Anyone for a mooncake?  

Anyone for a mooncake?

 

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The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated by Chinese people and held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, during a full moon, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, close to the autumnal equinox. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals. A western equivalent would be the Harvest Festival.

Mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival.

Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4–5 cm thick. A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin (2–3 mm) crust of pastry and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents, helping to fuel a demand for high-end mooncake styles.

For the healthy readers:- The caloric content of a mooncake is approximately 1,000 calories (for a cake measuring 10 cm (3.9 in)), but energy content varies with filling and size.