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Hakka rice dumplings
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  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00001975
    Country China
    ICH Domain Social practices, rituals, festive events Knowledge and practices about nature and the universe Traditional craft skills Others
    Address
    Hakka settlements in Hong Kong & China
Description “Hakka” means “guest people” in Chinese. A group of Hakka settled in Mui Tsz Lam, a village in North-East New Territories in Hong Kong, in the 17th Century during the Qing Dynasty. The Hakka are known for being hardworking and enduring. Since they farmed on less fertile terraces, their food grown is modest and practical. This culture is also reflected in festive foods like rice dumplings for the Tuen Ng Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival. Making and eating rice dumplings is an essential part of the Tuen Ng Festival. The festival is associated the patriotic poet and politician Qu Yuan in the 3rd Century BC, who committed suicide at the river. After his death, people made rice dumplings and threw them into the river and played drums on the dragon boat, hoping that the fish would not eat Qu Yuan’s body. At present times, people still make rice dumplings every Tuen Ng festival as a tradition, with different recipes passed on in different areas. The Hakka recipe is modest and simple, which utilizes almost all home grown produce, which includes bamboo leaves, sticky rice, peanuts, shallots, and dried shrimp. After many years of desolation since the 1970s, Mui Tsz Lam villagers come back to their home village to make rice dumplings together for the first time.
Social and cultural significance Making and eating rice dumplings is an essential part of the Tuen Ng Festival. The festival is associated the patriotic poet and politician Qu Yuan in the 3rd Century BC, who committed suicide at the river. After his death, people made rice dumplings and threw them into the river and played drums on the dragon boat, hoping that the fish would not eat Qu Yuan’s body. At present times, people still make rice dumplings every Tuen Ng festival as a tradition, with different recipes passed on in different areas. The Hakka recipe is modest and simple, which utilizes almost all home grown produce, which includes bamboo leaves, sticky rice, peanuts, shallots, and dried shrimp.
Transmission method The way to prepare Hakka rice dumplings was passed on from mother to daughter in the old days when the children helps their parents and seniors to prepare the dumplings from locally grown crops, together as a village and community. Nowadays rice dumplings are seldom prepared by the family, but bought as gifts or for self consumption from restaurants or shops. The traditional recipes and techniques associated, such as the wrapping techniques, the crop species used for various ingredients, are therefore no longer passed onto generations. Instead, ocassionally recipes and instructions are found on the internet, and ingredients are all store bought instead.
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