Mooncakes in Modern China

By: Meredith Butenhoff, Allyn Wiggins, Hattie Grant, & Brandon Bank

History of Mooncakes

Mooncakes (yue bing) were first made by the people of the Tang Dynasty to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This tradition passed on through dynasties, and became extremely popular during the Song Dynasty. Mooncakes were both sacrificed to the moon as offerings and eaten during worship of the celestial body. While the mooncake varies drastically by region, authors Carol Stepanchuk and Charles Wong tell us that “its perfectly round shape forming the ideal symbol of familial harmony and unity” is a constant throughout regions. Bigger mooncakes might have carvings of the Moon Palace and Moon Rabbit on them. The fillings typically changed by province ranging from sweet to salty, and from rich to bland. Today, it is not uncommon for mooncakes to be filled with bean paste, cocoanut paste, lotus seed paste or even an egg yolk.

Mooncakes were originally used as a way to pay tribute to the moon and Chang E, the “Moon Goddess” who allegedly lives in the Moon Palace and supervises the ritual. With their widespread consumption during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is told that the cakes were conveniently used to organize a rebellion against the Mongol government during the Yaun Dynasty. This well known legend suggests that the time and location for the revolution against Kublai Khan’s descendants were sealed inside of mooncakes and sent to friends and family during the Mid-Autumn festival in 1353. Although many of the customary activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are disappearing, mooncakes remain an important part of the Chinese culture. Families and friends still gather together during the Mid-Autumn Festival and share modern day mooncakes that represent completeness, and remind them of Chinese tradition and history.

This is a Singaporean mooncake with a piece cut out to showcase the duck egg filling. Photo taken from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
This is a Singaporean mooncake with a piece cut out to showcase the duck egg filling. Photo taken from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.

What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Across China, the fifteenth day of September marks an important holiday dedicated to a successful year of yielding crops. Dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty of 960 AD, the Mid-Autumn Festival has emphasized the importance of admiring the moon for the success of the cultivation period. According to Gavin Hinsbergh, “To the Chinese, Mid-Autumn Festival means family reunion and peace” (China Highlights). Beloved by many, this day is the second most important day in China, only merely falling short of the importance of Chinese New Year. The Mid-Autumn festival, also known as the Moon Cake Festival, is celebrated during the moon’s biggest and brightest night as a representation of prosperity and reunion. Interestingly enough, many large cities in China withhold differences in their ways of celebrating. For instance, in Beijing, a temple fair that features Chinese art is put on at Marco Polo Bridge. Also, many locals tend to visit the Summer Palace during the festival to admire the osmanthus flowers. In Hong Kong, people line streets to view a magnificent show of fire and sparklers during the Causeway Bay Fire Dragon Dance. The city also features “Fly Me to The Moon,” a large event of lantern lightings that locals have been participating in for many years and have been doing so in large numbers. In fact, according to ChinaHighlights, in 2011, a world record of the largest sculpture of lanterns was broken.  Although there are some differences among cities in China in regards to ways of celebrating, the commonality of admiring the moon and enjoying fellowship with friends and family whilst eating mooncakes remains a trend across the country.

For more information on the food eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival see this video.

This is a photo taken during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This photo is taken from the Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
This is a photo taken during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This photo is taken from the Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.

