1. rice cake

年糕

Rice cake is the most popular New Year dessert. Its Chinese name is 年糕 (nian gao), a homophone for "year higher" (年高), which symbolizes² increasing prosperity and promotions³ year after year. The main ingredients of nian gao are sticky rice and sugar.

年糕是最受欢迎的新年甜点。因为和"年高"同音，象征着收入和职位一年高过一年。年糕的主要原料是糯米和糖。

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2. Glutinous⁴ rice ball

汤圆

Glutinous rice ball, or tang yuan, is the main food for China's Lantern Festival. The pronunciation and round shape of tangyuan are associated with reunion and being together. That's why they are favored by the Chinese during the new year celebrations. Glutinous rice ball is often filled with black sesame paste or mashed⁵ peanuts.

汤圆是中国元宵节的主要食物。汤圆的发音以及它圆圆的形状让人联想到团圆。这也是中国人喜欢在庆祝新年时吃汤圆的原因。汤圆常以黑芝麻或花生粉作馅儿。

3. Steamed sponge cake

发糕

Steamed sponge cake, or fa gao, is a traditional snack in China. It is usually eaten at happy events as in Chinese "fa" means "prosperity". Because glutinous rice wine is used when making this sponge cake it has a special fragrance⁶.

发糕是中国的一款传统小吃，人们经常在有喜事的时候吃发糕，因为在中文里，"发"意味着"兴旺"。发糕的制作中加入了一点糯米酒，因此更有风味。

4. Sesame seed ball

麻团

Sesame seed balls are a type of fried food made from glutinous rice flour that is often filled with red bean paste and rolled in white sesame seeds. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

麻团是一种由糯米粉为原料制成的油炸面食，常以红豆沙为馅儿，外面滚上白芝麻粒儿，吃起来外酥里嫩。

5. Chinese rice pudding

八宝饭

Chinese rice pudding, also known as "eight-treasure rice pudding", is a famous traditional banquet dessert. Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture, hence the name. The dessert really has eight types of "treasure", including red jujubes, lotus seeds, dried longans, and other various dried, candied fruits.

八宝饭是一款经典的传统宴席甜点。"八"在中国文化中是个吉利数字，因此有了八宝饭一名。八宝饭中确有八"宝"，即红枣、莲子、龙眼肉等各色干果。

6. Fried dough⁷ twist

麻花

Two or three bars of dough paste are twisted together and fried until they are crispy. It is much more popular in North China. The fried dough twists produced in Tianjin are the most famous in China, due to their renowned⁸ crispy texture⁹ and rich flavor. They are a specialty¹⁰ of Tianjin.

三两根面粉条扭转在一起然后炸至焦脆，这就是麻花。麻花在中国北方地区更受欢迎。国内最有名的麻花产自天津，天津麻花酥脆香甜，是当地的名特产。

7. Fried flour-coated peanut

鱼皮花生

Peanuts symbolize¹ vitality¹¹ and longevity¹² in Chinese culture. Chinese people have invented many ways to eat peanuts, and making fried flour-coated peanuts is one of the most popular ones. Shelled peanuts are coated in a syrupy mixture of brown sugar and flour, and then baked until they are light brown in color.

花生在中国文化中象征着活力和长寿。中国人发明了很多种吃花生的方法，其中最常见的一种吃法就是鱼皮花生。剥了壳的花生裹上红糖和面粉的混合物，然后在热油中炸至浅棕色，这样鱼皮花生就制成了。

8. Peanut brittle¹⁴

花生糖

This is another popular way to eat peanuts. This sweet, crispy, and fragrant¹⁵ dessert is mainly made with shelled peanuts and malt sugar. In markets, you can find beautifully packed peanut brittle, as well as peanut brittle sold by the meter.

这是花生的另一种常见吃法。花生糖香甜酥脆，主料是去壳花生和麦芽糖。市场上可以找到包装精美的花生糖，也有论斤称的散装花生糖。

9. Caramel treat

沙琪玛

This soft and sweet dessert can be found easily in supermarkets and bakeries. Strips of dough paste are fried until they reach a yellowish color, then are mixed with syrup¹³, which holds them together, and cut into cubes when cold.

这款软糖甜品在超市和糕点店里很常见。条状的面粉被炸至浅黄色，然后与糖浆混合拌匀，黏在一起后，待冷却切块即可。

10. Walnut¹⁶ cookie

核桃酥

Walnut cookie is a popular Chinese New Year dessert. The main ingredients are walnuts¹⁷ and flour. The temptingly yellowish cookies have a soft texture and walnut fragrance.

核桃酥是一种常见的新年甜点。核桃酥的制作主料是核桃和面粉。这种外表呈现诱人金黄色的饼干吃起来口感酥软且带有核桃的清香。