Mooncake
A mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, 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 important Chinese festivals.
A Cantonese mooncake filled with lotus seed paste | |
| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | China |
| Region or state | East Asia and Southeast Asia |
| Main ingredients | Crust: lard or vegetable oil Filling: red bean or lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, may or may not have additional ingredients |
| Approximately 416 calories (1,740 kJ) kcal | |
| Mooncake | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 月餅 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 月饼 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | yuèbing, yuèbǐng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Moon cake/biscuit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | bánh Trung thu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Nôm | 餅中秋 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Khmer name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Khmer | នំព្រះច័ន្ទ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are numerous varieties of mooncakes consumed within China and outside of China in overseas Chinese communities. The Cantonese mooncake is the most famous variety. A traditional Cantonese mooncake is a round pastry, measuring about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 3–4 cm (1+1⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) thick, with a rich thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste (other typical fillings include red bean paste or mixed nuts) surrounded by a thin, 2–3 mm (approximately 1/8 of an inch) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs.
Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges, accompanied by tea. Today, it is customary for business people and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents, helping to fuel a demand 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.