How Mooncakes Vary by Region

There are many different styles of mooncakes, and each region of China has their own take on what a mooncake should be. I chose four styles of Chinese mooncakes, the Beijing style, the Yunnan style, the Suzhou style, and the Cantonese style. Each style is uniquely different and varies by taste, each has ingredients that are indigenous to that region. However, a common theme in mooncakes are their size and shape. A mooncake is typically circular and four inches in diameter and two inches thick. A typical Beijing style mooncake has a crispy crust with a filling that is not too sweet, making it a preferred choice. Beijing mooncakes are also known to have a good crust to filler ratio so that there is not too little filler, and a large amount of breading. These mooncakes are prized for their ornate designs on the crust. Yunnan style mooncakes focus on a meatier sausage filling with a thin, flaky crust. The pork sausage filling tends to be fragrant and sweet because of the Yunnan pigs that feast on chestnuts. The Suzhou mooncake is known for its flaky dough and zealous use of sugar and lard; the common stereotype is that this mooncake is sweet when in reality there are more than a dozen variations. One of the more popular Suzhou mooncakes is the minced pork that is served hot. The Cantonese mooncakes are the most popular mooncake in China. These mooncakes have upwards of 200 variations and originated in southern China. The ingredients in these mooncakes tend to be more sweet, favoring lotus seed paste, melon seed paste, ham, duck, and salted eggs. Overall, these differences in mooncakes and their fillings show the diversity of China and remind me of how we often believe that much of China is the same when it is vastly different throughout the country.

different-mooncakes
This photo shows three different types of mooncakes. This photo was taken from Cook In Shanghai.

How is a Mooncake Made?

There are many different recipes and processes for making mooncakes. The referenced recipe is for the Cantonese mooncake and is taken from the The Omnivore’s Cookbook.

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need!

For the filling:
  • 1 cup raw black sesame seeds
  • 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 5 salty duck egg yolks, halved
For the dough:
  • 1.9 fl oz golden syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon homemade kansui
  • .67 fl oz grams peanut oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch for the egg wash
  • 3.4 oz cake flour, and extra to dust the mooncake dough
  • 1 large egg yolk (or a whole egg)

Making mooncakes is a multi step process. It begins with making dough; Cantonese cakes use cake flour, which makes the dough easy to manipulate. Another essential ingredient in the dough is homemade golden syrup. The golden syrup creates a soft and moist cake that can allow the baker to shape delicate and detailed patterns into the cake. Success depends on adhering to the ratio of golden syrup to kansui, a mixture of sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate. Therefore, if the dough is tough and needs to be adjusted, adding flour or oil does this. Once the dough is mixed, it is shaped into individual balls about 2 tsp. in size. Before assembling and baking the mooncakes, the filling is created. The seeds are heated in a skillet, mixed in a food processor and then combined with the rest of the ingredients. The filling is also shaped into a ball, and a salty duck egg is inserted into the middle. Assembling the mooncakes comes next. The dough ball is rolled out and the filling ball is placed inside. The dough is carefully wrapped around the filling and placed in a mooncake mold. The final step of baking the mooncakes is a two-step method. Mooncakes are baked for 8 minutes on 360 degrees F, removed and brushed with egg yolk, and returned to the oven for an additional 8 minutes. Let the mooncakes cool before removing them from their molds, and enjoy.

In this image a chef finishing a batch of mooncakes.
In this image a chef finishing a batch of mooncakes. This photo comes from AP Images.

A Modern Day Twist on Mooncakes

Mooncakes in modern China are no longer limited to traditional flavors that represent the many regions. Modern mooncakes are now available in flavors such as seafood, fruits and vegetables, and ice cream. According to Saveur, “new, innovative versions of these traditional sweets have come from an unlikely source: American chain stores. Haagen Dazs, Dairy Queen, TCBY, and Starbucks have all introduced their own twists on [traditional mooncakes] to their Chinese stores to tremendous demand.” In my opinion, these updates on the classic mooncake are genius! Brands like Haagen Dazs ® and Dairy Queen® have started to make ice cream mooncakes which have become very popular in China. These mooncakes have become a welcomed treat to beat the heat during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This photo shows a few types of ice cream mooncakes. This photo was taken from Penn Appétit.
This photo shows a few types of ice cream mooncakes. This photo was taken from Penn Appétit.
To learn more about Chinese food, visit these blogs:
Works Cited

Bedford, Elizabeth. “Moon Cakes And The Chinese Mid Autumn Festival: A Matter of Habitus.” In Asian Material Culture, edited by Marianne Hulsbosch and Martha Chaiklin, 19-36. Vol. 4. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2009.

