As it diffused to other regions of Asia over many centuries,zongzi became known by various names in different languages and cultures,[5] includingphet htoke (ဖက်ထုပ်) inBurmese-speaking areas (such asMyanmar),nom chang inCambodia,machang inPhilippines,bacang inIndonesia,khanom chang inLaos, andba-chang inThailand.
Vietnamese cuisine also has a variation on this dish known asbánh ú tro orbánh tro.[6]
Japanese cuisine has leaf-wrapped glutinous rice flour dumplings calledchimaki. They may betetrahedral, square, rectangular, or long narrow conical in shape.
In some areas of the United States, particularlyCalifornia andTexas,zongzi are often known as "Chinesetamales".[8][9]
What has become established popular belief amongst the Chinese is thatzongzi has since the days of yore been a food-offering to commemorate the death ofQu Yuan, a famouspoet from thekingdom of Chu who lived during theWarring States period.[11] Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried to counsel his king to no avail, and drowned himself in theMiluo River in 278 BC.[12][a] The Chinese people were grateful for Qu Yuan's talent and loyalty to serve the country. They cast rice dumplings into the Miluo River on the day when Qu Yuan was thrown into the river every year, hoping that the fish in the river would eat the rice dumplings without harming Qu Yuan's body.
Qu Yuan died in 278 BC, but the earliest known documented association between him and thezong dumplings occurs much later, in the mid 5th century (Chinese:世说新语;pinyin:Shìshuō Xīnyǔ, orA New Account of the Tales of the World),[13] And a widely observed popular cult around him did not develop until the 6th century AD, as far as can be substantiated by evidence.[14] But by the 6th century, sources attest to the offering ofzongzi on theDouble Fifth Festival (5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar) being connected with the figure of Qu Yuan.[15]
As for the origin myth, a fable recounts that the people commemorated the drowning death of Qu Yuan on theDouble Fifth day by casting rice stuffed in bamboo tubes; but the practice changed in the earlyEastern Han dynasty (1st century AD),[16][b] when the ghost of Qu Yuan appeared in a dream to a man named Ou Hui (Chinese:區回, 歐回) and instructed him to seal the rice packet withchinaberry (orMelia) leaves and bind it with colored string, to repel the dragons (jiaolong) that would otherwise consume them. However, this fable is not attested in contemporary (Han period) literature, and only known to be recorded centuries later inWu Jun [zh] (呉均;Wu chün, d. 520)'sXu Qixieji (『續齊諧記』;Hsü-ch'ih-hsieh-chih).[17][18][19][20]
Also, Qu Yuan had (dubiously, by "folklore" or by common belief) become connected with the boat races held on the Double Fifth, datable by another 6th century source.[21] 《荊楚歲時記》(6th c.), under the "Fifth Day of the Fifth Month" heading.[22] Modern media has printed a version of the legend which says that the locals had rushed out indragonboats to try retrieve his body and threw packets of rice into the river to distract the fish from eating the poet's body.[23]
Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) are traditionally eaten during theDuanwu Festival (Double Fifth Festival) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of theChinese lunisolar calendar, and commonly known as the "Dragon Boat Festival" in English. The festival falls each year on a day in late-May to mid-June in the International calendar.
The practice of eatingzongzi on the Double Fifth orsummer solstice is concretely documented in literature from around the late Han (2nd–3rd centuries).[c] At the end of theEastern Han dynasty, people madezong, also calledjiao shu, lit. "horned/angled millet") by wrappingsticky rice with the leaves of theZizania latifolia plant (Chinese:菰;pinyin:gu, a sort of wild rice[24]) and boiling them inlye (grass-and-wood ash water).[25] The namejiao shu may imply "ox-horn shape",[24] or cone-shape. That thezong orziao shu prepared in this way was eaten on the occasion of the Double Fifth (Duanwu) is documented in works as early as theFengsu Tongyi, AD 195).[25] These festive rice dumplings are also similarly described in GeneralZhou Chu (236–297)'sFengtu Ji, "Record of Local Folkways"[22][26][27] Various sources claim that thisFengtu Ji contains the first documented reference regardingzongzi,[28][29] even though it dates somewhat later than theFengsu Tongyi.
