The Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, also known as the Duanwu Festival, origins of which date back to the Warring States period. The most widely accepted tale said this festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, an honest official of the State of Chu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces.

He was a member of the Chu royal clan. Known as a minister, he was trusted and favored by the ruler of Chu at the very beginning, esteeming for his wise counsel could bring peace and prosperity to the state.

Realizing that his country fell into the invaders, he committed suicide by drowning himself in the river.

The people of Chu who mourned Qu Yuan put rice into bamboo tubes and threw them into rivers every year on the fifth day of the fifth month, the date of Qu Yuan's death. Gradually, bamboo tubes get pushed out by rice wrapped with bamboo leaves or reed leaves, famous as Zongzi, a kind of delicious snack Chinese enjoy during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Cantonese style Rice Dumplings (广东粽) is the representative of the southern variety of Zongzi, whose filling with fresh meat, like chicken, duck, char siu pork is common to see.

Generally, zongzi in Guangdong varies in shape and has diverse cooking style in different regions.

(Due to the various versions of translation, the article uses Pinyin-interpretive translation. )

咸肉粽 Xianrou Zong

The front of salted meat rice dumpling is triangle, back has raised sharp angle, shape like a pyriamd, with fillings such as split and dehulled beans, pork, chicken, and mushroom. The filling also can be salted egg yolks, shrimp or chestnut.

裹蒸粽 Guozheng Zong

Parcel-shaped steamed dumplings are rectangular and bundled with inner bamboo leaves and an outer layer of a lotus leaf. It is a local specialty in Zhaoqing. It has an exquisite process of filling's production: the fatty pork to lean pork ratio need to be calculated with the five spices and liquor added.

双烹粽 Shuangpeng Zong

In general, northern Chinese prefer sweet rice dumplings, while southerners like savory ones. The Zongzi from Chaoshan boasts sweet and savory fillings. Yes! You could enjoy two flavors on one mouthful.

枧水粽 Jianshui Zong

For Jianshui Zong (also alkaline dumplings), the glutinous rice is treated with lye water or potassium carbonate, dying them the yellow tint. They typically contain no filling or read bean paste. People prefer eating it with sugar or light syrup. Jianshui Zong have a good reputation in Gaozhou, Zhongshan, Taishan, and Zhaoqing.

驸马粽 Fuma Zong

Fuma means emperor's son in law. Long time ago, a princess and his husband settled down in Kaiping, Jiangmen, after the Southern Song Dynasty perished. The husband made Fuma Zong with local ingredients from the food in his memory that impressed him in the imperial palace.

灰水粽 Huishui Zong

The taste of Huishui Zong from the Hakka was not merely bland but medicinal in someone's view, because the glutinous rice should be soaked in alkaline water with bean sprout first,and no other ingredients should be put during the making process. Usually, it is eaten with condiments like white sugar or honey.

鸭乸粽 Yana Zong

“Yana” means mother duck. Yana Zong refers to Zongzi wrapped in the shape of a duck in Leizhou. It's made with yolk eggs, salted pork, and mushroom. How to unwrap it without any damage is an interesting test for foodies.

古粽籺 Guzonghe

Guzonghe from Maoming looks slender and cylindrical in shape, the filling of which is soused pork in a long strip.

枕头粽 Zhentou Zong

Zongzi in Chaozhou has earned its name pillow dumplings for its pillow-like shape. It weighs about 3 kilos and can be shared by the whole family. It can be cut into pieces and dipped in suggar powder.

芦兜粽 Ludou Zong

Zongzi of pandanus leaves is a kind of special Zhongshan sticky rice dumpling. People can experiment with different tastes and flavors of sweet and savory. Steamed carefully, it tastes tender and flavorful.

驼背粽 Tuobei Zong

This kind of Zongzi looks like a humpback doll with both ends flat and middle raised. The filling is typically bean paste or meat paste. The highlight of its making process lies in the technical and artistry skill of tying up.

台山粽 Taishan Zong

Taishan Zong, in the shape of a triangular pyramid, using salted herb medicine with semi-fatty pork, has a heat-clearing and hemostatic effect on your body.

■ References:

你最最最“粽”要!

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/206am0BUelruiy5EV7jdKw

端午到!盘点广东各地特色粽子,到底哪种最好吃呢?

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1603597970417402712&wfr=spider&for=pc

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Editor & Translator 丨 Zhao Xiaojian

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【作者】 赵晓健

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