Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, falls on December 21 in the northern hemisphere this year.
While celebrated worldwide, it is of particular importance among Chinese communities, who spend the festival – known as dongzhi in Mandarin and dung zit in Cantonese – dining with loved ones.
In Hong Kong and southern China, the small glutinous rice dumplings known as tangyuan or tong yuen (literally “soup balls” in Mandarin and Cantonese respectively) are a staple at the winter solstice.
Their spherical shape is said to reflect the complete family unit – a belief reflected in the similar sounding saying, tuan tuan yuan yuan or tuen tuen yuen yuen, which refers to reuniting with loved ones. It is why the dumplings are also an essential item on the Chinese New Year table.
If you grew up in Hong Kong, chances are you are most familiar with tong yuen filled with sweet black sesame or peanut paste and served in a clear, ginger-tinged syrup.