Modern-day reinterpretations of glutinous rice dumplings by Chinese around the world
We look at five kinds of a delicacy associated with the Dragon Boat festival, including one from KFC
The origins of Zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, can be traced back as far as 278BC. The delicacy, associated with the Dragon Boat festival, also known as Duanwu festival, takes place on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional Chinese calendar.
The household story about Zongzi’s origins is that patriotic poet Qu Yuan (circa 340-278BC), from the Zhou dynasty, committed suicide by drowning in the Miluo River. Locals, who admired Qu for his integrity and patriotism, threw balls of sticky rice into the river to feed the fish so that they would not feed on Qu’s body. This is one of the best-known stories about the origins of Zongzi.
Today, Zongzi (or Zong) has been re-interpreted by Chinese living in different corners of the world. We take a look at some of the most iconic modern-day Zongzi.