汤圆 (tāng yuán): sweet dumplings, Tangyuan

Every year during the Lantern Festival, Grandma makes tangyuan by hand; she says the black sesame filling is the most fragrant.

The supermarket freezer displays tangyuan in various flavors: peanut, red bean paste, and even fresh meat.

On the winter solstice, Mom cooked a pot of steaming tangyuan, and the whole family sat around eating together, feeling especially warm.

This time-honored brand's tangyuan have thin wrappers and generous fillings; with one bite, the sweet sesame filling oozes out.