“Cook in Shanghai 2nd Anniversary, Moon-Cake Making & Networking Party – Cook In Shanghai Home-style Chinese Cooking Classes.” Cook In Shanghai Homestyle Chinese Cooking Classes Cook in Shanghai 2nd Anniversary MoonCake Making Networking Party Comments. August 15, 2014. Accessed October 25, 2016. http://www.cookinshanghai.com/2014/08/15/2nd-anniversary-moon-cake-making-networking-party/.

“Chinese Moon Cake , Mid-Autumn Festival Food.” Accessed October 23, 2016. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/mid-autumn-mooncake.htm.

“Chinese Mooncakes — Flavors, Recipes, Symbols | Guide in …” GuideInChina. September 21, 2015. Accessed October 23, 2016. http://www.guideinchina.com/culture/detail/id/93.html.

Freedman, Georgia. “China’s Modern Mooncakes.” SAVEUR. September 12, 2011. Accessed November 08, 2016. http://www.saveur.com/article/travels/chinas-modern-mooncakes/.

Food and Restaurants. 2004. Accessed October 12, 2016.    http://fod.infobase.com.libproxy.furman.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=101282&x

Hinsbergh, Gavin Van. “Mid-Autumn Festival 2016.” China Highlights. April 10, 2015. Accessed October 24, 2016. http://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival.htm.

Kartika, Tina. “Chocoholic: Mooncake Edition.” Penn Apptit. September 20, 2015. Accessed November 08, 2016. http://pennappetit.com/chocoholic-mooncake-edition/.

Kelly. “Chinese Mooncakes — Symbols, Flavors, Regional Varieties.” ChinaHighlights.    September 12, 2016. Accessed October 12, 2016.          http://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mooncake.htm.

Lam Kho, Kian. “Making Mooncake with Love | Red Cook.” Red Cook. September 11, 2008. Accessed October 23, 2016. http://redcook.net/2008/09/11/making-moon-cake/.

“Love or Loathe Them, Moon Cakes Are a Must.” Global Times. September 28, 2009. Accessed October 23, 2016. http://www.globaltimes.cn/special/2009-09/472056_2.html.
“Moon Cake of Paddy Sweet Village_Beijing Municipal …” Beijing Tourism. August 4, 2011. Accessed October 23, 2016. http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/food/fashionable/n214658875.shtml.
Pang, Vivian. “Cantonese Style Baked Mooncake.” Vivian Pang Kitchen. September 7, 2013. Accessed October 24, 2016. http://vivianpangkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/09/cantonese-style-baked-mooncake.html#.WA_EqegrLb0.

Spitz, Anna H. 2006. “Visiting the Moon Lady: A Celebration of Children and Culture.” Mercury 35, no. 4: 24-28. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost      (accessed October 12, 2016).

Stepanchuk, Carol, and Charles Choy Wong. Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals of China. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, 1991.

“Types of Mooncakes – Suzhou, Cantonese, Beijing and More.” Accessed October 23, 2016. https://asianinspirations.com.au/in-the-kitchen/types-of-mooncakes/.

Vuong, Zen. “The Mid-Autumn Festival: The Story behind the Moon Cakes.” The Mid-Autumn    Festival: The Story behind the Moon Cakes. 2013. Accessed October 12, 2016.   http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/social-affairs/20130917/the-mid-autumn-festival-the- story-behind-the-moon-cakes.

Wen Mooney, Eileen. “Moon Cakes – Yunnan Style.” Eileen Eats. October 7, 2009. Accessed October 23, 2016. http://eileeneats.com/eileeneats/Blog/Entries/2009/10/7_Moon_Cakes_-_Yunnan_Style.html.

Xing, Qi. Folk Customs at Traditional Chinese Festivities. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press,     1988.

Zhu, Maggie. “The Ultimate Guide to Traditional Mooncake (传统广式月饼 …” Omnivore’s Cookbook. September 26, 2015. Accessed October 24, 2016. http://omnivorescookbook.com/traditional-mooncake.

