Clem's
Bak Chang
The Dragon Boat
festival fell on 10 June this year (2024) (5th day of the 5th
Chinese Lunar Year). There are several legends about of the
origin of this festival but one which is well-known surrounds
the honouring of the beloved poet Qu Yuan who drowned himself in
the Milou River. Villagers went in boats in the river to try and
find the poets body but in vain. In order to prevent the river
creatures from devouring the body, the villagers threw in
glutinous rice dumplings to tempt the river creatures away from
the poet's body. This event apparently evolved into the rowing
of dragon boats and the making and consumption of glutinous rice
dumplings.
Today, during the
festival, glutinous rice dumplings of various shapes and
fillings are made to enjoy. The variations reflect
regional and dialect differences in China. I also made some
dumplings in honour of the day. They were of the Hokkien
version and because I am not good at tying up the packets into
the traditional triangles, I made mine shaped in small bowls. In
the Hokkien dialect, bak chang means meat
dumpling.
Clem's Bak
Chang
11 June 2024
Created by Clem Kuek
