Why Do We Give Food Meaning?

Many Foods Come With Assigned Meanings

With Chinese New Year just passed once again, many people are left wondering about the meaning behind many of the traditional foods that are eaten during this celebration. It is not only Chinese New Year that proffers food and good fortune on the same plate however, many of our celebrations and festivities combine food with meaning. In this article we will examine a few of the most common foods and their meanings.

The Many Foods of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is one celebration that really throws everything in to the production of food. With long noodles that are symbolic of long life, jiaozi dumplings that symbolize prosperity, fish to symbolize abundance and an entire fish that symbolizes completeness and good fortune and oranges symbolize wealth and luck.

Why the Foods of Chinese New Year are Important

The foods that are passed around at Chinese New Year celebrations are all foods that carry with them superstition. Some of these foods have stories and fables behind them and others are simple coincidences. In the Chinese language, many of the words for these lucky foods are words that are also similar to other words for things such as “luck” and “good fortune.” The similarities between words are all part of the superstition and the Chinese people believe that eating these foods will attract these elements in to their lives.

History and Custom are Significant Parts of the Foods we eat

Where the sounds of words have a lot to do with the translation of “lucky foods” in the Chinese culture so too does history and custom and this is the same case for other cultures worldwide as well. There are many foods in other cultures that have meaning and significance behind them.

Pancakes

Pancakes began as a Shrove Tuesday tradition. Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before the Christian celebration of Lent and as such people would need to use up the richer foods in their pantry. These foods included eggs, flour, butter and the other ingredients that make up traditional pancake mixes today.

The Yule Log

The tradition of the Yule log cake is based upon the tradition of the Yule log…log. This large dense log would be placed in the fireplace of homes in a number of different European countries over the Christmas celebrations. The Yule log kept the family warm as they came together to celebrate the holiday season together. Over time cultures created a chocolate log shaped cake that is eaten at Christmas time and also symbolizes the Yule log that is still burned in the fireplace of many European homes.

Chocolate Easter Eggs

In many countries chocolate eggs are given on Easter Sunday as a part of the Easter celebration. Over time this tradition has stretched to incorporate various types of “eggs” such as plastic eggs filled with candy treats. The beginning of the Easter egg however; comes from the idea that the egg symbolizes new life. In Christian culture, this new life symbol is particularly important as it parallels to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. One of the most enduring legends that surround the use of eggs in Easter tradition centers on Biblical figure Mary Magdalene. According to the story, Mary Magdalene was bringing a basket of cooked eggs to the tomb of Jesus to share with the other women who were sitting at the tomb. When Mary Magdalene got to the tomb however, and she saw that Jesus had arisen, the eggs in her basket turned bright red.

Fish on Fridays

Anyone of Catholic descent will know what fish on Fridays means, but for those unfamiliar with the idea of eating fish every Friday, let’s take a look at this tradition. During Lent, a time of fasting and abstinence for Roman Catholics, it is traditional for all Catholics over the age of fourteen to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday within the period of Lent. The demand to abstain from eating meat served to popularize fish on Fridays and as such the fish on Friday tradition began. For those interested in Roman Catholic tradition it is also required for all Roman Catholics over the age of eighteen and under the age of fifty nine to fast completely on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday.

Candy Canes

Not many people know where the tradition of candy canes actually comes from. It is said that in Germany in 1670 the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral was distracted by the noise that all the children in his church made during the Christmas Eve tradition of the Living Crèche. In an attempt to quiet the noise, the choirmaster asked a local candy maker to manufacture some sweet candy sticks for the children to suck on during the crèche so that they would be quiet. Not wanting to seem as though he was just handing out sugary treats to the children in the church he asked the candy maker to add a crook to the top of the candy sticks to give them the appearance of shepherds crooks. The choirmaster believed that the shape would remind the children of the shepherds who came to visit baby Jesus and he asked the candy maker to use the color white to symbolize the sinless life of Christ.

The Shifting Tradition from Religious Motivation to Convenience

For many cultures food traditions are tied to religious celebrations and traditions; however, over the years many people have become much less religious by nature. So where do our “food traditions” come from now? Many of the foods that we eat these days are foods that are promoted by the supermarkets where we shop. Sales and coupons determine what we buy and out of the convenience of low prices we buy them.

Not Everything You Hear is True

Over the years there are a number of food traditions that have been passed down with stories behind them that have somehow been continued as “tradition.” As it turns out however, many of these “traditions” and stories turn out to be nothing more than stories that were made up by the Victorians. How do you know what stories have been fabricated and which are true origins? The truth is that until you open up the library books and start doing the research, you don’t!