Chinese mooncake is a round pastry which is made with salted eggs and can contain various fillings. In the photo you can see mooncake with macha cream, for example. Also filling with read beans or lotus seed paste are popular. Mooncake is traditionally eaten with your family or friends in the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, held on the 8th month of lunar calendar.
At the origins of this festival, there is a notorious tales: in a very remote past there were ten suns. An archer shots nine of them so that only one sun remains. He is given the elixir of immortality as a reward for this, but he wants to get it with also his wife, as he does not want to get immortality alone and leave the wife. Anyway it happens the archer goes hunting and the wife remains alone. Someone wants to steal the immortality elixir so the wife is obliged to drink it in order they are not able to take it. So the wife flies to the Moon and here remains, leaving the archer alone.
Immortality as separation is the main theme of the tale and what inspired the popular Chinese festival. Eating the Mooncake together is a celebration of union of people, of strength of relationships, family and friendships: it’s to celebrate the fact, unlike the archer and his wife, there is no separation. In that day, there are also public celebrations with dragon dances in China and in many Chinatowns abroad.
Quite an interesting myth and tradition. Thank you for sharing, @user_not_found ! Do you know if this is the only time of the year when we can eat the Mooncake? What does it taste like?
It’s not the only time, @FlameFox . You can eat and find it in Chinese pastry shops and markets every time. Just like you can always find zongzi in every period of the year and eat it whenever you want, not only during the Duanwu Festival. Or the most famous example, Chinese dumplings, which are traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year celebration but are obviously famous and eaten everyday by everyone, Chinese and non-Chinese people!
At the end there are many Chinese dishes traditionally associated with Chinese festivals, but all of these are also part of general Chinese food tradition and so can be eaten.
Mooncake tastes differently basing on the topping: for example macha
red beans or lotus seed paste. Obviously there is a general flavor of egg also. Some Westerners seem not too like mooncakes so much by looking at some discussions on the web and even wonder why do Chinese people like them. I LOVE them too even if, being very caloric, I eat them only during the Festival: one with my Chinese friends and one with my family (as I have exported this Chinese tradition also to them).
You have surprised me with the dumplings, @user_not_found . I did think this is something you can eat only in February! It’s awesome to see that Chinese culture didn’t restrict the dishes. I know that some cultures around the world prohibit such freedom in dining. The cool fact learned - it’s not same when speaking about China.
Have you found a mooncake type with requirements for extra sauce or ad-ons as well?
