Tangyuan is the traditional food for the Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Festival. The small dumpling balls are usually made of glutinous rice flour.
We call these balls yuanxiao or tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. Made of sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing and round in shape, it symbolizes family unity, completeness and happiness.
The fillings inside the dumplings or yuanxiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame, osmanthus flowers, rose petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling. The salty variety is filled with minced meat, vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make yuanxiao also varied between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or non-meat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.
粽子Zongzi
Zongzi is the festive food traditionally served during Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.
During the Duanwu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zongzi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds（蓮子）, chestnuts（栗子）, pork fat and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.
中國傳統食物的英語譯名
豆漿 Soybean milk
板條 Flat noodles
燒餅 Clay oven rolls
榨菜肉絲面 Pork , pickled mustard green noodles
油條 Fried bread stick
米粉 Rice noodles
水餃 （Boiled）dumplings
紫菜湯 Seaweed soup
饅頭 steamed buns, steamed bread
牡蠣湯 Oyster soup
飯團 Rice and vegetable roll
蛋花湯 Egg & vegetable soup
皮蛋 100-year egg
魚丸湯 Fish ball soup
鹹鴨蛋 Salted duck egg
臭豆腐 Stinky tofu (Smelly tofu)
稀飯 Rice porridge
油豆腐 Oily bean curd
白飯 Plain white rice
蝦球 Shrimp balls
糯米飯 Glutinous rice
春卷 Spring rolls
蛋炒飯 Fried rice with egg
蛋卷 Chicken rolls
刀削面 Sliced noodles
肉丸 Rice-meat dumplings
麻辣面 Spicy hot noodles
火鍋 Hot pot
烏龍面 Seafood noodles
鹵味 braised food
Breads and Pastries 餅
Chinese Buns 包子
Eggplant with Chilli and Potato 地三鮮
Hot & Sour Soup 酸辣湯
Homestyle Tofu 家常豆腐
Hot Pepper Tofu 麻辣豆腐
Crispy-Skin Tofu 脆皮豆腐
Hot Pot 火鍋
Soya milk 豆漿
Stir-fried Cabbage 燉白菜
Tofu Brains 豆腐腦
Red bean porridge 紅豆粥
White rice porridge 大米粥
Black rice porridge with jujubes 黑米粥
Eight ingredient porridge 八寶粥
Millet congee 小米粥
Corn / maize porridge 玉米粥
Green bean porridge 綠豆粥
Cantonese pickled vegetables 廣東泡菜[粵]
bamboo shoots salad 色拉筍尖
bean curd sheet rolls in shrimp sauce 蝦子腐竹
beef with four flavors | four-flavored beef 四味牛肉
black salted turnip 大頭菜
boiled noodles 窩面
cashews and chicken wings 腰果鳳翅
chicken shreds with vermicelli 拉皮雞絲
chicken steamed with scallions 蔥油淋嫩雞[粵]
cooked noodles with fowl 嫩雞鍋面
crispy spiced pigeon 油淋乳鴿
drunken chicken | wined chicken 醉雞
