Some of the brands I enjoy most are Sheng Kee and Kee Wah and also ones from Hong Kong. Even if you can’t read chinese writing, if you flip to the back and look at the ingredients, you can see the types of filling in mooncakes. There are variety packs with many flavors or there are ones that are just one flavor. So I don’t know how much of a collection you’ll have to choose from if you haven’t bought your cakes yet.īut in general, I think the first thing to do to narrow down your selection is what flavors you are looking for. The ones that are left are usually the nontraditional flavors, ones I personally don’t really like, such as mixed nuts, durian, fish, chicken. While Ranch99 has tons of mooncakes, usually by the day of there is very few left. You can read more about the different Moon Festival myths here. My mom is constantly warning me not too eat too many. It's extremely sweet (most people can only eat it in small quantities) and extremely unhealthy. They eat a variety of herbs and ingredients because of the health and medicinal benefits.Īnd yet the mooncake seems to represent all the things that chinese people don't like in food. Chinese people also are very health conscious. Chinese cakes are usually like chiffon cakes, and the breads are also lighter and airier. Most chinese desserts are very light and not that sweet. Coming from a chinese family, my parents are always complaining of desserts being too sweet or too rich. I've always thought it is ironic that the mooncake is a chinese dessert. Mooncakes are very sweet and are traditionally served with hot tea. The most expensive mooncakes are usually white lotus paste with a double egg yolk in the middle. The most traditional fillings are red bean or lotus paste.

The outside is a thin layer of skin, and it is mainly made up of filling. Mooncakes traditionally have a round shape. I remember searching in vain when I was a little girl. It is said that on the day of Moon Festival, the moon is especially big and bright, and so people often search to see if they can see this person who lives in the moon. Almost all of the tales end with a person being up on the moon. There are many myths and legends surrounding the Moon Festival. In the US, I've only seen the traditional golden brown mooncakes. Unfortunately, I have not seen them in the US. I've seen several asian blogs that showcase the intricate mooncake designs that come out each year. The mooncakes offerings have also gotten more elaborate and expensive through the years. In many parts of Asia, this holiday is celebrated with lantern decorations, a lot of food, dragon dancing, etc. The problem is, I seem to be the only person who really enjoys mooncakes and then I end up eating way too many.

Normally, I buy a box, invite people over and we cut the cakes and serve it with tea. Since mooncakes are not very healthy and a bit on the pricey side, I limited myself to a single mooncake. Last year, I went a little overboard on buying mooncakes, so this year, I decided to keep it simple. If you've been to a chinese supermarket lately, you've probably seen the large display of these little desserts, which are usually tucked inside elaborately decorated boxes (I always keep the boxes to store stuff.) Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, is a Chinese holiday which falls on Septemthis year.ĭuring this holiday, it is tradition to eat mooncakes.

Happy midautumn