Zongzi (Chinese: 粽子; pinyin: zòngzi), simply zong (Chinese: 粽; pinyin: zòng; Jyutping: zung2) or translated as rice dumplings[3][4], is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with a range of fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Just in case this is the first time you’re reading about zongzi (粽子), or joong in Cantonese, it’s basically a Chinese version of a tamale: rice wrapped inside a leaf, then boiled in water until cooked through. They can be savory or sweet, and everyone has their favorite flavors.
When Dragon Boat Festival comes around, the food that (Chinese) people think of most is zongzi: sticky rice dumplings. It is an important part of the festival, just like turkey is at Christmas. That's why t he Dragon Boat Festival is sometimes called the Zongzi Festival or Rice Dumpling Festival.
Zongzi, glutinous rice wrapped in reed leaves, is special food for Dragon Boat Festival in memory of poet Qu Yuan, and varies in flavors in different regions of China.
Zongzi is basically glutinous rice with sweet or savoury fillings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. After being cooked in water, all the ingredients stick together and stay in a particular shape when unwrapped.
But the king of all dumplings might just be zongzi, a parcel made of sticky glutinous rice wrapped neatly in a bamboo leaf and filled with umami-rich ingredients, like marinated pork, shiitake...
Chinese sticky rice dumplings are also called zongzi (粽子) in Mandarin and joong (糭) in Cantonese. They are a classic and traditional Chinese food. They are especially consumed during the Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar, which is usually in June.