fish slices in vinegar gravy | sweet & sour sliced fish 醋溜魚片
four kinds of braised vegetables 四色蔬菜[川]
four-course cold plate | four-color cold plate 四色冷盆[分開裝]
fried fresh prawns on toast 鍋貼明蝦
fried shrimp balls 炒蝦腿
fried shrimps with lobster sauce 蝦醬蝦仁
hot and sour Chinese cabbage 酸辣白菜
lotus seeds & Chinese ham 蓮子火腿
ox tripe of Sichuan style 怪味牛百葉
phoenix appetizer plate 鳳凰大拼盤
pork balls stewed in brown sauce 紅燒獅子頭[江浙]
pork tripe with celery and spinach 芹菜豬肚鮮菠菜
prawns in soya sauce 紅燒對蝦
preserved dates & Chinese ham 蜜棗火腿
red-cooked beancurd knots 紅燒面結
red-cooked eggplant 紅燒茄子
salted duckling smoked with lauraceae tea 樟茶鴨[川]
scallion flavoured sea cucumbers 蔥燒海參
shredded dried beancurd 維揚幹絲
shrimp-stuffed fairy feet 碧綠釀仙掌[粵]
sliced beef with scallions 蔥爆牛肉
spare-ribs with scallion 蔥烤排骨
steamed pork with peanuts 花生蒸肉
steamed vegetarian dumplings 蒸素餃子
stir-fried diced chicken with cashew nuts 腰果炒雞丁[粵]
stir-fried oyster with fermented bean 炒蔭豉蚵[臺]
stir-fried pork liver with garlic sprouts 蒜苗炒豬肝
sweet & sour vegetarian fish rolls 糖醋魚卷
sweet and sour cauliflower 酸甜菜花
winter bamboo shoots with shrimp 蝦子冬筍
"glassy" shrimp balls 玻璃蝦球[粵]
"long-life" noodles 長壽面
"pearls hidden in crabs" 蟹裏藏珠[京]
4 sorts cold dish 四拼冷盤
Beijing roast duck | Peking duck | roast duck, Peiping-style
北京烤鴨
Bologna | bologna | Bologna sausage 大香腸
Cantonese "tsua tsan" jam 沙茶醬
Cantonese roast pork 廣東叉燒肉[粵]
Chinese cabbage in chicken gravy 雞油白菜
Chinese lobster pieces atop garlic greens 龍鳳呈祥
Chinese-style beefsteak 中式煎牛扒[粵]
Indian meal 玉米粥
Indonesian fried spareribs 印尼煎排骨[粵]
Jingtu spareribs | pork ribs basted with catchup 京都排骨[粵]
Jingtu steamed spareribs 京都排骨肉[粵]
Li’s chop suey 李公什碎[粵] | 李公雜碎[粵]
Shanghai-style noodles in soup 上海湯面
Szechwan bamboo shoot & mushroom soup 口蘑竹筍湯
Szechwan bamboo shoot foo yung soup 芙蓉竹筍湯
Szechwan cabbage & dried shrimp soup 開洋榨菜湯
Szechwan cabbage & pork soup 榨菜肉絲湯
Szechwan mustard green & bean thread pork 榨菜細粉湯[川]
Szechwan-style pickled vegetables 四川泡菜[川]
West Lake vinegar fish 西湖醋魚[滬]
abalone & asparagus soup 鮑魚蘆筍湯
abalone & asparagus 蘆筍鮑魚
abalone with assorted meats 三鮮鮑魚
abalone with hot sour sauce 酸辣鮑魚
abalone with minced chicken 雞蓉鮑魚
abalone with sliced chicken 雞片鮑魚
agar-agar and chicken vegetables 洋菜雞絲
aluminium pot 鋁鍋
apple jam 蘋果醬
apricot jam 杏梅醬
ash-shovel 煤灰鏟
ashtray 煙灰缸
asparagus corn soup 蘆筍粟米湯
asparagus salad 色拉蘆筍
asparagus with crabmeat 蟹肉扒龍須菜
assorted chafing dish | mixed chafing dish | mixed firepot 什錦火鍋
assorted cold dish 大拼盆
assorted cold meats 什錦鹵味
assorted cold plate 什錦冷盤
assorted cooked noodles 什錦鍋面
assorted delicacies en casserole 砂鍋什錦
assorted diced mushrooms 什錦菇丁
