27 July, 2020

What is August Moon Festival?

Mid-Autumn Festival, or Mid-autumn Day, is the second grandest festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It is named because it is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which is always in the middle of the autumn season in China. 

In Chinese culture, full moon symbolizes reunion, so that they reunite with their families for celebrations. They worship the moon together, appreciate the moon together, enjoy reunion dinner, and even share one mooncake to celebrate the reunion. This is why OSCA celebrates the festival with an August Moon Dinner.

Mooncakes

Mooncakes are synonymous with August Moon Festival. Below are 10 of the most popular types of Mooncake.

Typically, in New Zealand, the most readily available Mooncakes are the Red Bean and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake, although the other flavours are becoming more readily available.

Chinese name: 五仁月饼 wǔ rén yuè bǐng
Wuren literally means five kinds of nuts or kernels such as walnut kernels, almonds, sesame seeds, melon seeds, hawthorn, red beans and so on. Wuren Mooncake is a typical and popular mooncake flavor in China. Though Chinese young people don’t like it very much, Wuren mooncake is much welcomed by the old. 

Chinese name: 豆沙月饼 dòu shā yuè bǐng 

Sweet red bean mooncake has always been a classic type that many people prefer. Through careful production, the combination of sweet bean paste and the outer skin makes the mooncake smooth and have a richer flavor, which makes it a most popular mooncake flavor. 

3. White Lotus Mooncake

Chinese name: 莲蓉月饼 lián róng yuè bǐng

The lotus mooncake is the representative of Cantonese-style mooncake. The filling is white lotus paste, which is made of the fresh lotus seeds of the year with a natural fragrance. Since the sugar is added and calories are high in lotus paste mooncake, the elderly and diabetics should not eat too much. 

4. Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake

Chinese name: 蛋黄月饼 dàn huáng yuè bǐng

As it implied in the name, the filling of this kind of mooncake is the solid salted egg yolk. The unique taste makes this mooncake popular. The fresh lotus seeds paste or red bean paste are the most common combinations for mooncake fillings with egg yolks. 

5. Snow Skin Mooncake

Chinese name: 冰皮月饼 bīng pí yuè bǐng

Snow skin mooncake is a new mooncake flavor in recent years. It is small and cute, and the cake skin is crystal clear made of glutinous rice flour. It is very suitable for young people who are pursuing fashion trends. Different from other mooncakes, it needs to be stored in the refrigerator.  

Chinese name: 鲜肉月饼 xiān ròu yuè bǐng

Minced pork mooncake is a traditional snack in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions. The filling is fresh minced pork. The wrapper is permeated by meat juice and baked, which makes it crisp and a special taste. Meat lovers can also have a try of another meat mooncake flavor, Cantonese style ham mooncake.  

7. Green Tea Mooncake

Chinese name: 茶叶月饼 chá yè yuè bǐng

The biggest feature of green tea mooncakes is a fresh natural taste. Green tea powder is added into the skin or the fillings. Different from other types of mooncakes, it is not overly sweet and has a certain health effect! 

8. Fruits Mooncake

Chinese name: 水果月饼 shuǐ guǒ yuè bǐng

Fruit mooncake blends the taste of fruit. The sweet but not greasy taste is loved by many people. The fillings is usually added with the freshest fruits like strawberry, orange, peach, and pineapple. The durian mooncake is the popular fruit mooncake flavor in recent years. 

Chinese name: 鲜花饼 xiān huā bǐng

Flower mooncakes have been well received in the market in recent years. The fillings are added with flowers, bringing a fragrant taste. The variety is quite rich and the most popular ones are rose and sweet-scented osmanthus.  

Chinese name: 芋泥月饼 yù ní yuè bǐng

Yam mooncake is also a new mooncake flavor. The filling is sweet yam paste. The mucus protein contained in the yam can improve the body’s resistance. So the yam mooncake is popular among those who want to keep healthy. 

Ty