream and chocolate or covered with grated coconut flesh and peanuts.


Sri Lankan cuisine

In
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, ''seenakku'' ( si, සීනක්කු) has a Malay origin and derives from Chinese influence. ''Seenakku'' is a popular sweet among the country's
Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...
and
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
communities and is served with grated coconut. ''Seenakku'' is called ''cheena kueh'' by the Sri Lankan Malay community, with its name reflecting its Chinese origin.


Vietnamese cuisine

''Bánh tổ'' is a Vietnamese counterpart to the Chinese ''nian gao''. It is a speciality of Quảng Nam province and also consumed by the ethnic Chinese community.


Influence outside Asia


Mauritian cuisine

In Mauritius, the ''nian gao'' is commonly called ''gâteau la cire'' (literally translated as ' wax cake'); however, it can be written in diverse ways such as ''gato la cire, gato lasir,'' or ''gato lacire, etc''. It is a traditional cake of the
Sino-Mauritian Mauritians of Chinese origin, also known as Sino-Mauritians or Chinese Mauritians, are Mauritians who trace their ethnic ancestry to China. Migration history Chinese migration from Sumatra to Mauritius Like members of other communities on th ...
community. Traditionally, it is made with rice flour, sweetened with
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
, sometimes
honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
, and has orange zest as the key ingredient. The classic colour of the ''nian gao'' in Mauritius has traditionally been brown; however, new colours along with new flavours, such as white (which is coconut-milk based), green (which is pandan-based), red, and yellow, has recently been introduced on the island in 2018. In Mauritius, the ''nian gao'' is a cake which symbolized ''sharing''; it is customary for Sino-Mauritians to share and distribute ''nian gao'' to celebrate
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
to their families and friends; and thus, ''nian gao'' is consumed by locals regardless of their ethnicity. Some ''nian gao'' found on the island is imported while others are traditionally made by the local ethnic Chinese community. The traditional way of making ''nian gao'' is still transmitted from generations to generations in some families.


American Cuisine

Chinese Americans eat cooked or fried ''nian gao'' on Chinese New Year's Eve and on
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
. In Hawai'i, ''nian gao'' is known as ''gau'' and is a popular food consumed during the Chinese New Year.


See also

* List of steamed foods * Rice cake * '' Bánh * '' Garae-tteok


References


External links


Moral & Rituals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nian Gao Chinese desserts Glutinous rice dishes Snack foods Cantonese cuisine Shanghai cuisine Mauritian cuisine Thai desserts and snacks Dim sum Chinese New Year foods Chinese rice dishes Steamed foods Sri Lankan desserts and sweets Hawaiian desserts Rice cakes