Chinese archaeologists find 2,200-year-old ancestor of Dragon Boa

Chinese scientists announced in mid-August that they had found an ancient leaf-wrapped food made around 2,200 years ago, a discovery being compared with the much later-known festival dish zongzi.

Ancient link to a familiar festival food

The find has drawn attention because zongzi is one of the most famous foods associated with China’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, which is observed around June when the weather turns warm.

Across China, people gather for the festival, and zongzi remains closely identified with the celebration.

Zongzi is a rice dumpling with a filling, wrapped in bamboo leaves before it is cooked.

The leaves are an important part of the food because they add aroma and flavour to the rice.

Researcher urges caution on the comparison

Yong Ge, a study author from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said it would be a stretch to “directly recognise” the ancient food as zongzi.

He said the comparison was fair, but “should not be overinterpreted.”

The finding still places leaf-wrapped food within a much older food tradition in China, according to the way the researchers framed the discovery.

“When we eat zongzi or other leaf-wrapped food, we can clearly appreciate that this tradition existed since ancient times,” the researcher said.

Source: South China Morning Post