This dish is mostly found in Chinese regions and different countries have assimilated this dish into their culture by borrowing this dish from the local overseas Chinese minorities in their respective nations. They gave this dish different names for the Burmese people they call it Pya Htote, Cambodians nom chang, Loatians and Thais Bachang. While for Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, they are known as bakcang, bacang or zang, (Chinese: 肉粽; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bah-chàng) a loan word from the Hokkien Dialect, which is commonly used among the Chinese in this regions instead of Mandrin. Along the same lines, zongzi most popularly know as 'machang' among the Chinese Filipinos in Philippines.
Now what about the origins of this dish?
Usually the bak chang is eaten traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar calendar (approximately late-May to mid- June), it is also to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu, who lived during the Warring States period.
Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen about expansionism of their neighbors Qin. When the Qin general Bai Qi capture Chu's captial, Qu Yuan grieve was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo River, he was known for his patriotism. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from eating Qu Yuan corpse.
Wiki source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zongzi
We at Delivereat.my wishing our Chinese customers who are celebrating this Festival. Happy eating!
