Zong Zi

One of my favorite foods my grandmother makes is sticky rice filled with meat, eggs, beans and nuts, wrapped in corn leaves and steamed to perfection. My family always called them dung tay, and they are rarely found at an American Chinese restuarant. There is good reason for why this traditional speciality is hardly ever seen, let alone heard of. Traditionally known as zong zi, these dumpling are what is served during the Dragon Boat Festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year. The celebration is also known as the Fifth Month Celebration and is in honor of Qu Yuan, a respected poet of the Zhon Empire who threw himself into the river. Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrating the anniversary of his death.

After learning this story I still did not understand why zong zi was served for the Dragon Boat Festival. Zong zi, little packets of glutinous rice, is thought to have their origins in the bamboo tubes of rice in attempt to find the spirit of Qu Yuan. Additionally, the rice packets were wrapped with colored silk threads, which dragons fear. This was to keep the dragons from eating the patriotic poet.

The beauty of zong zi is every dumpling you unwrap is different. Each maker of zong zi places their own unique fillings in the dumplings so unwrapping zong zi has pleasant surprises.

I have always found zong zi to have a striking familiarity to Mexican tamales. Both are wrapped in corn leaves and steamed to perfection. These pyramid shaped dumplings are both created with families and are to be shared with loved ones.

No wonder I find my grandma's zong zi dumplings to have an extra touch - they are made with love. But don't worry, my appetite would never allow for us to throw them in the river.