托福阅读材料之“过年”为什么要吃饺子

 

Chinese Dumplings 饺子

 

With a long history of more than 1,800 years, dumplings are a traditional food widely popular in China, especially in North China. Dumplings generally consist of minced meat and finely-chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin and elastic dough skin. Popular fillings are minced pork, diced shrimp, fish, ground chicken, beef, and vegetables. They can be cooked by boiling, steaming, frying or baking. Dumplings are a classic Chinese food, and a traditional dish eaten on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

饺子的历史在中国大约有1800年，其作为一种传统食物而在中国广受欢迎，特别是在中国的北方。饺子由剁好的肉馅和切碎的蔬菜，再由一张光滑的面皮包制而成。最普遍的饺子馅会使用猪肉，虾皮，鱼，鸡肉，牛肉和蔬菜等食材，然后再以煮，蒸，炸，或者烤的做法而成。饺子是传统的中国食品，也是除夕夜必不可少的一道菜肴。

 

Chinese dumplings look like silver ingots. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, the more money you can make in the New Year. Almost all Chinese people can make dumplings. First they mix the dough, second make the dough into round "wrappers" with a rolling pin, third fill the wrappers with stuffing, fourth pinch the "wrapper" together in a jiaozi shape, and fifth cook them.

中国的饺子的形状酷似一个元宝，并且在传统观念里认为饺子吃得越多，那么来年钱就挣得越多。几乎每个中国人都会包饺子，包饺子的步是和面，然后将面团用擀面杖将其擀成一个个的小圆形的皮，然后再把和好的馅包进皮里，接着两手一捏就成了饺子，下锅。

 

Eating Dumplings 吃饺子禁忌：

 

Chinese don't eat dumplings with Chinese sauerkraut at Spring Festival, because it implies a poor and difficult future. On New Year's Eve it is a tradition to eat dumplings with cabbage and radish, implying that one's skin will become fair and one's mood will become gentle.

中国人在春节吃饺子的时候不和泡菜一同食用，因为有种说法是同食会使今后的生活变得艰辛不易。除夕夜吃饺子时通常还会上有一些白菜和红萝卜。因为这两种食材能够代表皮肤的光滑和心情的愉悦。

 

When making dumplings there should be a good number of pleats. If you make the junction too flat, it is thought to purport poverty. Some Chinese put a white thread inside a dumpling, and the one who eats that dumpling is supposed to possess longevity. Sometimes a copper coin is put in a dumpling, and the one who eats it is supposed to become wealthy. Dumplings should be arranged in lines instead of circles, because circles of dumplings are supposed to mean one's life will go round in circles, never going anywhere.

而包饺子的时候，饺子皮上捏的褶越多越好，如果褶子太少，那意味着家里不富裕。有些地区会在某个饺子里放上一根白线，如果哪位吃到这个饺子，则意味着长命百岁。也有些地区，会在某个饺子里放上一枚硬币，如果谁吃到了那么今后着财源广进。饺子皮通常是圆形的，意味着生命的轮回。

 

Lucky Saying for Eating Dumplings 关于饺子的吉祥话：

 

招财进宝: "Bringing in wealth and treasure" — a felicitous wish to make money and amass a fortune.