Mid-Autumnn Festival is one of the most important holidays celebrated throughout East and Southeast Asia. Also known as Moon Festival or Lantern Festival, in some regions, it occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month, usually falling in September or October. Centered on family reunion, thanksgiving, and prayer for good fortune, the festival aligns with the autumn harvest and the brightest, fullest moon of the year.
Mooncakes, the traditionally eaten pastry during Moon Festival, begin appearing in stores during the weeks leading up to the festival. Our international market is a prime source for traditional and modern varieties of mooncakes.
What is a Mooncake?
A mooncake is a round, dense pastry filled with sweet or savory ingredients featuring intricate Chinese characters or floral patterns pressed into their top crusts. Available in many different styles and flavors, they tend to be extemely filling and are rarely eaten whole by one person. Moon cakes are shared with family and friends alongside hot tea during Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations to symbolize unity and completeness.
Why are Mooncakes eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival began as an agricultural harvest celebration in ancient China. Offerings of food were made to the moon goddess during the middle of autumn in thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest and to ask for good crops the following year. Round cakes were placed on altars because their shape mirrored the celestial body being honored. After moon-viewing rituals, families ate the blessed offerings together.
This ceremonial food evolved into a beloved seasonal treat that is today exchanged as gifts and enjoyed throughout the festival season.
What are the most popular traditional mooncake fillings?
Traditional fillings of mooncakes are edible symbols of family unity, harvest, and heritage.
Lotus Seed Paste
Smooth, rich, and slightly sweet, lotus seed paste is considered the classic mooncake filling. Made from dried lotus seeds that are boiled, pureed, and slowly cooked with sugar and oil, it has a silky texture and delicate floral aroma.
Red Bean Paste
Popular throughout East Asia, red bean paste has a dark red color and a sweet, earthy flavor. It is made from boiled adzuki beans that are mashed and sweetened.
Salted Egg Yolk
Salted egg yolk is tucked directly into the center of the sweet paste filling inside the mooncake. The bright orange yolk represents the full moon.
Mixed Nuts and Seeds
Wu Ren, or Five Kernel, is a savory-sweet textured filling containing a mix of nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and melon seeds . It is common in Cantonese-style mooncakes.
How have mooncakes changed over time?
Modern mooncakes contain flavors that appeal to younger generations. Popular fillings include:
- Chocolate
- Mango
- Matcha
- Durian
- Custard
Snow Skin Mooncakes are a chilled, unbaked alternative made from glutinous rice flour with a soft, chewy texture similar to mochi. They are often filled with flavors like green tea, chocolate, and fruit purees.
How Mooncakes are Enjoyed Today
Today, enjoying mooncakes is more about social connection and honoring tradition than it is about celebrating the harvest. It has become customary to gift elaborate boxes of mooncakes to family members, close friends, and business associates in the weeks before the festival. While elders still gravitate toward traditional fillings, younger generations enjoy a massive variety of contemporary styles including ice cream mooncakes, jelly-filled varieties, and savory options like truffle-infused mooncakes.
Steeped in history and symbolism, eating mooncakes is one of Asia’s most tasty cultural traditions. In the Chicagoland community, International Fresh Market is your source for seasonal mooncake selections and festival favorites.
