Chinese food symbolism

For the Chinese, food is such an important part of daily life that, not surprisingly, it is also the source of a myriad of strange, and sometimes even quite well-founded, symbolisms and beliefs related to people's wealth and well-being.

Chinese food symbolism can be roughly divided into two categories: the first one includes beliefs based on the conception of human beings and their vital functions in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the second one those stemming from the peculiarities of the Chinese language.

Fish, the bringer of good luck and abundance

In China, fish is considered by far the most auspicious food of all, due to the fact that its Chinese name, yú (鱼), is pronounced the same way as the words for fortune and abundance. So, serving fish symbolizes having good luck and abundant food to eat in the future also.

On festive days, fish is generally served whole, with head and tail attached, because cutting them off would also mean cutting off the flow of abundance.

A fish served on a plate should never be turned over on its other side once one side has been consumed. Instead, the skeleton is carefully removed using chopsticks, and then the feast can continue. Some people believe that turning the fish over would cause a fisherman's boat to capsize in a storm. And this, in consequence, would mean an end to eating fish and happy living. Needless to say, it is of course quite unwise to deliberately take action to reverse one's luck, even if symbolically.

Pear of peril

Pomelos help enhance family relationships. (Image: Radio86)In the case of fruit, caution should be taken if you're about to chomp into a pear, lí (梨), in Chinese. Pears should never be shared with a spouse, or even a potential spouse. In Chinese, sharing a pear would be fēn lí (分梨), which sounds alarmingly similar to divorce (分离).

The most auspicious choices to go for in the fruit section would be peaches, because they symbolize longevity, and golden mandarins and oranges, which are thought to bring wealth. Pomelos and lyches, in turn, help enhance family relationships.

If you manage to avoid the pear trap and get married, the Chinese custom is to eat lotus seeds at the wedding reception. Lotus, hé (荷) , is pronounced the same way as harmony (和), so consuming it helps to ensure a stable marriage without great turbulence.

In some parts of China it is customary to spread seeds on the marriage bed, because not only are seeds symbolic of conception, but the Chinese word for seed, zĭ (子), sounds similar to the word for a male child.

Walnuts for the expectant

Walnuts are good for the brain. (Image: Wikipedia)When a couple is expecting, they enter a veritable jungle of food-related beliefs and taboos. For example, a pregnant woman should pay attention to what color food she eats. If she eats less intensely colored food, the baby's skin tone will be lighter, which is what Chinese parents generally hope for. I know a couple, who always tell a certain story to explain why their son's skin is so much darker than their daughter's.

According to the story, the mother became pregnant in 1960, when China was suffering from the worst food shortage of recent history. Everything was scarce, especially meat, which was carefully rationed. Octopus, however, was abundant, and that is what the husband took home to his wife by the bagfuls. So, as a reminder of this period of scarcity, the boy was born with slightly darker skin.

The appearance of a food product may also be indicative of what types of qualities eating it helps to enhance. An expectant mother should eat walnuts for obvious reasons, when considering what the nut looks like: it looks like a miniature brain. So, a mother who eats walnuts during her pregnancy is believed to have smarter kids.

In this case though, science provides the slightly less mysterious explanation: walnuts have been found to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential nutrient for the human brain. How on earth did the ancient Chinese know that?