Imagine walking into a lively Taiwanese home on Lunar New Year’s Eve, where the air is filled with rich, savory aromas. A huge spread of dishes covers the table, marking the biggest family reunion of the year.It feels a lot like a big Christmas dinner in the West, but every single food carries special meaning. Families hope for wealth, good health, and happiness in the months ahead through clever wordplay in Chinese and symbolic shapes.Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Think of the most luxurious soup imaginable: A big, steaming pot filled with tender pork trotters, juicy ribs, chunks of taro, dried scallops, mushrooms, fish skin, chestnuts, and other top-quality ingredients. Everything simmers for hours until the flavors blend into something deeply rich and fragrant. Legend has it the aroma is so tempting that even a strict Buddhist monk would leap over a wall to taste it, giving the dish its name. On Lunar New Year’s Eve, this dish becomes the star of the table, quietly announcing wealth, abundance, and the care families put into cooking together, with many households guarding their own secret recipe like a treasured family heirloom. Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel) Lion’s Head Meatballs These are no ordinary meatballs. They are large, handmade meatballs that stay tender and juicy. People braise them slowly with napa cabbage or cook them in a clay pot so they soak up every bit of savory broth. Their round shape is associated with family unity.The name also carries auspicious connotations—“lion” evokes strength and good fortune, while “head” suggests leadership and prominence. The dish carries a wish for harmony at home and genuine success in work and life. Lion’s Head Meatballs (Shutterstock) Mustard Greens (Long-Life Vegetables)Mustard greens are a common side dish at the reunion dinner. Some families use fresh greens, while many Hakka families prefer a preserved, salted version for its deeper flavor.Known as "long-life vegetables," their slight bitterness serves as a reminder that hard times will pass. Eating them at the New Year carries wishes for health, longevity, and sweeter days ahead. Mustard greens (Shutterstock) Whole Fish Fish is typically served whole, with the head and tail intact, whether steamed, fried or braised. The most important rule regarding the fish is to leave some uneaten rather than finish it completely.In Chinese the word for “fish” sounds exactly like the word for “surplus” or “extra.” Leaving some behind links the dish to the hope of having more than enough money and good things every year. If someone tries to finish the last piece, an older family member may joke that it should be saved “for surplus!” Pan fried white pomfret (Shutterstock) Hot Pot Everyone gathers around one bubbling pot in the middle of the table. They add napa cabbage, meatballs, shrimp, thin-sliced meats, and vegetables little by little while talking and laughing. This dish represents reunion in the strongest way, as sharing one pot creates warmth and closeness that feels especially meaningful when family members who live far away return home for the holidays.The round table setting and shared broth represent family unity and cozy togetherness. Hot pot (Top One Pot) Mullet Roe Mullet roe is a prized winter delicacy that is salted and sun-dried into firm, golden pieces.Because it is expensive and richly colored, it is sometimes nicknamed “black gold.”It is often sliced thin and lightly grilled, then eaten with garlic shoots or white radish. The rich, salty flavor and luxury status make it a symbol of wealth, good fortune, and a big thriving family. Mullet roe (Shutterstock) Radish Cake (Turnip Cake) Radish cake is made by mixing shredded white radish with rice batter and savory add-ins such as dried shrimp, mushrooms and fried shallots.The mixture is steamed into a firm cake, then sliced and pan-fried until crisp outside and soft inside.In the local dialect radish sounds like good luck and cake sounds like rising or advancing. The result is a food wish for progress in school, work or everyday goals. Radish Cake (Shutterstock) DumplingsDumplings may not be the flashiest dish on the table, but they are often the most hands-on.Many families spend the afternoon filling and folding them together while catching up.Their shape is associated with ancient Chinese gold ingots, turning each bite into a small wish for wealth and good fortune. To add some excitement, some families tuck a coin into a few dumplings, and whoever finds one is named the luckiest person of the year, bringing laughter and hopes of prosperity in the months ahead. Homemade dumplings (Shutterstock) Rice Cake (Nian Gao) Sticky rice cake is often served sweet with red bean or other fillings, though savory versions exist too. Families steam or fry it. The Chinese name for rice cake plays on the idea of getting higher and better each year, symbolizing progress, success, and an upward path in the year ahead. It is also commonly used in rituals to honor ancestors. Rice cake (Shutterstock) Eight-Treasure RiceEight-Treasure Rice is a classic Chinese dessert made with sticky rice and sweet red bean paste, topped with a mix of dried fruits and candied ingredients such as red dates, longan, and lotus seeds. It is gently steamed, often in a rice cooker for convenience, and many families customize it with purple rice, taro paste, or other variations to suit their taste.Sweet and comforting, the dish symbolizes togetherness and a happy, harmonious life, making it a must-have at the end of a Lunar New Year meal. On the New Year’s table, Eight-Treasure Rice plays the role of a joyful finale, sending everyone into the new year with sweetness and good wishes. Eight-Treasure rice (Shutterstock) Business opportunitiesNew Year’s Eve dishes play a central role in traditional Taiwanese culture. From shopping for ingredients before the holiday to cooking and sitting down together on Lunar New Year’s Eve, preparing and sharing the reunion dinner has long been an important family ritual.In recent years, however, changing lifestyles have led more Taiwanese families to look for easier ways to prepare New Year’s Eve meals—without giving up the chance to enjoy a rich and festive dinner. This shift has opened space for restaurants and food companies to sell set meals and pre-orders for home feasts, alongside dine-in options on Lunar New Year’s Eve.In Taiwan, people can now order reunion-dinner packages through restaurants, e-commerce platforms, supermarkets, convenience stores and well-known online food brands.According to the Economic Daily News of Taiwan, the New Year’s dish market is worth nearly NT$60 billion (about US$1.8 billion), with convenience stores even partnering with Michelin-starred restaurants and hotel chefs to offer an increasingly wide range of New Year’s meal packages. From symbolic flavors to booming business, Taiwan’s Lunar New Year’s Eve dishes reveal how tradition continues to shape family life, even as modern convenience reshapes how the feast is prepared.