The Year of the Tiger formally begins on February 1st and many families are looking forward to this day, not only to turn a new leaf, but also to indulge in the century-old traditions and joyful festivities of the occasion. Chinese New Year is typically a boisterous time of decorated homes, auspicious lion dances, and animated family reunions. Aside from red envelope sharing and family feasts, a tradition that can be traced back a thousand years is the Lunar New Year candy box. Some call it the box of togetherness; in Chinese, the direct translation is “whole box”. This candy box is filled with savoury and sweet candied goods symbolizing wealth, happiness, and luck. The gesture of sharing the contents of the lucky candy box implies the blessings of well wishes from one to another.
Traditionally, this box of fortune would include items such as dried fruit, seeds, and candied items, with a focus on the pronunciation and symbolic representation of the treats rather than the taste. This year, Jamie Tung, owner and head pastry chef of Buttermere Patisserie, has developed her own modern take on the Lunar New Year candy box,
“Being away from family, it was important for me to recreate moments dear to me. Chinese New Year was always a big deal for my family and spending the time to create these fortune-filled boxes allowed me to reminisce the moments I shared with them. I hope these evoke the same sentiments for everyone else who is missing family or have had to minimize celebrations this year.”
The Tiger Gift Box includes four unique items for the modern household: Snowflake Crisps, a chewy and fruity nougat candy made with freeze dried berries, nuts, and RITZ cookies; Koi, beautiful koi-shaped hard candy in flavours of champagne, strawberry, and, exclusive to Butteremere, lychee; Black Sesame Brittle, a crunchy sesame brittle similar to peanut candy but made with black and white sesame, almonds, and goji berries; and Pork Floss Rice Krispy, a savoury puffed wheat cracker made with pork floss and seaweed. For those who love Buttermere for their cakes, Jamie has also created a Year of the Tiger cake, a lemon poppyseed sponge cake with an Osmanthus orange confit, Cointreau anglaise, and jasmine mousse adorned with a chocolate model of a cartoon tiger holding a golden coin.
Priced at $68 and $70 respectively, the Tiger Gift Box is available for pre-order now on www.buttermere.ca for pick up or delivery January 26 to February 6 while the Year of the Tiger cake is available from January 29 to February 2.
