![]() The fillings generally consist of a dense paste made with lotus seeds ( recipe lotus seed paste), sweet red beans or jujube (fruit of immortality). Top crust of Cantonese mooncakes, the thin layer that covers the filling, usually bears auspicious Chinese characters such as “longevity” or “harmony”, although the maker’s name can also be found. The most widely sold and consumed Chinese mooncake, also called Cantonese style, is round and has a size of about ten centimeters in diameter and one and a half centimeters thick. ![]() ![]() There are many types of mooncake depending on the region. With the difference of several centuries between the Tang and Ming dynasties, it is believed that mooncake began to be consumed as an aristocratic luxury before it was adopted and consumed by everyone. People promoted many different activities to celebrate it such as burning pagodas and performing the fire dragon dance. This practice was probably the one that inspired the association of the cake with the festival.Īlthough the association can be traced back to the Tang dynasty, the practice and tradition of making and eating these mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival began during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).ĭuring the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) and the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912 AD), the Mid-Autumn Festival was as popular as the Chinese New Year. During these early centuries, moon cake was given other names such as yue tuan (月团) and xiao bing (小饼).ĭuring the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang dynasty (873-888), mooncakes were also given by the court to visiting scholars during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mooncakes are especially mentioned in Wu Zhimu’s Chronicle of the Southern Song Dynasty (吴自牧).īut, the tradition of using baked cakes as an edible offering to lunar gods and goddesses existed long ago in the Middle Kingdom. The earliest mention of these mooncakes, known as yue bing (月饼) in Chinese, dates from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Its history dates back more than 1,000 years. Although it is a sweet that can be enjoyed all year round, tasting it on this date can be more attractive if we take into account its traditions or meanings. For the Chinese, this holiday is an important and emotional time because it is associated with family reunions, meeting friends and, of course, enjoying a real mooncake feast.
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