Zongzi

Zongzi(Chinese:粽子;ZOHNG-zih),rouzong(Chinese:肉粽;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:bah-càng), or simplyzong(Chinese:糉;Jyutping:zung) is a traditional Chinese rice dish made ofglutinous ricestuffed with different fillings and wrapped inbambooleaves. Fillings can be either sweet, such asred bean paste, or savory, such aspork bellyorChinese sausage.The bamboo for wrapping thezongziis generally of the speciesIndocalamus tessellatus, although sometimesreedor other large flat leaves may be used.Zongziare cooked by steaming or boiling.People in theEastern worldoften translate this dish into English asrice dumplingsorsticky rice dumplings, although the Chinese government has registeredZongzias the formal name in global use.
As it diffused to other regions of Asia over many centuries,zongzibecame known by various names in different languages and cultures,includingphet htoke(ဖက်ထုပ်) inBurmese-speaking areas (such asMyanmar),nom changinCambodia,machanginPhilippines,bacanginIndonesia,khanom changinLaos, andba-changinThailand.
Vietnamese cuisinealso has a variation on this dish known asbánh ú troorbánh tro.
InMalaysia,Indonesia,Singapore, andTaiwan,zongziis known asbakcang,bacang, orzang(fromHokkienChinese:肉粽;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:bah-chàng;lit.'meat zong', as Hokkien is commonly used among overseas Chinese); Straits Peranakans also know them as the derivativekuehchangin theirMalay dialect.Similarly,zongziis more popularly known asmachangamongChinese Filipinosin thePhilippines.
Japanese cuisinehas 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, particularlyCaliforniaandTexas,zongziare often known as "Chinesetamales".
InMauritius,zongzi(typically calledzong), is a traditional dish which continues to be eaten by theSino-Mauritianand by theOverseas Chinesecommunities. It is especially eaten on theDragon Boat Festival, a traditional festive event, to commemorate the death ofQu Yuan.
What has become established popular belief amongst the Chinese is thatzongzihas since the days of yore been a food-offering to commemorate the death ofQu Yuan, a famouspoetfrom thekingdom of Chuwho lived during theWarring States period.Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried to counsel his king to no avail, and drowned himself in theMiluo Riverin 278 BC.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 thezongdumplings 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),And a widely observed popular cult around him did not develop until the 6th century AD, as far as can be substantiated by evidence.But by the 6th century, sources attest to the offering ofzongzion theDouble FifthFestival (5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar) being connected with the figure of Qu Yuan.
As for the origin myth, a fable recounts that the people commemorated the drowning death of Qu Yuan on theDouble Fifthday by casting rice stuffed in bamboo tubes; but the practice changed in the earlyEastern Handynasty (1st century AD),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).
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.《荊楚歲時記》(6th c.), under the "Fifth Day of the Fifth Month" heading.Modern media has printed a version of the legend which says that the locals had rushed out indragonboatsto try retrieve his body and threw packets of rice into the river to distract the fish from eating the poet's body.
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 eatingzongzion the Double Fifth orsummer solsticeis concretely documented in literature from around the late Han (2nd–3rd centuries).At the end of theEastern Han dynasty, people madezong, also calledjiao shu, lit. "horned/angled millet") by wrappingsticky ricewith the leaves of theZizania latifoliaplant (Chinese:菰;pinyin:gu, a sort of wild rice) and boiling them inlye(grass-and-wood ashwater).The namejiao shumay imply  "ox-horn shape",or cone-shape. That thezongorziao shuprepared in this way was eaten on the occasion of the Double Fifth (Duanwu) is documented in works as early as theFengsu Tongyi, AD 195).These festive rice dumplings are also similarly described in GeneralZhou Chu(236–297)'sFengtu Ji, "Record of Local Folkways"Various sources claim that thisFengtu Jicontains the first documented reference regardingzongzi,even though it dates somewhat later than theFengsu Tongyi.
In theJin dynasty(晋, AD 266–420),zongziwas officially aDragon Boat Festivalfood.Anecdotally, an official calledLu Xun[zh]from the Jin dynasty once sentzongziwhich usedyizhiren[zh](Chinese:益智仁, thefruitofAlpiniaoxyphyllaor sharp leafgalangal) as additional filling; this type of dumpling was then dubbedyizhi zong(Chinese:益智粽, literally "dumplings to increase wisdom").Later in theNorthern and Southern dynasties, mixedzongziappeared, the rice was filled with fillings such as meat, chestnuts,jujubes, red beans,and they were exchanged as gifts to relatives and friends.
In the 6th century (Suito 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.The 6th century source for this states that the dumplings were eaten on the Summer Solstice,(instead of the Double Fifth).
In theTang dynasty, the shape ofzongziappeared conical and diamond-shaped, and the rice which was used to makezongziwas as white as jade.Datang zongzi(i.e. thezongzieaten in Tang Imperial period) was also recorded in someclassical-eraJapanese literature,which washeavily influenced by Tang Chinese culture.
In theNorthern Songdynasty period, the "New augmentation to theShuowen Jiezi" (Chinese:説文新附;pinyin:Shouwen xinfu) glossedzongas rice with reed leaves wrapped around it.Mijiian Zong(zongzi withglacé fruit) was also popular in the Song dynasty.Also during the Song dynasty, there were manypreserved fruitzongzi. At this time also appeared apavilionfilled withzongzifor advertising, which showed that eatingzongziin the Song dynasty had been very fashionable.
In theYuanandMingdynasties, the wrapping material had changed fromgu(wild rice) leaf toruo(箬; theIndocalamus tessellatusbamboo) leaf, and then to reed leaves,and filled with materials likebean paste,pine nut kernel,pork,walnut,jujube, and so on. The varieties ofzongziwere more diverse.
During the Ming andQing dynasties,zongzibecame auspicious food. At that time, scholars who took theimperial examinationswould 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.Hamzongziappeared in the Qing dynasty.
Every year in early May of the lunar calendar, the Chinese people still soak glutinous rice, wash the leaves and wrap upzongzi.
The shapes ofzongzivary,and range from being approximatelytetrahedralin southern China to an elongatedconein northern China. In theChiang Kai-shek Memorial Hallin Taipei, plastic mock-ups of rectangularzongziare displayed as an example of thezongzieaten by Chiang Kai-shek.Wrappingzongzineatly 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 traditionalzongziare wrapped in bamboo leaves,the leaves oflotus,reed,maize,banana,canna,shell ginger, andpandansometimes are used as substitutes in other countries. Each kind of leaf imparts its own unique aroma and flavor to the rice.
The fillings used forzongzivary from region to region, but thericeused is almost alwaysglutinous rice(also called "sticky rice" or "sweet rice"). Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked bystir-fryingor soaked in water before using. In the north, fillings are mostly red bean paste andtapiocaortaro. Northern stylezongzitend to be sweetand dessert-like. In the northern region of China,zongzifilled withjujubesare popular.
Southern-stylezongzi, however, tend to be more savoury or salty.Fillings of Southern-stylezongziinclude ham,salted duck egg,pork belly, taro, shredded pork or chicken, Chinese sausage, pork fat, andshiitake mushrooms.However, as the variations ofzongzistyles 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 Riverthey originated from.
Zongzineed to besteamedorboiledfor 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 packsorfrozen) are now available.
Sweet:
Salty or savory:
Either or neutral:
The Jiaxing Zongzi Culture Museum inJiaxing, Chinahas exhibits of the cultural history and various styles ofzongzi.