Type | Dumpling |
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Place of origin | China |
Region or state | Jiangnan |
Serving temperature | Room temperature, cold |
Main ingredients | Glutinous rice |
Similar dishes | Kusa mochi, chhau-a-koe |
Qingtuan | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 青糰 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 青团 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | verdant lump | ||||||||
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Qīngtuán ( simplified Chinese: 青团; traditional Chinese: 青糰), also written as Tsingtuan, is a green-colored dumpling originating from Jiangnan and common throughout China. It is made of glutinous rice mixed with Chinese mugwort or barley grass. It is usually filled with sweet red or black bean paste. The exact technique for making qingtuan is quite complicated and the grass involved is only edible in the early spring, so it is typically only available around the time of the Qingming Festival (April 4 or 5), with which the rice cake has become associated. Nowadays, qingtuan sold in most convenience stores in China are made of glutinous rice mixed with matcha. Modern versions use a wider variety of fillings, such as rousong or salted egg yolk.
Much of the qingtuan consumed in China is prepared and consumed as street food from local vendors. [1]
The tradition of eating qingtuan at Qingming Festival evolved from the ancient Chinese Cold Food Day (one or two days before Qingming Festival). As the name suggests, observers were unable to heat or cook any food during the festival. Therefore, food such as qingtuan that could be prepared in advance and consumed without heating became associated with the Cold Food Festival. Later, the Cold Food Festival evolved into the Qingming festival, and qingtuan eaten on the Cold Food Festival became an essential food for the Qingming Festival in eastern and southern China. [2]
The main ingredients of traditional qingtuan are glutinous rice flour, Chinese mugwort or barley grass, and red or black bean paste. The general steps for making qingtuan are: The mugwort is first crushed and squeezed out to make the green juice. Then, this juice is mixed with the glutinous rice flour while still hot and kneaded into dough. The dough and bean paste are shaped into balls, then combined and steamed. [3]