20 Replies to “Mooncakes in Modern China”

  1. I like this post because the pictures are very attractive! As for the suggestion, I do think that you can cover some information about the recent development of the Moon cake because according to my background knowledge, moon cakes made from ice cream are very popular with Chinese people.

    Anyway, this post is very interesting for me!

    1. Thank you for this suggestion! We will be adding a paragraph about the Americanized version of mooncakes, including ice-cream filled mooncakes!

  2. Did this group intend for Brandon to have a separate blog post as well? There is what seems like a chunk of the main blog post, posted separately. Please take a look and delete that one if it wasn’t intentional.

    Overall the post fits together really well, especially the discussion of variation of mooncakes and the use of visuals.

  3. I really like the blog, and the posts are extremely interesting to read. I think that there could have been more hyperlink to make the posts shorter and more to the point, but I really like the pictures because they are interesting and keep my attention. I think that giving the backstory on the mooncakes and the Mid-Autumn festival while also talking about mooncakes in general is interesting because it gives people information that they may not have know. Here is a link about mooncakes that I thought was interesting:http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.furman.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=6ad6f742-2b0f-4206-8107-eaa685b72cbd%40sessionmgr4008&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=117792982&db=aph

  4. This was an extremely impressive blog. The organization, content, and details all make it clear that the authors’ have a clear understanding of the topic. I really enjoyed the introduction, as I felt that it provided an easy transition from a reader not knowing anything about moon cakes in China, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, to knowing enough to understand the rest of the article. The organization clearly broke down the components of the topic. One thing I would recommend adding would be a connection to how American Chinese restaurants cook them, as I have personally not seen any American adaptations of the moon cake in Chinese restaurants. Overall, excellent blog and great work! Here is another blog post that contains one American’s experience in China eating moon cakes and also mentions American adaptations of the mooncakes:
    https://www.smalltownlaowai.com/sorry-americans-no-fruit-mooncakes-for-you/

    1. That’s a good point Betsy – I wonder why this hasn’t really caught on in most Chinese restaurants in the U.S.? I think there are some restaurants on the West Coast, at least in bigger cities, that do offer moon cakes in the autumn. Do you think there are reasons for this?

  5. I think this blog is very well written and organized. It talks about many different aspects of mooncakes and everything related to it. I really like how they talk about differences in mooncakes in different regions. I like that it represents the diversity of China. I think the only problem is that the blog is slightly bland to read because there is not much opinion. This is an interesting article about Chinese laws on mooncakes: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/04/world/asia/china-mooncakes-crackdown/

    1. Great article, Stephen. Corruption is a huge problem, and it makes sense that mooncakes have become targets of the crackdown on corruption.
      I thought the crackdown was going to be about problem mooncakes though. This is yet another of the food scandals in China – they are often tainted with illicit or toxic ingredients, and with all that packaging, it’s hard to know in advance. That was a big deal one year I was in China, in particular.

  6. I really like this blog because it is nicely organized and has visually appealing headers and pictures. I would suggest adding more hyperlinks to give your sources credit, since a lot of facts are used but not many sources are linked. Reading about mooncakes was very interesting though and the link below highlights different towns in SC that eat mooncakes as part of Chinese celebrations.
    http://www.presby.edu/academics/moon-festival-game-night-event-activities-held-by-presbyterian-college-confucius-institute/

  7. I really liked this blog post because it talked about the purpose and use of mooncakes. I enjoyed reading about the history of the food and seeing the pictures. The hyperlinks were a really cool feature and the only improvement that could be made, would be to add a section where it talks about what you thought of the taste of the mooncake. I know you mentioned that the local Chinese restaurants weren’t selling them anymore but maybe you could’ve ordered them online or even baked them yourselves.

