Mooncakes

I think the mooncake is another of those acquired tastes.

Or at least, the traditional mooncake is.

“Most mooncakes are made of ground lotus, or of bean or seed paste, and other ingredients, occasionally with egg yolks in the center. Different types of bean paste, from mung bean paste to azuki bean paste, can be used; in any case, the preparation of the bean paste is very time-consuming, requiring two to four weeks, so families usually buy them at professional bakeries instead of making the mooncakes themselves. Sometimes one or two dried, salted whole egg yolks are baked inside. Mooncakes are expensive and considered a delicacy, and modern mooncakes come in many flavors and sizes. There are even fat-free forms for the health-conscious (traditional mooncakes are often baked with lard).” (From Wikipedia)

I don’t know anyone who makes (or even knows how to make) mooncakes. The only ones I have ever eaten are commercially made ones. I like the mung bean or lotus ones, with the egg yolks – yes I guess I am boringly traditional in this aspect.

To me a mooncake is a once-a-year thing, like mince pies at Christmas, or Cadbury creme eggs at Easter. The year just wouldn’t be complete without one or two mooncakes to enjoy. Mooncakes are eaten to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival 中秋节. Known in Malaysia and other tropical climes as the Mooncake Festival, as Autumn doesn’t exist at the equator. Aside from eating mooncakes, kids also play with brightly coloured lanterns – we used to get new ones every year…

There are many new-fangled modern versions of the mooncake, as sixthseal shows us.
He regales us with pictures of cheese and chocolate mooncakes, and mooncakes with dragon fruit. I have never eaten dragon fruit before. Come to think of it, I have never eaten anything more exotic than a mooncake with fruits and nuts in it – tried some during my year in China – and I didn’t like it.

I don’t think M likes mooncakes, but I don’t know if these modern versions will appeal to him either.

At the Asian grocery on the weekend they had a small stack of mooncakes for sale, but the most exotic thing they had was a mooncake with pandan flavoured pastry. I stuck to a couple of lotus ones with a single egg yolk.

This year the festival falls on 18 September. We’ll be celebrating a couple of birthdays that Sunday – I wonder if my family members will feel like some mooncake…

More mooncakes here:
Chinatown Online Guide to mooncakes (from Wikipedia)

Categories: mooncake, Chinese, culture, food