Information AboutMooncake |
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Mooncake is a Chinese Pastry traditionally eaten during the '' Mid-Autumn Festival ''. Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick pasty filling is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain Yolk s from Salted Duck Egg s. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and Dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese Tea . TRADITIONAL Most mooncakes are baked and consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet and slightly oily filling. The mooncake may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon. The saltiness of the yolk balances well with the sweet filling in the mooncake. Rarely, mooncakes are steamed or fried. Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese Character s for " Longevity " or "harmony" as well as the name of the bakery and filling in the moon cake. Imprints of a moon, a woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit may surround the characters for additional decoration. Mooncakes are expensive and considered a Delicacy , and production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Most mooncakes are bought at Asian Market s and Bakeries . Fillings Many types of fillings can be found in traditional mooncakes according to the region culture:
Crusts Traditional mooncake vary widely depending on the region where the mooncake is produced. While most regions produce traditional mooncakes with many types of fillings, they usually only make their mooncake from one type of crust or another. Although Vegetarian mooncakes may use Vegetable Oil , many mooncakes use Lard in their recipes for an optimum mouthfeel. There are three types of mooncake crust used in Chinese cuisine:
Regional variations There are many regional variants of the mooncake. Types of traditional mooncakes include:
MODERN Modern mooncakes differ mainly from traditional types most vividly in the type of fillings that are offered. For instance, mooncakes containing Taro paste and Pineapple , which were considered novelty items at their time of invention have in recent years become commonplace items. In addition, ingredients such as Coffee , Chocolate , nuts ( Walnut s, Mixed Nuts , etc), fruits ( Prunes , Pineapple s, Melon s, etc), vegetables ( Sweet Potato es, etc), Ham , and even Lychee s have been added to give a modern twist to the traditional recipes. Fillings Snowy mooncakes first appeared on the market in the early 1980 's. These non-baked, chilled mooncakes were initially filled with traditional fillings such as lotus seed, red bean, or mung bean paste. However, the launch of a Champagne Truffle snow-skin mooncake in 1994 by Raffles Hotel in Singapore , triggered a wave of modern mooncakes. Häagen-Dazs quickly followed on from this Innovation , and were one of the first to create an ice-cream mooncake, with a choice of either the "traditional," snow-skin, or Belgian white, milk, and dark chocolate crusts. Following this bit of Lateral Thinking , it was obvious these non-baked mooncakes could be filled with pretty much anything that could be made into a paste. An explosion of new flavours appeared and spanned the range from:
White kidney bean paste or plain ice-cream are usually used as a base of flavours such as green tea, coffee, or ginseng, which are not thick enough or cannot be usually in large enough quantities to be a filling on their own. Crusts Modern varieties of mooncakes are also different from their traditional counterparts in that their crusts typically do not require baking. There are two main varieties of modern mooncake crusts:
Healthy mooncakes To adapt to today’s health-conscious and Westernized lifestyle, many bakeries offer miniature mooncakes and fat-free mooncakes. Some are made of Yogurt , Jelly , and fat-free ice-cream. Even high- Fibre low-sugar mooncakes have made their appearance. To be competitive, bakers boast about how little sugar and oil they use in their mooncakes. Customers can pick and choose the size and filling that suits their taste and diet. For added hygiene, each cake is often wrapped in airtight plastic, accompanied by a tiny food preserver packet. The new version is well-accepted among young people in China. USE IN OTHER COUNTRIES Japan In Japan , mooncakes are sold year-round, mainly in Japan's Chinatowns , pronounced in Japanese as " Geppei ." Adzuki (Red Bean) paste is the most popular filling for these mooncakes, but coconut is also used. Unlike some types of Chinese mooncakes, mooncakes in Japan almost never contain an egg yolk in the center. In fact, most people in Japan do not know that some mooncakes have eggs in them. Philippines In the Philippines, a type of round non-traditional mooncake is known as " Hopia " and usually has mung bean, Taro , or even Durian paste as its filling. The outside is flaky and the markings instead of being indented are instead stamped using a red food ink. Vietnam In Vietnam, mooncakes are known as ''bánh trung thu'' and may contain a variety of fillings, such as Mung Beans or durian. Thailand The most popular mooncake filling in Thailand is Durian (they are even more expensive than ones with lotus seed). Durian filling is prepared in the same way as durian jam which is eaten as a dessert in Thailand. CULTURAL ROLE Mid-Autumn Festival The festival is intricately linked to the Legends Of Chang E , the Myth ical Moon Goddess of Immortality . But despite its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, the popularity of mooncakes has declined in recent years. Part of the reason is that people are becoming more health-conscious. Traditional mooncakes are made with Lard , and a lot of sugar. Another reason for the decline in popularity is that the Moon Festival has become increasingly commercialized. People are focusing more on the exchange of gifts, and less on the traditional celebrations, such that its Symbolism has eroded. Many mooncakes are bought by businessmen who give them to their clients as presents. Asianweek Ming revolution Mooncakes were used as a medium by the Ming revolutionaries in their Espionage effort to secretly distribute letters in order to overthrow the Mongolian rulers of China in the Yuan Dynasty . The idea is said to be conceived by Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) and his advisor Liu Bowen (劉伯溫), who circulated a rumor that a deadly plague was spreading and the only way to prevent it was to eat the special mooncakes. This prompted the quick distribution of the mooncakes, which were used to hide a secret message coordinating the Han Chinese revolt on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Taipeitimes news Another method of hiding the message was printed in the surface of mooncakes as a simple puzzle or mosaic. In order to read the encrypted message, each of the 4 mooncakes packaged together must be cut into 4 parts each. The 16 pieces of mooncake, must then be pieced together in such a fashion that the secret messages can be read. The pieces of mooncake are then eaten to destroy the message. Family culture China inc SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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