Last week was Chinese New Year. The Middle Kingdom entered the year of the tiger and more precisely of the water tiger, a protective animal, which acts with caution and does not flinch in the face of adversity. In China, the festivities for the new year are spread over several days and end with the lantern festival which takes place this year on February 15. Two weeks of parties, where we meet and where we eat. Like almost everything in this country, food has a high symbolic value starting with the Yuanxiao.
Yannick Revel: Yuanxiao are balls of sticky rice, stuffed and served in a soup. The stuffing can be sesame seeds, bean paste, or jujube powder (a red date widely used in Chinese cooking). They are eaten with the family because their round shape symbolizes cohesion and family unity.
During this festive period, other dishes are prepared as you will hear in this column. Let us quote for example, the Niangao: a rice cake with jujube, chestnut and lotus leaves, or the ravioli essential during the New Year celebrations. According to tradition, the more ravioli a person eats during New Year’s celebrations, the more their income will increase in the New Year. They can be stuffed with beef, chicken, vegetables, cabbage, fish, shrimp… and cooking can be done in different ways, oven, boiled or steamed.
– @Yannick_Revel
Haven’t celebrated the Year of the Tiger yet? Here are some addresses of tables offering real Chinese cuisine in Bordeaux: Coffret de Saveurs, in the Cauderan district (158 rue Louis Barthou), a family restaurant from the province of Sichuan. Their proposals are original, authentic and served with a warm welcome. Au Bonheur du Palais: if the storefront does not look like much, the address is nevertheless an institution in Bordeaux. Held since 1985 by the Shan brothers, the restaurant offers a refined and gourmet version of Chinese cuisine, particularly Cantonese and Szechuan flavors. As a bonus, they offer food-wine pairings with fine Sino-Bordeaux alliances. 75 rue Paul Louis Lande.
Blogger, journalist, author, content creator, entrepreneur… Yannick Revel is an insatiable storyteller. On his blog Bon Sud Bon Genre, he shares his vision of the art of living imbued with culture, travel and of course gastronomy. His passion is to meet and transmit, wherever he is. A beautiful beach, an exhibition, a new table, Yannick Revel likes to unearth good and beautiful addresses, sometimes off the beaten track. Between the Basque coast and Bordeaux, the esthete also shares her daily life, her enthusiasm and her favorites on her Instagram account.
