TC:湯圓    SC:汤圆  tāng yuán

Tangyuan, a homophone of and frequent metaphor for reunion (团圆  tuán yuán) is a Chinese food made from glutinous rice flour. It’s cooked and served in boiling water (Some will put brown sugar and ginger). Tangyuan can be either small or large, filled or unfilled, sweet or salty. They are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival (the 15th also the last day of Chinese New Year celebration) and the Chinese Winter Solstice Day (冬至).

Historically, a number of different names were used to refer to tangyuan. During the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, the name was officially settled as 元宵 yuán xiāo (derived from the 元宵节 Yuán xiāo jié , the Chinese name for Lantern Festival). Now the name “Yuanxiao” for this food is commonly used in northern China.

Traditional sweet fillings for tangyuan can be :

Black sesame paste - the most common filling

Red bean paste

Chopped and sugared peanuts, taros or yams.

Nowadays, both the fillings and glutinous rice coats are much more various in colors and flavors such as chocolate, green tea and many kinds of fruit flavors.