Flavors of Lunar New Year: Exploring and Tasting Traditional Ingredients

In collaboration with Po Wing Hong Food Market 寶榮行, a cornerstone of Manhattan’s Chinatown for more than 45 years, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) invites you to an engaging Lunar New Year tasting and conversation that celebrates the flavors and stories behind traditional ingredients. Join Sophia Tsao, Executive Vice President of Po Wing Hong, for a guided introduction to staple ingredients commonly used for New Year cooking, from premium dried seafood and nourishing soup components to herbs and pantry essentials shaped by generations of culinary wisdom.

Through a lively presentation and curated tastings, you will learn what these ingredients are, how families use them at home, and why certain foods carry auspicious meanings for the season, including prosperity, longevity, and well-being. Whether you are a seasoned Lunar New Year cook or simply curious about traditional ingredients, this program offers a delicious entry point into the cultural knowledge held in everyday kitchens.

Come ready to sample, ask questions, and leave with practical shopping and cooking tips, as well as a deeper understanding of how food connects memory, tradition, and community across generations.