assorted meat & vegetables in casserole 什錦砂鍋
assorted meat & vegetables soup 李公什燴湯
assorted meat soup with winter melon 八珍冬瓜盅
assorted meat with crispy rice 什錦鍋巴
assorted omelets 各式炒蛋
assorted rice 什錦燴飯
assorted soup 雜燴湯
assorted spiced vegetables 什錦醬菜
assorted vegetable plate 什錦蔬菜
assorted vegetables covered with egg | fried various vegetables with
eggs 合菜帶帽
automatic rice cooker 電鍋
azure jade freshwater shrimp 碧玉珠蝦
bacon | flitch 鹹肉
baked beancurd 鍋塌豆腐
baked chicken-liver & pork rolls 燒金錢雞[粵]
baked egg in white oil | crispy egg in white oil | golden omelet
白油烘蛋[川]
bamboo and pot-stuck rice 口麻鍋巴
bamboo shoots 竹筍
barbecue sauce chafing dish 沙茶火鍋
barbecued pork with stuffed eggs 叉燒肉雞蛋花
barbecued pork | broiled pork 叉燒肉
barbecued pork 叉燒
barbeque sauce 沙茶醬
bard 熏薄片肉
barley soup 米仁湯
basil 羅勒香料
bean curd in casserole | beancurd stewed in earthen pot 砂鍋豆腐
bean sprouts with shredded duck | fried bean sprouts with shredded duck
銀芽鴨絲
beancurd & chop suey soup 八珍豆腐羹
beancurd & crab meat soup 蟹肉豆腐羹
beancurd & kelp soup | beancurd & edible seaweed soup 豆腐海帶湯
beancurd & lily flower | lily flowers with beancurd 金針豆腐
beancurd & salted vegetable 鹹菜豆腐
beancurd in pocket 口袋豆腐
beancurd in stuffed with minced pork 釀豆腐
beancurd leaf rolls with minced pork 百葉包肉
beancurd noodles & celery salad 拌幹絲[川]
beancurd puff stuffed with minced pork 油豆腐嵌肉
beancurd with brown sauce | red-cooked beancurd pieces 紅燒豆腐
beancurd with chicken blood cakes 雞血豆腐
beancurd with eight delicious 八寶豆腐
beancurd with mushrooms 口蘑豆腐
beancurd with winter mushrooms 冬菇豆腐
beancurd 豆腐
bear’s paw 熊掌
bechamel 伯沙玫醬
beef & onion 牛肉炒洋蔥[義]
beef & potato stew | goulash 洋芋燒牛肉
beef ball soup | sliced beef soup 滑牛肉丸湯
beef ball soup 牛肉丸子湯
beef heart & noodles 牛心煮面
beef in chilli bean sauce 豆瓣牛肉
beef noodles 牛肉面
beef soup | steamed beef soup 牛肉湯
beef steak pudding [baked] 牛排布丁
beef steak | steak 牛排
beef with barbecue sauce | sha cha beef 沙茶牛肉
beef with bean threads in soup | beef with bean vermicelli in soup
牛肉粉絲湯
beef with broccoli 芥蘭牛肉
beef with broccoli 芥藍牛肉
beef with brown sauce | braised beef 紅燒牛肉
beef with sesame 芝麻牛肉
beggars’ chicken 叫化雞 | 乞丐雞
bird’s nest soup 燕窩羹
bird’s nests with mashed chicken 雞茸燕窩
black carp in oil 油浸青魚
black fish with beancurd soup 山粥豆腐湯
blender 攪拌器
bloated beancurd & green peppers | smoked beancurd & green peppers
熏豆腐
bloated fish | smoked fish 熏魚
boiled chicken with onion oil 蔥油肥雞
boiled eggs 白煮蛋
boiled fish 白汁魚
boiled mutton 白扣羊肉
boiled noodles with fungus, sliced pork & eggs 大鹵面
boiled noodles with pork 滑肉湯面
boiled pork slices | sliced boiled pork 白切肉
boiled salted duck | salted duck 鹽水鴨[臺]
