Mooncakes are known to be a delicacy in Asian culture. Although they are now mass-produced, they didn’t start out that way. They are a tradition that’s been around for centuries and continue to be very popular around mid-Autumn. However, there’s more to them than just being delicious, so what are they made of? What do they mean since they’ve been around for so long? Let’s take a closer look and cut into what makes them so special.
What Are Mooncakes?
Mooncakes can vary heavily in their varieties of taste and looks. They’re known to be a delicacy and are even given as gifts to special people like family and friends. They’re roughly 1 1/2 inches thick and 4 inches wide. This makes them easily shareable with loved ones and has been traditionally eaten while having some tea. In today’s culinary growth, the inside of the mooncake has changed by being made with other flavors other than the traditional red bean paste and a whole, salted egg in the middle.
Some make jelly-filled mooncakes and even make them into different shapes other than just being round and stamped on top with characters. Those characters typically mean “harmony”, and are accompanied by other decorations imprinted like flowers or even a rabbit.
What Do Mooncakes Mean?
Even though there are many different Asian countries that each make them a little bit different, the importance of the mooncake doesn’t change. The meaning behind mooncakes is to celebrate the moon. The rabbit that’s sometimes printed on them is a symbol of the moon and is meant to celebrate living in harmony with the moon.
Mooncakes also mean longevity and have been given as gifts to people close to you as a sign of good luck and good wishes. They are known to be round to symbolize being complete or being together, which is a reason they’re shared with family. Because it’s celebrating the moon, it also refers to the full moon as they’re also eaten at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mooncake Folklore
With many things that have been around as long as they have, there are bound to be some stories behind them. One is the overturn of the Yuan dynasty. It’s said that messages were hidden inside the mooncakes when a false plague was said to be going around. The cure to the plague was said to be mooncakes and that they would actually prevent it and would even give the taster powers. Little did they know that a message inside them had a date of when to attack.
The main story that goes with mooncakes is said to be of the Moon Goddess Chang’e. Chang’e was married to Hou Yi, who shot down 9 of the 10 suns when they rose to the sky at once. She feared for the people and their safety from him, so she drank a potion that helped her fly up to the moon, giving her immortality, while he tries to shoot her down. Now she stays with the moon and people give mooncakes as offerings to her during the festival.
So whether you enjoy mooncakes for their history and meaning, or just for how delicious they are. It’s a symbol of harmony and is meant to be enjoyed with those you love either at home or at the festival if you’re able to attend one. With many different decorations and varieties of fillings, there are today, there’s sure to be one for everyone to love and give thanks to that they’ve made it this far in history and are still loved and eaten to this day.