Mooncake

Amooncake(simplified Chinese:月饼;traditional Chinese:月餅) is aChinese bakery producttraditionally eaten during theMid-Autumn Festival(中秋節).The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it tomoonwatching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most importantChinese festivals.
There are numerous varieties of mooncakes consumed within China and outside of China inoverseas Chinesecommunities. The Cantonese mooncake is the most famous variety. A traditional Cantonese mooncakeis a round pastry, measuring about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and3–4 cm (1+1⁄4–1+1⁄2in) thick, with a rich, thick filling usually made fromlotus seed paste(other typical fillings includered bean pasteor mixed nuts) surrounded by a thin, 2–3 mm (approximately 1/8 of an inch) crust and may containyolksfromsalted duck eggs.
Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges, accompanied bytea. Today, it is customary for business people and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents,encouraging the market for high-end mooncakes.
Just as the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in various Asian localities due to the presence of Chinese communities throughout the region,mooncakes are enjoyed in other parts of Asia too. Mooncakes have also appeared in western countries as a form of delicacy.
Most mooncakes consist of a thick, tender pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling, which may contain one or several whole saltedegg yolksin the center to symbolize the full moon. Depending on the custom, mooncakes may also be steamed, baked, or fried.
Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of theChinese charactersfor "longevity" or "harmony", as well as the name of the bakery and the filling inside. Imprints of the Moon, theChinese goddess of the Moon (Chang'e), flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the Moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.
The festival is intricately linked tolegends of Chang’e, themythicalMoonGoddessofImmortality.
According to theLiji, an ancient Chinese book recording customs and ceremonies, the Chinese Emperor should offer sacrifices to the Sun in spring and the Moon in autumn. The 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the day called "Mid-Autumn". The night on the 15th of the 8th lunar month is also called "Night of the Moon".
Because of its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, mooncakes remained popular even in recent years. For many, they form a central part of the Mid-Autumn festival experience such that it is now commonly known as 'Mooncake Festival'.
There is a folk tale about the overthrow of theYuan dynastyfacilitated by messages smuggled in moon cakes.
Mooncakes were used by revolutionaries in their effort to overthrow theMongol-led Yuan dynasty, eventually resulting in the establishment of theMing dynasty.The idea is said to have been conceived byZhu Yuanzhangand his advisorLiu Bowen, who circulated a rumor that a deadly plague was spreading and that the only way to prevent it was to eat special mooncakes, which would instantly revive and give special powers to the user.  This prompted the quick distribution of mooncakes.  The mooncakes contained a secret message: on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, kill the rulers.
Another method of hiding a message was to print it on the surfaces of mooncakes (which came in packages of four), as a simple puzzle or mosaic.  To read the message, each of the four mooncakes was cut into four parts.  The resulting 16 pieces were pieced together to reveal the message.  The pieces of mooncakes were then eaten to destroy the message.
Many types of fillings can be found in traditional mooncakes:
Traditional mooncakes vary widely depending on the region where they are produced. Most regions produce them with many types of fillings, but with only one type of crust. Althoughvegetarianmooncakes may usevegetable oil, many mooncakes uselardin their recipes. Three types of mooncake crust are used inChinese cuisine:
There are many regional variants of the mooncake. Types of traditional mooncake include:
Over time, both the crusts and the composition of the fillings of mooncakes have diversified, in particular, due to a commercial need to drive up sales in the face of intense competition between producers and from other food types. Part of these trends are also to cater to changing taste preferences, and because people are more health-conscious. Therefore, most of these contemporary styles are especially prominent amongst the cosmopolitan and younger Chinese and amongst the overseas Chinese community. However, traditional mooncakes are often sold alongside contemporary ones to cater to individual preferences.
