The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, originated from China. It is a traditional celebration that commemorates filial piety and patriotism1.
The roots of this festival can be traced back to the tale of Qu Yuan which is over 2,000 years old2. The folklore stated that he was exiled by his emperor due to a political conflict of interest. Upon losing all hope, he drowned himself in the Milou River3. Fishermen used their oars to stop the flesh-eating fish in the river from ripping Qu Yuan’s body apart. Other villagers tossed wrapped cooked rice into the water, hoping that the fish would be distracted and consume the rice instead.
This festival is widely celebrated across China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and more3. Today, it features dragon boat races and dumplings in its annual tradition1. consists of purely dragon boat races and dumplings1.
Bak zhang is a common delicacy consumed during this festival1. It is made of glutinous rice dumplings that are triangular in shape. It is wrapped in pandan leaves, leaving an aromatic fragrant and contains a variety of fillings. The widely consumed bak zhang is filled with mushrooms, pork, and water chestnuts1. For those with a sweet tooth, buyers can purchase kee zhang, where it has no meat fillings. It is served with palm sugar syrup instead1.
In Singapore, the Golden Peony restaurant at Conrad Centennial Singapore serves its well-known bak zhang that comes in X.O. sauce London duck4. Each dumpling is served at SG$24.80 (US$18.30). During this festival, Hua Ting – a Chinese restaurant at Orchard Hotel Singapore – breaks away from tradition and will serve square-shaped bak zhang instead4. Each dumpling consists of premium ingredients such as abalone, roast duck, roast pork, scallops, mushrooms, salted egg yolk and chestnuts for a hearty and robust flavor4.
References:
1. Visit Singapore. (2018). Dragon Boat Festival. [online] Available at: http://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/cultural-festivals/dragon-boat-festival/
2. South China Morning Post. (2018). Hong Kong celebrates Dragon Boat festival with rowing rituals, family and fancy dress. [online] Available at: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2151239/hong-kong-celebrates-dragon-boat-festival-rowing-rituals
3. TIME. (2018). Here’s What to Know About Asia’s Annual Dragon Boat Festival. [online] Available at: http://time.com/5314503/google-doodle-dragon-boat-festival-2018/
4. Singapore Motherhood. (2018). Glutinous Rice Dumplings 2018: 29 Places for ‘Bak Zhang’ to Suit All Budgets. [online] Available at: https://singaporemotherhood.com/articles/2018/06/glutinous-rice-dumplings-2018-bak-zhang/