Zhongzi!

On the 5th day of 5th month in Chinese lunar calendar or the Double Fifth there is special celebration called Dragon Boat Festival. This year it falls on 12th June according to our calendar. It is celebrated in Taiwan and in all Chinese speaking world. It is celebrated in the memory of a poet and statesman Qu Yuan (屈原) who lived in the third century before Christ during the Zhou dynasty. Qu Yuan was an adviser to the king and very popular among the people, but he also had lots of jealous enemies, who managed to convince that Qu Yuan is a traitor. He freaked out and committed suicide by jumping in Yangtze river with a stone attached on his body. His admirers came to rescue him, but it was too late. They took out dragon boats trying to find his body. Some of the people threw rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves hoping that the fish will eat the rice instead of the poets body. This is where the dragon boat festivals starts. Boat races are organized in biggest rivers in Taiwan and everybody eat rice cakes calle Zhongzhi.

Zhongzi ingredients are sticky rice, pork, shiitake mushrooms, chesnuts, spices, etc. and tast is very exotic, but pleasant.


The smell is like burned grass, you might think that the neighbor is smoking cannabis.