Hunan dumplings for Year of the Snake
According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the “Year of the Snake,” and it’s especially auspicious for people born in the years 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2025: you are said to be wise, intense and mysterious.
Chinese New Year will be celebrated January 29 based on a lunisolar calendar that combines the phase of the new moon that will appear between January 21 and February 20 and the sun’s position in the sky.
Whether you are intense and mysterious or not, it’s wise to celebrate the occasion with dumplings.
The stuffed little wrappers of dough, which come in various shapes and sizes, date to dynasties that were making them as early as 970 BCE.
Representing wealth, prosperity and good fortune, dumplings are a delicious bite and an important symbol in the culinary festivities of Chinese culture – and their variety is remarkable.
I love soup dumplings – xiao long bao – the plump pleated and steamed morsel, a version of which originated in Shanghai, that is packed with meat, vegetables and a scant teaspoon of broth.
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