Mooncake

Mooncake
Mooncake
A Cantonese mooncake filled with lotus seed paste
TypePastry
CourseDessert
Place of originChina
Region or stateEast Asia and Southeast Asia
Main ingredientsCrust: lard or vegetable oil
Filling: red bean or lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, may or may not have additional ingredients
Food energy
(per 100 g serving)
Approximately 416 calories (1,740 kJ) kcal
Mooncake
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese月餅
Simplified Chinese月饼
Hanyu Pinyinyuèbing, yuèbǐng
Literal meaningMoon cake/biscuit
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetbánh Trung thu
Chữ Nôm餅中秋
Khmer name
Khmerនំព្រះច័ន្ទ

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).[1] 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.

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[2] is a round pastry, measuring about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 3–4 cm (1+141+12 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.[3]

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,[4] 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,[5] mooncakes are enjoyed in other parts of Asia too. Mooncakes have also appeared in western countries as a form of delicacy.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ "MOONCAKE - Cambridge Dictionary".
  2. ^ "Traditional Mooncakes in China - 12 Types of Regional Variations". TravelChinaGuide.com. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  3. ^ "10 Most Popular Mooncake Flavors - Which one do you like?". TravelChinaGuide.com. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  4. ^ Asianweek Archived 26 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Mid-Autumn Festival". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Mid-Autumn Festival in Other Asian Countries". Travelchinaguide.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  7. ^ Parulis-Cook, Sienna. "Mooncakes: China's Evolving Tradition". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Customs around the Mid-Autumn Festival". China Today. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2017.

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