Mooncake
Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節).[1] The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most important Chinese festivals.
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Type | Pastry |
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Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | China |
Region or state | East Asia and Southeast Asia |
Main ingredients | Crust: lard or vegetable oil Filling: red bean or lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, may or may not have additional ingredients |
Approximately 416 calories (1,740 kJ) kcal | |
Mooncake | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 月餅 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 月饼 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hanyu Pinyin | yuèbing, yuèbǐng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | Moon cake/biscuit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese alphabet | bánh Trung thu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chữ Nôm | 餅中秋 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Khmer name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Khmer | នំព្រះច័ន្ទ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are numerous varieties of mooncakes consumed within China and outside of China in overseas Chinese communities. The Cantonese mooncake is the most famous variety. A traditional Cantonese mooncake[2] is a round pastry, measuring about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 3–4 cm (1+1⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) thick, with a rich thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste (other typical fillings include red bean paste or mixed nuts) surrounded by a thin, 2–3 mm (approximately 1/8 of an inch) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs.[3]
Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges, accompanied by tea. Today, it is customary for business people and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents,[4] encouraging the market for high-end mooncakes.
Just as the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in various Asian localities due to the presence of Chinese communities throughout the region,[5] mooncakes are enjoyed in other parts of Asia too. Mooncakes have also appeared in western countries as a form of delicacy.[6][7][8]