![]() This money talk related to the abacus probably led to stereotyping the Hakka people as a very stingy tribe but I like to think that Hakkas are frugal by virtue of their origin and culture and certainly extremely hardworking.Ībacus Seeds is an auspicious Hakka dish that my mother, also a Hakka who hailed from the Riau archipelago of Indonesia would cook during happy occasions, especially during every Lunar New Year.Īs a true blue Hakka, I would not let this traditional dish fade away as it is not prevalent in restaurants and Hawker centres, and the cooks, in any case, are probably not Hakka (a minority race) to understand the significance and intricacies of cooking this dish. It came to symbolize the ability to do strict calculations and budgeting and so that the household or business would result in surplus year after year. The abacus device was used to count money in the old days. I had played with the abacus, intrigued by its noise but had not known about its use. As a child in the late 50s, I used to watch with curiosity as he clicked away at the abacus to calculate his bills. My late father, who was a Mandarin teacher in Singapore, hailed from Dapu county to settle in Singapore in the 1930s as a young adult. Later, it became an auspicious and indispensable dish to be served during festive occasions like Lunar New Year and Weddings. The wives would prepare Abacus seeds for their husbands, which symbolize good luck and the rolling of money back home. To survive, the men of the house would travel out to seek work. The Hakka tribe is a subgroup of the Han Chinese that originated from the Northern part of China but through a series of migrations settled in Southern China as well as various parts of the world.Īccording to records, Dapu county had little arable land. ![]() This dish has a physical resemblance to the abacus seeds of this device, hence its name. It consists of a frame that has rows of beads that are slid during calculations. The abacus is a simple instrument used during the earlier days in China. ![]() Why is it called the Hakka Abacus Seeds dish? The abacus can be used as a staple food or a delicious snack. The abacus is smooth with a chewy texture and is fried with minced meat, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and other favorite vegetables. It can be traced back to the Song Dynasty in ancient China made by rubbing taro and flour into the shape of abacus seeds. It is a traditional dish of the Hakka tribe in Dapu County, Guangdong province, celebrated and cheered by those who have sampled it. ![]() The “Hakka Abacus Seeds” Dish is a delicious and healthy yam (taro) dish. Know its origin, significance, recipe, secrets to a tasty dish, cooking method, benefits and taste. ![]()
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