The Kitchen God and Sticky Cake

There are many traditions associated with the Chinese New Year season or Spring Festival. One of them takes place before the old year has come to a close.

According to legend, one week before the Spring Festival begins, the Kitchen God returns to heaven to report on a family's behavior during the previous year. A negative report by the Kitchen God means a family will suffer from bad luck during the year to come.

Origins of the Kitchen God

It is said that a beggar named Zhang leaped into a fireplace to escape being seen by his former wife. His embarrassment came not from his reduced circumstances, but from the way he had mistreated her.

His wife tried vainly to put out the fire, but was ultimately forced to watch her former husband's ashes fly up the chimney. Upon hearing the story, the Jade Emperor decided to reward the man for admitting to his wrongdoings by making him Kitchen God, charged with watching over everyone's behavior.

Feeding Sticky Cake to the Kitchen God

In order to ensure a favorable report from the Kitchen God, the custom evolved of feeding him Sticky Cake. According to different accounts this was either a bribe or simply a means of ensuring the Kitchen God's mouth was too full of cake to pass on an unfavorable report. Traditionally, Sticky Cake is steamed (as are most Chinese cakes) and made with glutinous rice flour, dried fruit and peen tong (a traditional Chinese brown candy).

Useful Expression:

“One of them takes place before the old year has come to a close.”
“His embarrassment came not from his reduced circumstances, but from the way he had mistreated her.”
“Upon hearing the story,…”
“According to different accounts this was either a bribe or simply a means of ensuring the Kitchen God's mouth was too full of cake to pass on an unfavorable report.”