The Winter Solstice (on December 22 this year) may be the shortest day of the year, but this traditional Chinese festival it’s never short on tasty eats and treats. People in northern China eat dumplings and mutton soup to celebrate the festival, while Southern families congregate for bowls of hand-made Tangyuan (a kind of small dumpling ball made of flour) . Photos: xinhua, sina.com, t.dianping.com

Dumplings went from being a traditional food rarely eaten outside Asia to a part of global cuisine in a matter of decades.

 

 

Tangyuan, or glutinous rice flour balls, are a famous Southern Chinese treat that come in a slew of sweet and exotic fillings, such as rose petal jam, jujube, black sesame, bean paste, walnut and dried fruits. Tangyuan served on Dongzhi are believed to bring good luck and symbolize family reunion.

 

 

Northern China is famed for its mutton soup, featuring a mix of tasty offal served piping hot to help cut through the cold Northern winters.