In theJin dynasty (晋, AD 266–420),zongzi was officially aDragon Boat Festival food.[30][31] Anecdotally, an official calledLu Xun [zh] from the Jin dynasty once sentzongzi which usedyizhiren [zh] (Chinese:益智仁, thefruit ofAlpinia oxyphylla or sharp leafgalangal) as additional filling; this type of dumpling was then dubbedyizhi zong (Chinese:益智粽, literally "dumplings to increase wisdom").[30][32] Later in theNorthern and Southern dynasties, mixedzongzi appeared, the rice was filled with fillings such as meat, chestnuts,jujubes, red beans,[33][31] and they were exchanged as gifts to relatives and friends.[30][31]
In the 6th century (Sui to earlyTang dynasty), the dumpling is also being referred to as "tubularzong" (Chinese:筒糉/筒粽;pinyin:tongzong), and they were being made by being packed inside "young bamboo" tubes.[34][d] The 6th century source for this states that the dumplings were eaten on the Summer Solstice,[34] (instead of the Double Fifth).
In theNorthern Song dynasty period, the "New augmentation to theShuowen Jiezi" (Chinese:説文新附;pinyin:Shouwen xinfu) glossedzong as rice with reed leaves wrapped around it.[e][35]Mijiian Zong (zongzi withglacé fruit) was also popular in the Song dynasty.[31] Also during the Song dynasty, there were manypreserved fruitzongzi. At this time also appeared apavilion filled withzongzi for advertising, which showed that eatingzongzi in the Song dynasty had been very fashionable.
During the Ming andQing dynasties,zongzi became auspicious food. At that time, scholars who took theimperial examinations would eat "penzongzi", which was specially given to them at home, before going to the examination hall. Because it looked long and thin like awriting brush, the pronunciation of "penzongzi" is similar to the Chinese word for "pass", which was for good omen.[failed verification]Hamzongzi appeared in the Qing dynasty.[36][better source needed]
Every year in early May of the lunar calendar, the Chinese people still soak glutinous rice, wash the leaves and wrap upzongzi.[31]
Video ofzongzi being made inHainan, ChinaPrepackaged dried bamboo leaves for makingzongzi
The shapes ofzongzi vary,[37] and range from being approximatelytetrahedral in southern China to an elongatedcone in northern China. In theChiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, plastic mock-ups of rectangularzongzi are displayed as an example of thezongzi eaten by Chiang Kai-shek.[citation needed] Wrappingzongzi neatly is a skill that is passed down throughfamilies, as are the recipes. Making zongzi is traditionally a family event in which everyone helps out.
While traditionalzongzi are wrapped in bamboo leaves,[38] the leaves oflotus,[39]reed,[40]maize,banana,[41]canna,shell ginger, andpandan sometimes are used as substitutes in other countries. Each kind of leaf imparts its own unique aroma and flavor to the rice.
The fillings used forzongzi vary from region to region, but therice used is almost alwaysglutinous rice (also called "sticky rice" or "sweet rice"). Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked bystir-frying or soaked in water before using. In the north, fillings are mostly red bean paste andtapioca ortaro. Northern stylezongzi tend to be sweet[42] and dessert-like. In the northern region of China,zongzi filled withjujubes are popular.[31]
Southern-stylezongzi, however, tend to be more savoury or salty.[42] Fillings of Southern-stylezongzi include ham,[31] salted duck egg,pork belly, taro, shredded pork or chicken, Chinese sausage, pork fat, andshiitake mushrooms.[43] However, as the variations ofzongzi styles have traveled and become mixed, today one can find all kinds of them at traditional markets, and their types are not confined to which side of theYellow River they originated from.
Zongzi need to besteamed orboiled for several hours depending on how the rice is prepared prior to being added, along with the fillings. With the advent of modern food processing, pre-cookedzongzi (usually invacuum packs orfrozen) are now available.
Southern and Northern Chinese stylezongziUnwrappedzongzi with pork and mung beans (left), pork and peanuts (right)
Jiaxing zongzi (嘉興粽子): This is a kind ofzongzi famous in mainland China and named after the cityJiaxing, Zhejiang. Typically savory with the rice mixed with soy sauce and having pork, chestnut and salted duck egg yolk as its filling, but sweet ones withmung bean or red bean filling also exist.
Jia zong (假粽): Instead of glutinous rice, balls of glutinous rice flour (so no individual grains of rice are discernible) are used to enclose the fillings of thezongzi. These "fakezong" are typically smaller than most and are much stickier.
Northwestern stylezongziJianshui zong (碱水粽): These "alkaline waterzong" are typically eaten as a dessert item rather than as part of the main meal. The glutinous rice is treated withjianzongshui (碱粽水, alkali[ne]zongzi water, aqueoussodium carbonate orpotassium carbonate), giving them their distinctive yellow color.Jianshui zong typically contain either no filling or are filled with a sweet mixture, such assweet bean paste. Sometimes, a certain redwood sliver (蘇木) is inserted for color and flavor. They are often eaten with sugar or light syrup.
