Health, Wealth, and Prosperity: 8 Chinese New Year Foods

During Lunar New Year, tangerines are handed out like candy on Halloween. The word for tangerine (jin ju) sounds like the word for luck.

You might know them from takeout menus as dumplings or pot stickers, but jiaozi are a staple of Lunar New Year meals. These little meat purses resemble Ming Dynasty-era coins, so they have come to represent money and prosperity.

Tea eggs are simmered in a savory soy sauce broth and cracked halfway through cooking so that the liquid can infuse the egg. They symbolize fertility, so couples hoping for children will often incorporate them into a symbolic New Year's feast.

Down a plate of Buddha's Delight, and you'll cash in on more than just a belly full of stir-fried vegetables. The Cantonese word for the dish's thin black mushrooms (fat choy) also sounds like the word for prosperity.

A whole chicken represents good things in the coming year, including family unity.

Tradition states that you should never cut a noodle because the strands symbolize long life. Twirl and slurp them up with chopsticks to prevent breakage.

A celebratory meal would not be complete without a whole fish. Keeping the head and tail intact provides a beneficial beginning and end to the New Year, especially because the word for fish (yu) also sounds like the word for abundance.

Nian gao are sweet sticky-rice cakes whose name also sounds like "getting higher year by year." By noshing on nian gao, people hope to increase their prosperity.