Foreign minister pairs Taiwan zongzi with flavors from diplomatic allies

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Friday recommended enjoying Taiwanese glutinous rice dumplings, known locally as zongzi (粽子), with hot sauce and coffee from diplomatic allies as a novel way to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

In a video posted on social media, Lin declined the use of Chinese chili sauce for his zongzi, preferring instead hot sauce from Belize, one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central America.

To complete the meal, he suggested pairing it with a chilled cup of Guatemalan coffee.

"The first bite is the familiar taste of Taiwan's Dragon Boat Festival; the second bite brings the passionate flavors of our ally. Then, finish with a chilled cup of Guatemalan coffee," Lin said. "This is the happiest Dragon Boat Festival moment for carb lovers."

Zongzi are triangular dumplings made of glutinous rice and stuffed with different fillings, ranging from braised pork to assorted nuts. They are also a local gourmet treat known for being high in calories and fat and low in fiber.

Taiwan celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which falls on June 19 this year. The festival features an array of activities such as dragon boat races, eating zongzi, and making "fragrant sachets" aimed at repelling stinging and biting insects that proliferate in the early summer.

Egg-standing is also one of the traditional customs observed during the festival. According to popular belief, if one can balance an egg upright at noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, known as the "Wu hour" (午時) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the egg will absorb the positive energy of heaven and earth, bringing one good luck throughout the entire year.