bologna sausage 大紅腸
boneless chicken 去骨雞
borsch | borsht | tomato, potato & beef soup [Russian soup]
羅宋湯[京]
bowl 碗
braised Chinese mushrooms & beancurd 冬菇扒豆腐[川]
braised abalone in white sauce 白扒鮑魚
braised bamboo shoots and mushrooms 燒二冬
braised bamboo shoots tips 紅燜筍尖
braised beef offal 紅燒牛雜拌
braised beef 紅燜牛肉
braised chicken 紅燒雞
braised congo eel 紅燒鰻魚
braised crisp crucian carp 蔥酥鯽魚
braised duck en casserole 罐燜鴨子
braised duck feet with mushrooms 鮮菇扒鴨掌[粵]
braised duck feet | braised duck webs 燴鴨掌[川]
braised duck in rice wine 黃酒燜全鴨
braised duck with bean jelly 京醬扒鴨
braised duck with mixed vegetables | braised duck with vegetarian dish
羅漢扒鴨
braised duck with pigeon eggs 鴿蛋扒鴨
braised eel with brown sauce 紅燒河鰻[粵]
braised fish maw | fish tripe with brown sauce 紅燒魚肚
braised fresh mushrooms and cauliflower 鮮蘑菜花
braised leg of pork 紅燜豬腿
braised mutton 鍋燒羊肉
braised pigeon & fish maw 花膠乳鴿
braised pigeon with vegetarian dish 羅漢扒鴿
braised pork chops 黃酒燜豬排
braised pork joint 紅燜肘子
braised pork tendons 紅燒蹄筋
braised pork | pork braised in brown sauce | stewed pork with brown
sauce | red-cooked pork 紅燒肉
braised pork 扣肉
braised prawns 油燜大蝦
braised shark’s fin 紅扒魚翅
braised shark’s fins | shark’s fin in brown sauce | stewed shark’s fin
紅燒魚翅
braised whole duck in soy sauce 紅燒全鴨
bread & butter pudding 牛油多士布丁[英]
bread basket 面包籃
bread maker | toaster 制面包機
bread plate 面包盤
breadboard 面板
briquette 煤球
broad bean paste 豆瓣醬
broad bean paste 豆瓣醬
broccoli with crab meat 蟹肉芥蘭
broccoli with crabmeat 蟹粉芥藍
brown sugar 黃砂糖
brown vinegar 鎮江醋
bruised garlic bulb 蒜泥
bruised ginger 姜末
built-in cupboard 壁櫥
bully | canned beef 罐頭牛肉
butter asparagus 奶油蘆筍
butter cauliflower | stir-fried cauliflower in milk sauce | creamed
cauliflower 奶油菜花
butter cucumber 奶油黃瓜
butterfly appetizer plate 蝴蝶大拼盤
button mushroom 洋菇
cabbage hearts in chicken sauce | chicken oil stirfriesstem of mustard
greens 雞油菜心
cabbage roll in chilli 辣白菜卷
cabbage with crab spawn 蟹肉白菜
cabbage with crabmeat spawns 蟹粉白菜
cabbage with dried shrimps 開洋白菜
cabbage with sweet & sour sauce 醋溜白菜
can opener 罐頭刀
canned asparagus 蘆筍罐
canned button mushrooms 洋菇罐
caramel 焦糖
carbonado 燒烤肉
carp braised with hot bean paste | crucian carp in chilli bean sauce
豆瓣鯉魚[川]
carp in brown sauce 紅燒鯉魚煲[江浙]
carp in chilli sauce 幹燒鯉魚
carp steamed with fermented black beans 豆豉蒸鯉魚[湘]
carrot 紅蘿蔔
casserole of chicken | chicken casserole 子雞合子
castague alla Fiamma 白蘭地火焰栗子[義]
castor sugar 細白砂糖
catchup beef 醬汁牛肉
catfish with garlic 大蒜鯰魚[川]
cauliflower with chicken gravy 雞油菜花
cauliflower with egg-white 芙蓉菜花
cauliflower with mushrooms 口末菜花
cauliflower with mushrooms 口蘑菜花
caviar 魚子醬