Happy Dragon Boat Festival- Enjoy eating Ba Zhang

Zongzi or Ba Zhang (Hokkien) is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duan wu) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (approximately late May to mid-June).Zhongzi is glutinous rice with filling wrapped in a bamboo leaf. The filling may include some or all of the following: pork, brine shrimp, Chinese sausage, egg , bamboo shoots, peanuts, chestnuts, mushrooms, and woodear.

Why eat Zong Zi?

It is to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the expansionism of their Qin neighbors. When the Qin general Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning the Lament for Ying. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating the poet's body. Another version states that zongzi were given to placate a dragon that lived in the river.


No matter what, I think Zong Zi is a really delicious chinese food and I loves my grandma's Zong Zi! She will wraps them every year for us to eat. I'm so fortunate to have a granny like her.