Some of the earliest forms of diversification were by changing the fillings with ingredients considered unusual then.Taropaste (芋泥,yù ní),pineappleanddurianwere amongst the first to be introduced, especially amongst the overseas Chinese communities inSoutheast Asia.The crust itself also evolved, particularly with the introduction of "snow skin mooncake". It is different from the traditional mooncake - the snow skin mooncake needs to be stored inside a refrigerator and is white on the outside. Traditionally the colour white means something bad in China, for example, people will wear a white collar to a funeral. However, this kind of white coloured mooncake is popular with teenagers.Miniature mooncakes also appeared, in part to allow for easier individual consumption without the need to cut the large cakes.
To adapt to today's health-conscious lifestyle, fat-free mooncakes also appeared. Some are made ofyogurt,jelly, and fat-free ice-cream. Customers pick and choose the size and filling of mooncakes that suits their taste and diet. For added hygiene, each cake is often wrapped in airtight plastic, accompanied by a tiny food preserver packet.
Contemporary-style mooncakes, while increasingly popular, have their detractors. Pricey ingredients have pushed up prices, causing worry of a "mooncake bubble" forming in China.Food critics sometimes point out that "chocolate mooncakes" are in reality just chocolate shaped into mooncakes, and not mooncakes made of chocolate, while others complain that food chains appear intent on coming up with exotic flavors to take advantage of the market, without much thought for how well the tastes fuse together.
Fillings in contemporary style mooncakes have diversified to include just about anything which can be made into a paste. Mooncakes containingtaropaste andpineapple, which were considered novelty items at their time of invention, have become commonplace in recent years. In addition, filling composed of ingredients such ascoffee,chocolate, nuts (walnuts,mixed nuts, etc.), fruits (prunes,pineapples,melons,lychees, etc.), vegetables (sweet potatoes, etc.), and evenhamhave been added to give a modern twist to the traditional recipes.
Some other examples include
Traditional Chinese delicacies such asginsengandbird's nestwere soon followed byabaloneandshark fin. Foreign food companies have also tried to cash in.Häagen-Dazswere one of the first to create an ice-cream mooncake, with a choice of either the "traditional," snow-skin, orBelgian/Swisswhite, milk, and dark chocolate crusts. Other ice-cream and restaurant chains soon followed up with their own versions. Other Western ingredients, including champagne ganache, malt whisky, volcanic-salt caramel and evenBlack truffles,caviarandfoie grashave made it into mooncakes.
Snowy mooncakes first appeared on the market in the early 1980s. These non-baked, chilled mooncakes usually come with two types of crusts:
Mooncakes in Japan are known asgeppei(月餅), a transliteration of the Chinese name.  Their designs are based on the Cantonese mooncake, are associated with Chinese culture and are sold all year round, mainly in Japan'sChinatowns.Azuki(red bean) paste is the most popular filling for these mooncakes, but other sorts of beans, as well as chestnut, are also used.
The most traditional mooncake found withinTaiwanresembles those from southern Fujian. Taiwanese mooncakes are filled with sweetened red bean paste, sometimes withmochiin the center.  The most common traditional mooncakes coming from Taiwan are filledmung bean(lu dou) ortaropaste, generally with a salted duck egg yolk in the mung bean mooncakes, and either salted duck egg or a savory treat in the taro mooncakes. They typically have a flaky crust and are spherical in shape. Instead of the imprinted pattern on top common in Cantonese versions, Taiwanese mooncakes have a red stamp typically in celebratory Chinese character.Modern, more trendy Taiwanese moon cakes are wide in variety that includes low fat, lard free and ice cream versions.  Popular modern flavors includegreen tea, chocolate, strawberry andtiramisu.
InIndonesia, there are several main types of mooncakes,from the traditional to the modern mooncakes. The very traditional mooncake has been there ever since the Chinese and Japanese entered Indonesia, they are circular like a moon, white and thinner than regular mooncake. Fillings may include pork, chocolate, cheese, milk,durian,jackfruitand many other exotic fruits made into a paste. This type of mooncake is widely available all year long while the regular modern mooncakes are usually only sold around the mid-autumn festival season.
