過去的農業社會，客家族群依循歲時節令與文化風俗，製作並享用各式客家料理，包括粄食，醃漬物及客家菜。這些客家傳統食品常以米食為原料，或以簡單食材展現多樣變化，不僅映照地方社會的「風土」，體現客家人的生活智慧，更承載著族群的集體記憶，延續至今。
粄食
粄食，又稱茶粿，意指「一口茶，一口粿」，是客家人佐茶的傳統點心，也是農曆新年與各類節慶常見的甜點。客家粄種類繁多，善用糯米特性，將其磨成米漿並依比例調整，便能製成風味各異的粄食，如圓籠茶粿、蘿蔔粄、雞屎藤粄、艾粄、喜粄、糍粑、粗葉粄（苎蔴葉粄）、手粉、和寸粄（*註）、壽粄（紅龜粿）等。
醃漬物
客家人醃製食品的習慣源於偏遠地區的耕作生活。每逢豐收時節，各家戶便將農作物醃製貯藏，正如俗語所言「好天收埋落雨柴」，體現了珍惜食物的智慧。常見的醃漬物有咸菜、酸辣菜、蘿蔔與曬菜乾。客家人好客，常以醃漬料理款待賓朋，如菜脯煎蛋。
客家菜
客家菜素有農家菜之風，鹽焗雞與梅菜扣肉是其中最具代表性的料理。其他菜式有芋頭扣肉、粉葛扣肉、客家釀豆腐、客家小炒、碌鵝、南乳鴨、黃酒雞、客家釀黃酒。近年來，每逢中秋或除夕，筆者亦會親手醃製咸菜，搭配木耳炆豬肉，與鄰里共享，延續客家人重視團聚與分享的傳統。
補充說明
- 各處鄉村各處例︰因應地理環境及土地肥沃程度，各地遂形成不同的飲食文化。例如在部分土壤較肥沃的地區，當地客家族群便以擂茶作為養生之道。
表一、歲時節令的客家料理
| 歲時節令 | 客家料理 |
| 冬至 | 蘿蔔粄 |
| 年三十 | 咸菜炆豬肉 |
| 農曆新年 | 圓籠茶粿 |
| 正月十五 | 壽粄（紅龜粄） |
| 清明 | 粗葉粄（苎蔴葉粄） |
| 艾粄 | |
| 雞屎藤粄 | |
| 端午 | 咸肉粽 |
| 灰水粽 | |
| 中秋 | 咸菜炆豬肉 |
| 重陽 | 喜粄 |
| 和寸粄（*註） | |
| 農曆十月初一 | 糍粑 |
| 湯丸 | |
| 手粉 |
*註︰暫時尚未找到和寸粄的正確詞彙。
© 2025客家︰過客．生活．文化對話，版權所有。
English Translation
Taste of Hakka: Everyday Life at the Local Table
In earlier times, when farming shaped daily life, the Hakka drew on the seasons and local tradition to create a rich variety of dishes. From rice-based dumplings to pickled preserves and home-style cooking, these favours tell the story of Hakka ingenuity. Simple ingredients have been transformed into countless varieties, reflecting the tradition, embodying everyday wisdom, and carrying the collective memory. Such tradition is still alive today, connecting us to taste the continuous past.
Sticky Rice Dumpling
This is also known as “cha guo”, take their name from the saying “a sip of tea, a bit of cake”. They are traditional Hakka snack served with tea and are especially popular during festive occasions. Its varieties are remarkable. Making full use of the qualities of glutinous rice, it is ground into rice paste and adjusted in proportion to create treats with distinctive flavours. These include round steamed sticky rice dumpling, turnip buns, herbal dumpling (Chinese fevervine), mugwort cakes, hiban cakes, sticky rice cakes, coarse-leaf cakes (made with ramie leaves), hand-pressed flour cakes, hecun cakes, and longevity dumpling (red turtle cakes).
Pickled Preserves
The Hakka tradition of preserving foods grew out of farming life in remote areas. At harvest time, families would pickle and store their crops, embodying the wisdom of cherishing food—just as the saying goes, “Save firewood on sunny days for use when it rains.” Common preserved foods include salted greens, sour-spicy vegetables, radishes, and sun-dried leafy greens. True to their hospitality, the Hakka often serve preserved dishes to guests, such as the beloved radish omelet.
Hakka Cuisine
Hakka cuisine has long carried the character of rustic farmhouse cooking. Among its most iconic dishes are Salt-baked Chicken and Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable. Other favorites include Steamed Pork Belly with Taro, Steamed Pork Belly with Kudzu Root, Hakka Stuffed Tofu with Unique Flavor, Hakka Stir-fry, Braised Goose, Duck with Red Fermented Bean Curd, Glutinous Rice Wine Chicken, and Homemade Glutinous Rice Wine. In recent years, the author has continued this tradition by pickling vegetables during Mid-Autumn Festival or Lunar New Year’s Eve, pairing them with braised pork and black fungus to share with neighbors—keeping alive the Hakka spirit of reunion and generosity.
Note
“Every village has its own practice.” Depending on the local environment and the richness of the soil, different regions developed their own food traditions. In some areas blessed with fertile land, Hakka communities embraced lei cha (pounded tea) as a nourishing practice for health and well-being.
Table 1 Hakka Culinary Tradition
| Festive Occasion | Hakka Cuisine |
| Winter Solstice | Turnip Buns |
| Lunar New Year’s Eve | Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable |
| Lunar New Year | Round Steamed Sticky Rice Dumpling |
| 15th day of first lunar month | Longevity Dumpling (Red Turtle Cakes) |
| Ching Ming Festival | Coarse-leaf Cakes (made with ramie leaves) |
| Mugwort Cakes | |
| Herbal Dumpling | |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Savory Glutinous Rice Dumpling |
| Alkaline Rice Dumpling | |
| Mid Autumn Festival | Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable |
| Double Ninth Festival | Hiban Cakes |
| Hecun Cakes | |
| 1st day of tenth lunar month | Sticky Rice Cakes |
| Glutinous Rice Balls | |
| Hand-pressed Flour Cakes |
© 2025 Hakka: Lives in Motion, Dialogue in Culture. All rights reserved.
hkhakkastory.com 
Leave a comment