    Here’s an instructional video on how to make mooncakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SPAvV66UZA

    And here’s the link to order a mooncake: https://www.amazon.com/Kee-Wah-Bakery-Mooncake-%E8%9B%8B%E9%BB%83%E7%B4%85%E8%8D%B3%E6%B2%99%E6%9C%88%E9%A4%85/dp/B005F7M4IO/ref=pd_sim_325_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005F7M4IO&pd_rd_r=C1QZYJ4ABV2X496W2QN9&pd_rd_w=4j9vm&pd_rd_wg=KCfl4&psc=1&refRID=C1QZYJ4ABV2X496W2QN9

  8. I thought you all did a great job with your post! You split up the writing with pictures and titles very well. I also liked that you had lots of hyperlinks throughout the writing in case someone wanted to learn more about that specific area. The only question I have pertains to the the history of mooncakes. In the very last sentence of the first paragraph you list the things that mooncakes could be filled with, did you mean to say coconut paste or is it actually spelled cocoanut paste? Other than that I thought your blog post was great.
    http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/14/foodanddrink/all-about-mooncakes/

  9. I really enjoyed reading this blog and learning about mooncakes. I liked the pictures y’all incorporated and learning about the differences in mooncakes. I also enjoy the use of the hyperlinks. I would suggest adding some opinions because the blog is a lot of facts.
    Here is a video of crazy mooncake flavors.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EpJ9n5Pakk

    1. Okay, the idea of mooncake dipped in hot pot is pretty extreme…definitely a fun video!

  10. I think the topic of the blog is great, and the blog itself was fun to read! I loved all the hyperlinks because it was a creative way to keep the reader interested while incorporating more information about the topic. However, I wish the writers gave their opinion more often because I felt the blog was mostly facts. I think if you add a few commentary sentences throughout the blog, it’ll strengthen piece. Also, for the topic on how to make mooncakes, I would suggest breaking the process and the ingredients into different, bulleted paragraphs to make the steps easier for the reader to follow. Here is a link to a blog with a recipe layout I think could be helpful: https://food52.com/blog/11201-how-to-make-traditional-cantonese-mooncakes-at-home

  11. I really like the topic of the moon-cakes and mid-autumn festival because we learned about those in class and with the Chinese professors who ate Chinese food with us. The blog is extremely informative and definitely like the pictures. In regards to improving the blog, since we discussed the mid-autumn festival in class, I think you could incorporate some more of what we discussed in class more with your specific opinions. We also got to pass around the example mooncake so you could refer to that. It would have been so cool to try one, I wish the season for them was longer! Overall, I love the blog!

    Here is a website about the frequency of mooncakes arriving on shelves in the U.S….maybe could be interesting to see if they are becoming more popular during the mid-autumn festival.

    http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-09/08/c_135672884.htm

    1. I wonder if the Costco in Greenville even sells mooncakes. That would be really convenient!

  12. I loved reading this blog. The format is well done by keeping the reader engaged with pictures and short paragraphs. Also all the hyperlinks for the different types of mooncakes was very helpful and beneficial because it allows readers to do more research on the difference in the individual types if they wish to. At the same time however, I felt you guys were just spitting out a lot of facts, so try and relate it to something we have maybe talked about in class or any personal experiences you may have to lighten up the overall tone of the blog. Besides that, this blog is awesome and you guys did a great job providing a lot of information about the festival and mooncakes in particular all while keeping the readers engaged and not bored.

    Here is a link to a video you guys could use to show how mooncakes can be made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWhrznjfeJI

  13. I love all the hyperlinks on your blog, especially the ones on different kinds of mooncakes. I had no idea that mooncakes varied so much by region or how hard they are to make. The images in your blog were very relevant and informative, especially for people who don’t really know what mooncakes are. However, the writing seems too formal for a blog and reads more like an informative paper. Maybe add some personal experiences or light humor to make the blog sound more colloquial. I would also love to see more pictures of the Mid-Autumn festival. Overall, your blog is super informative and has great visuals and videos!

    Here is an image of the Festival that I found on Image Quest.
    http://quest.eb.com.libproxy.furman.edu/search/mid-autumn-festival/1/115_3888919/Chinese-Celebrate-The-Mid-autumn-Festival

    1. That’s an neat image, Audrey – I like how even though the circumstances are not ideal (it’s a construction site), you can still see the people celebrating the holiday together. Good suggestions.

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