Written by Mooncakes are a kind of Chinese pastry, which is customary to consume during Mid-Autumn Festival, which is celebrated on the fifteenth of the eighth month according to the lunar calendar. This is also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival for that matter. The Chinese are credited for first preparing and consuming mooncakes but the delicacies have gone global over time. To begin with, this is a brief look at mooncakes on the international scene and how they have been incorporated into different cultures around the world.
China
Being the birthplace of mooncakes, China also has the most extensive variety in the filling of the mooncake, the type and shape of the crust, the shape of the mooncake, and the art design on mooncakes. While the original form of Cantonese-style mooncakes made with flaky pastry and filled with lotus seed paste, there are also the ice cream mooncakes of Beijing, and the military wives’ mooncakes of Nanjing and more. Mooncakes packed in fancy boxes or with artistic carving or playful animal molds have also turned into mouth watering delicacies or gifts for family, friends, clients or business associates.
Southeast Asia
As for Asian countries where Chinese communities are numerous such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, mooncakes are also a traditional symbol of the Mid-Autumn festival. The Southeast Asia favourite the most is the baked skin mooncake with a salted egg yolk in it. The filling of egg yolk is rich, creamy, and salty, with just a hint of sweetness complementing the tenderness of the baked crust. Today some of the recent and new flavors being experienced in Southeast Asia bakeries include Green tea flavor, chocolate truffle flavor, and the tiramisu flavor among others.
Japan
It has been adapted to the Japanese culture where they have taken to calling them moon viewing cakes (Tsukimi Dango) but have put a local twist to the cakes. While the conventional mooncakes feature a thick layer of filling enrobed in a flaky pastry shell, the Japanese-style ones are only slightly bigger than a ping pong ball and are made of mochi and are typically filled with red bean paste. There are usually garnished with ingredients such as chestnut or some parts of a fruit to give them the taste typical for the harvest time. These mooncakes are a Japanese innovation and are in fact lighter and considerably less calorific than Chinese mooncakes.
Korea
In Korea, the mooncakes are known under the name of ‘sun pyo’. Most of the Korean mooncakes are filled with red bean paste that is sweetened and has a unique nutty, spicy aroma to it. Other options may be varied fillings such as cooked chestnut puree or sesame seeds. Korean mooncakes have a soft texture crust that is laminated with distinct crispy layers and is sometimes stamped with conventional Korean motifs. These are usually thought to be so lucky that any individual who takes them at once multiplies his/her fortune.
India
Although the Mid-Autumn Festival is not celebrated in India, due to the increasing Chinese population in the country its influence has been evidently felt. In the cities, which has a higher Chinese population like Kolkata, bakeries even start making the Cantonese style of baked mooncakes during the celebration. It is more common for them to add flavors such as rose, pistachio, and cream cheese taste which are more preferable in India. This new trend of fusion mooncakes that incorporate flavors of India set a completely new mode of a cross-cultural event.
United States
Due to the diversity of Asian immigration to the United States and numerous American Chinatowns, mooncakes can be purchased during this time as well. For the example, San Francisco’s Chinatown particularly celebrates the mid-autumn festival in a very big way. The more classic and conventional baked mooncakes that are filled with lotus seed paste or red bean paste fillings are there but second-generation Asian Americans love the more exotic flavors of chocolate, green tea, and taro. Some bourgeois bakeries across the country have also recently ventured into the niche of gifting mooncakes in fancy gift boxes of the food fad.
Also known as ‘yun-tao,’ mooncakes have quickly become part of the popular cuisine of Chinese people and other Asian communities in other parts of the world. Whether it is the geographical region, the time period ranging from ancient to modern age, the one constant that remains prominent during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncake. These characters are liked by everyone without discriminating the nationality, color or the age of the viewer.
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