As a Muslim-majority country, mooncakes are predominantly made withhalalingredients. The crust is typically made from vegetable oil orpeanut oiland filled withmung bean paste.
There are three major cities that have diverse types of moon cakes;George Town,Kuala LumpurandSabah. Mooncakes are quite similar to the traditional Chinese. However, many prefer to add 100% pureHunanlotus seed to maintain the quality of mooncakes. The most popular types, especially in Kuala Lumpur, are White Lotus Seed Paste Cake, Snow Skins and Black Sesame With Yolk.
InSingapore, mooncakes are luxury gifts. They come in a wide variety of flavors ranging from the traditional baked ones, to the Teochew flaky ones filled with yam paste, to snowskin varieties filled with chilled fruit pastes.  Traditional mooncakes feature base fillings of red lotus paste, white lotus paste or red bean paste, with 0-4 salted duck egg yolks embedded within. Variations include adding other ingredients such as macadamia nuts,osmanthus, orange peel and melon seeds.
Snowskin mooncakes in Singapore feature flavors ranging from Lychee Martini, Baileys, Matcha Red Bean, durian, and various fruit pastes.
Mooncakes are luxurious gifts in Singapore and are very popular as gifts to clients, friends and family. An average box of 4 mooncakes cost US$60. Many hotels and fine Chinese cuisine restaurants offer mooncakes packaged in elaborate boxes with multiple compartments and jeweled clasps. Mooncake boxes are commonly repurposed as jewelry boxes after the festival ends.
InThailand, mooncakes (in Thai, ขนมไหว้พระจันทร์) are sold inThai-Chinesebakeries during festival season. InBangkok, traditional and modern moon cakes are not limited toChinatownonYaowarat Road, but they are also found in stalls of large supermarkets.
In Vietnam, mooncakes are known asbánh trung thu(literally "mid-autumn cake"). Vietnamese mooncakes are usually sold either individually or in a set of four. There are two kinds of mooncake:bánh nướng(baked mooncake) andbánh dẻo(sticky rice mooncake).
It can be said thatbánh nướngandbánh dẻoare two special kinds of cake in Vietnam. They are widely popular and are sold only during theTết Trung Thuseason. Vietnamese mooncakes are often in the shape of a circle (10 cm in diameter) or a square (a length of about 7–8 cm), and 4–5 cm thick. Larger sizes are not uncommon. Their designs largely resemble that of the Cantonese mooncake, though some other images, such as the sow with cub, fish, shrimp, etc. can also be found.
Vietnamese mooncakes have two basic parts: crust and filling. The ingredients usually consist of: jam, dried sausage, mung bean paste, salt, sugar, cooking oil, sugared lard, lotus seed, watermelon seed, etc. Compared to other variants, Vietnamese mooncakes' flavor is more on the sweet side. Thus, to balance it, salted egg yolk is often added. They can be baked or eaten immediately.
Bánh nướng(baked mooncake) is made from wheat flour, cooking oil, and simple syrup boiled with malt. After being filled with various combinations of salted egg yolk, dried sausage, mung bean paste, salt, sugar, cooking oil, sugared pig fat, lotus seed, watermelon seed, it will be brushed with egg wash, then baked in the oven. The egg wash will protect the crust of the cake from drying out and create the aroma of the cake. The cakes have to be rotated constantly in the oven to prevent burning.
Bánh dẻo(sticky rice mooncake) is easier to make thanbánh nướng. The crust and filling are pre-cooked. The crust is made from roasted glutinous rice flour, pomelo blossom water or vanilla and simple syrup. After malaxating rice flour, fillings similar to that of baked mooncake is stuffed inside the crust and then the cake is put into the mold dusted with a thin layer of flour to prevent sticking to fingers. The cake can be used immediately without any further steps. However,bánh dẻois not as popular asbánh nướng.