Mooncakes
Mooncakes are an ancient Chinese delicacy, eaten in celebration of the Chinese Harvest Moon Festival, and considered an indispensible part of the Festival experience.
Mooncakes have evolved over the years to encompass many different flavors, materials, and traditions. But they are generally sweet, moist, and somewhat dense cakes. They are frequently designed with between 4 to 16 pieces, and many cakes have a salted egg yolk in the middle to symbolize the full moon. There is a crust around each cake that is thicker and harder than the interior. Atop each moon cake there is generally a Chinese symbol that translates to either “Longevity” or “Harmony.” It is also common to find the name of the bakery it came from somewhere on the cake. There may be other additional designs such as a moon, a rabbit, flowers, or Chang’e the Moon Woman.
Chang'e The Moon Women
One of the most famous and widespread myths surrounding the mooncake concerns a woman named Chang’e. Chang’e and her husband Houyi were both immortals living in the sky along with the Jade Emperor, who was ruler of Heaven, Hell, and Earth. The Jade Emperor had 10 sons who decided to become stars in the sky. But the stars were very bright, and emitted such great heat that they were destroying life on Earth. Chang’e and Houyi took pity on the living people of the Earth and so Houyi took out his bow and arrow and quickly shot down 9 of the Emperor’s children, killing them.
Infuriated by this, the Jade Emperor punished the husband and wife by taking their mortality and sending them down to Earth to live as peasants.
But Houyi was determined to find a way to retain their mortality. And after much searching, he found an old woman named the Queen Mother of the West. She gave Houyi a pill that would make him eternal, but she very clearly said that the pill should be broken in half, and that both Houyi and Chang’e should get half. Houyi quickly returned home, leaving the pill with his wife, but was called away before the two could eat it.
While Houyi was gone Chang’e looked at the pill, and was so startled when Houyi returned that Chang’e accidentally ate the entire pill.
Having taken too much of the pill, her body began to get bloated, and soon she began floating off the ground. She soon floated out of Houyi’s grasp, and kept floating away until she soared so high she landed on the moon. There she found a rabbit, and has lived on the moon, with the rabbit ever since. Nw Chang’e, and the Jade Emperor’s only son perpetually chase one another out of the sky. Many people pray to Chang’e for her blessings of beauty and fertile crops.
It should also be noted that Chang’e finding a rabbit may seem sort of random to Westerners, but in Chinese cultures people have often said that some of the markings and colors on the moon look like a rabbit.
What's in a Mooncake?
 Mooncakes have been around for over a thousand years, and one of the oldest variations is called Sozhou. Traditionally, this type of mooncake can have either a sweet or savory, meaty taste. This is because it is often cooked with a lot of sugar, or with a lot of lard and pork mince. While many variations of the Suzhou exist, it is very common to find them with black sesame seed filling for the cake interior.
Some mooncakes, such as the Cantonese style, contain four whole eggs instead of the more traditional, one egg. This represents the 4 phases of the moon. Other types will only contain 2 or 3 egg yolks, which represent the most important moon phases to the region where that particular Moon Cake is made.
Traditionally Moon Cakes have been made with items like lotus seed, red bean, mixed nuts, mung beans, dates, sesame seed or various types of flowers to make the inner cake. However, as the concept spread, and different countries made it their own, the ingredients began to change. And now, over a thousand years after the idea was introduced, mooncakes can be made out of just about anything that can be turned into a paste. Some of the more popular and unique fillings that are widely available today include pineapple, chocolate, jelly, seaweed, yogurt, and even ice cream.
It has also become common to have Low Fat Mooncakes with various ingredients that are healthier than their more traditional counterparts, but maintain the taste.
Mooncakes Today
Moon Cakes now exist as a cultural imperative in many different countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and even the United States. Each country has its own specifics for how a proper Moon Cake should be. But they are all designed around the same tradition and idea that Moon Cakes are made for family gatherings, and are designed to be eaten on happy occasions.
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