These traditional treats are given as gifts in celebration of the lunar harvest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival
They come filled with a variety of delicacies: red bean paste, fruit, ham. My favorite is filled with a combination of seeds. The most pricey, and my least favorite, come with a dried egg yolk in the center. And, of course, my Chinese friends here are eager to introduce me to their traditions. About 20 cakes later...
Since coming to China, I have lost about 30 lbs, which I sorely needed to do, but the mooncakes have reversed this waistline trend. A more calorie-filled concoction I'd be hard pressed to find.
I just had a moon cake myself for the first time. My roommate has a Chinese student who brought one in for her. It was a dried egg yolk one, though I had to guess at what was in the center. Very tasty, would love to try the sweet red bean paste.
ReplyDeleteStephen
Glad you got to try one. I imagine they are available in Chinatowns in the USA, though they were new to me! There are also red bean popsicles here. You'd love them. Write me an email and let me know what you've been up to! terraform74@gmail.com
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