Tangyuan, also known as "Yuanxiao", "tangtuan" and "fuyuanzi", is one of the representatives of traditional Chinese snacks, and a spherical food made of glutinous rice flour. Generally there are fillings, cooked with soup. At the same time, it is also the most characteristic food of the Lantern Festival, with a long history.
It is said that Tangyuan originated in Song Dynasty. At that time, Mingzhou (now Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province) began to eat a new kind of food, that is, black sesame and lard were used as stuffing, a little white sugar was added, and then the glutinous rice flour was used to knead it into a circle. When it was cooked, it tasted delicious and interesting. Because the glutinous rice dumpling is floating and heavy in the pot, it was called "fuyuanzi" at first, and later it was renamed "fuyuanzi" in some areas. However, tangyuan symbolizes a better family reunion. Eating Tangyuan means a happy family reunion in the new year. Therefore, tangyuan is a necessary delicacy for the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month. In some areas of the south, people are also used to eating dumplings instead of dumplings during the Spring Festival.