Cantonese jung (廣東糉): This is representative of the southern variety ofzongzi, usually consisting of marinated meat, such as pork belly, and duck, with other ingredients like mung bean paste, mushrooms, dried scallops, and salted egg yolk. Cantonesejung are small, the front is square, back has a raised sharp angle, shaped like an awl.[further explanation needed]
Chiu Chou jung (潮州粽): This is a variation of Cantonesejung with red bean paste, pork belly, chestnut, mushroom, and dried shrimp, in a triangular prism.[45]
Banlam zang (閩南粽):Xiamen,Quanzhou area is very famous for its pork rice dumplings, made with braised pork with pork belly, plus mushrooms, shrimp, and so on.
Sichuan zong (四川粽): Sichuan people like to eat spicy and "tingly-numbing" (麻) sense food, so they make spicy rice dumplings. They addSichuan peppercorns,chili powder, Sichuan salt, and a little preserved pork, wrapped into four-cornered dumplings. Cooked and then roasted, it tastes tender and flavorful.
Beijing zong (北京粽): The Beijingzong are sweet and often eaten cold.[43] Common fillings include red dates and bean paste, as well as preserved fruit.[46]
Shanxi zong (山西粽): In Shanxi, zongzi are often made with yellow glutinous millet or sticky yellow rice instead of the more commonly used white glutinous rice. Typical fillings include red dates or sweetened red beans. The resulting texture is notably chewy and dense, offering a distinctively hearty flavor.[47]
Japanesechimaki are very similar to the Chinese versions using various species of the bambooSasa but possibly with different fillings, and are divided into savory and sweet types.[48]
A special sweetchimaki is eaten onChildren's Day (kodomo no hi, May 5), and is identifiable by its long narrow conical shape.[48]
Nyonya Chang on sale in Singapore.Nyonya chang (娘惹粽): A specialty ofPeranakan cuisine, thesezongzi are made similarly to those from southern China. However,pandan leaves are often used, in addition to bamboo leaves, for the wrapping while minced pork with candiedwinter melon, a spice mix, and sometimes ground roasted peanuts are used as the fillings. As with a common practice found in Peranakan pastries, part of the rice on thesezongzi are often dyed blue with the extract fromblue pea flower to add to the aesthetic.[49]
^After composing theJiu Zhang ("Nine Declarations") part of theChu ci; this according toWang Yi, the ancient (Han dynasty period) commentator to Qu Yuan as a poet.[12] (More specifically, penningLament for Ying portion of the Nine Declarations when the Qin generalBai Qi captured Yingtu, then the capital of Chu, in 278 BC[citation needed]).
^The first year of Eastern Han (Year 1 of Jianwu era, AD 25) to be more precise.
^The claim that thezongzi dates to theSpring and Autumn period occurs in a book by a non-expert (Dong Qiang [zh], a French literature professor and translator), and only an unnamed "Record" is cited as evidence.[24] Other web sources concur with this claim.
^Here following Ian Chapman who renders (tong zong) as "tubularzong".[22]
^The originalShuowen Jiezi dates to c. AD 100, but this character was added to the dictionary in the 10th century. The leaf plant is given aslu (simplified Chinese:芦;traditional Chinese:蘆;pinyin:lu), or "reed".
^Gwee, William Thian Hock (2006). "kueh chang".Baba Malay Dictionary: The First Comprehensive Compendium of Straits Chinese Terms and Expressions. Tuttle Publishing. p. 113.ISBN978-0-8048-3778-1.
^abChan, Timothy Wai Keung (July–September 2009). "Searching for the Bodies of the Drowned: A Folk Tradition of Early China Recovered".Journal of the American Oriental Society.129 (3): 385 and n1.JSTOR20789417.
^abcdStepanchuk, Carol (1991).Mooncakes and hungry ghosts : festivals of China. Charles Choy Wong. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals. p. 47.ISBN0-8351-2481-9.OCLC25272938.
Hsu, ManLi 許曼麗 (2004),"Tango fūbutsushigo shōkō"端午風物詩語小考 [A study about poems of 'Duan-wu'](PDF),The Geibun-kenkyu: Journal of Arts and Letters 藝文研究 (in Japanese):39–67
.jpg)
.jpg)
