At last, fall is here! I don’t want to rush my favorite season, but September 29 marks the beginning of Mid-Autumn Festival, also referred to as the Mooncake Festival. The festivities last for a week and include lantern lighting, family gatherings, and, of course, mooncakes.
What is Mid-Autumn festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday celebrated in many Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and many others. There are two versions of the story behind the festival, but both involve a woman named Chang-E who sacrificed herself to save her people from a tyrant, which leads to her ascension and imprisonment within the moon.
Apart from the origins, the moon is also at its brightest point in the year during the festival. In order to enjoy this, families often host moon-viewing parties as a way of gathering together and celebrating the end of the year’s harvest with a few mooncakes.
What are mooncakes?
Mooncakes have had several different names and have been made with many different ingredients throughout the years, but they have always looked relatively similar. They are gorgeous little pastry rounds traditionally filled with red bean or lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks.
Besides tasting delicious and representing the full moon with their shape, mooncakes also symbolize the values of harmony, reunion, and bonding. Traditionally, a single mooncake is cut into eighths so that it can be shared — but also because it is quite dense. Sharing this sweet treat with friends and family is a great way to show gratitude for being together.
How to bake your own mooncakes
If you are feeling extra adventurous and motivated, you can make mooncakes in your own kitchen. While they might require some random ingredients and time, these TikTok recipes sure make the process look fun:
You don’t even have to bake some of them.
For oreo lovers, try making these oreo mooncakes!
At this point, I believe you can air-fry anything — so this recipe didn’t surprise me.
Where to buy mooncakes
If baking them from scratch isn’t something you’re into, mooncakes can also be ordered through select bakeries on Goldbelly, Amazon, and Costco. Food and travel blogger, Kirsty Ip (@eatingwithKirby), told Spoon “mooncakes are traditionally sold/bought at Asian supermarkets, but with it becoming more mainstream and more people wanting to explore culinary delights from different cultures, Costco now sells them which makes [them] even more accessible for people!”
Ip mentioned that she was most impressed by Costco’s mooncakes, because they are “not only high quality, but one of the most affordable mooncakes around.” Her TikTok also highlighted the importance of being able to give mooncakes away as gifts, as they are ultimately meant to be shared with friends and family.
Starbucks also sells mooncakes at its Asian locations. Additionally, the chain recently announced a new set of limited-edition merch for Mid-Autumn Festival which can be ordered online.
In the end, whether you attempt to bake them, pick some up at a local Chinese bakery or Asian supermarket, or order them online, mooncakes are a delicious way to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with the people you are thankful for.