Six Forbidden Dishes for Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner

Traditions and customs passed down from generation to generation are an integral part of a nation's culture, where the hopes for a warm, abundant, and beautiful life are embedded.

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The New Year’s Eve dinner at the end of the year is the most important dinner for the Chinese people. In this special meal, there are many dishes with negative meanings that should be avoided, and everyone should pay attention.

Forbidden foods in the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner - 1

1. Bitter melon

The New Year’s Eve dinner is usually a sumptuous and sweet meal, and bitter melon is not suitable for this occasion. Eating something bitter at the moment of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year is considered unlucky. Especially in households with older people, who often have difficult times, having older people eat bitter melon in the New Year’s Eve dinner may seem disrespectful. Bitter melon is a highly nutritious vegetable, good for health, but it should not be placed on the New Year’s Eve dinner table.

Forbidden foods in the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner - 2

2. Tofu

Tofu is not a dish that is commonly served on the New Year’s Eve dinner in many places. Firstly, tofu is cheap and not high-end. Secondly, according to customs in many places in China, tofu is only served when there is a funeral in the family.

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3. Pickled vegetables

The New Year’s Eve dinner is abundant and luxurious, and the ingredients must be delicious and plentiful. Everyday appetizers like pickled vegetables are not suitable for the New Year’s Eve dinner because people expect a wealthy and happy life. Many people are very superstitious about placing pickled vegetables on the table, fearing that they will encounter difficulties in the coming year and end up eating pickled vegetables every day.

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4. Fish not served whole

Fish is a must-have dish in the New Year’s Eve dinner, which symbolizes abundance and prosperity. However, this dish is very special and must be served whole, without being cut in half. The fish pieces can be cut into sections, but they must be connected to each other to achieve the beautiful meaning of wealth and prosperity. Especially, the fish should not be served in small pieces, as it will have the opposite meaning.

Forbidden foods in the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner - 5

5. Dishes made from lotus root

Lotus root is crispy, delicious, and nutritious, but in some places, it is not suitable to be placed on the New Year’s Eve dinner table. There is a hole in the middle of the lotus root, which is believed to bring bad luck, and no matter how much money the homeowner earns in the coming year, they will miss it.

Forbidden foods in the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner - 6

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Frequently asked questions

Certain dishes are avoided during Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner due to cultural superstitions and beliefs. These dishes are believed to bring bad luck, symbolize poverty, or invite negative energy for the coming year.

The six dishes that are typically avoided include: medication soup, whole fish, sticky rice, fried chicken, pork, and tofu.

Medication soup is believed to bring sickness and bad luck for the upcoming year. It is also associated with bitterness and hardship, which people want to avoid during the festive season.

Whole fish symbolizes surplus and abundance. Eating it on Chinese New Year’s Eve is believed to bring a surplus of negative energy and bad luck for the rest of the year.

Sticky rice is believed to symbolize a ‘sticky’ and difficult year ahead. It is thought to bring obstacles and challenges, hence its omission from the New Year’s Eve menu.

Fried chicken is avoided because the Chinese word for ‘chicken’ sounds similar to ‘poverty.’ Eating chicken during the festive dinner is believed to invite poverty and financial hardship for the coming year.

Pork is often associated with ‘bad luck’ in Chinese culture. The word for ‘pork’ sounds similar to ‘poor,’ and it is believed that eating pork during Chinese New Year’s Eve will bring financial loss and misfortune.

Tofu is believed to be a symbol of poverty and a lack of prosperity. It is also considered a frugal and simple dish, which people want to avoid during the celebratory meal.