Historical origin

Overview

Mooncakes usually refer to cakes that people eat on the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is usually round. But now there are all kinds. Dietary customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of August in the Han lunar calendar. It is said that it originated in the Tang Dynasty. "Experience in Luozhong" once recorded: When the new scholar in the Mid-Autumn Festival gave a banquet in Qujiang, Tang Xizong had a moon cake given to the scholar. Su Dongpo, a great poet in the Song Dynasty, praised moon cakes with a poem, "Little cakes are like chewing the moon, and there are crisps and fillings in them", from which we can see that the moon cakes in the Song Dynasty have been filled with ghee and sugar. In the Yuan Dynasty, it is said that people used the opportunity of giving mooncakes to carry a note in them, agreeing on the night of August 15th and taking actions at the same time to kill and drive away Mongolian "Tartars". In the Ming Dynasty, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival became more common. Ming and Shen Bang's Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Department contained: "The furniture of ordinary people is a kind of moon-made bread, which varies in size and is called moon cake." "Deliberation in Records" said: "In August, begonia and Hosta flowers were enjoyed in the palace. From the first day of the first lunar month, there are mooncake sellers, and from … to the 15th, every family offers mooncakes and melons. ..... If there are leftover moon cakes, they should be collected in a dry and cool place and used separately at the end of the year, which is called reunion cake. " After Yuan and Ming dynasties, the custom of eating and giving mooncakes in Mid-Autumn Festival became increasingly popular, and mooncakes had the symbolic meaning of "reunion". From Qing Dynasty to modern times, mooncakes have made new progress in quality and variety. Different raw materials, preparation methods and shapes make moon cakes more colorful, forming Beijing-style, Soviet-style and Guangdong-style varieties with their own characteristics. Nowadays, moon cakes are not only unique holiday foods, but also exquisite cakes that are always available in the four seasons, which are very popular among people. The word moon cake was first seen in Wu Zimu's Dream of the Liang Lu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, the moon cake was rhombic, coexisting with chrysanthemum cakes and plum cakes, and it was "available at all times, so you can call it at will and not miss your customers". It can be seen that the moon cakes at this time are not only eaten in the Mid-Autumn Festival. As for the origin of the term moon cake, there is no way to verify it. However, Su Dongpo, a famous scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, left a poem that "a small cake is like chewing the moon, with crispness and satiety in it", which may be the origin of the name of moon cake and the basis of its practice. Moon cakes

It is said that eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the broad masses of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class in the Yuan Dynasty and rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang joined forces with various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and men of the imperial court searched very closely and it was very difficult to pass on the news. Liu Bowen, a military adviser, came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note containing the "August 15th night uprising" in the cake, and then sent someone to send it to the uprising troops in various places separately to inform them to respond to the uprising on the evening of August 15th. On the day of the uprising, all the rebels responded together, such as single spark can start a prairie fire. Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan Dynasty and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly gave a message that all the soldiers would have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and he would give the "moon cakes" that were sent in secret when he started fighting that year as seasonal cakes to his ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, with more varieties, such as discs, which have become the best gifts. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating moon cakes spread among the people. Many special Mid-Autumn Festival customs have been formed in some places. There are a lot of records about moon cakes since the Ming Dynasty. At this time, moon cakes are round and only eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is the main offering for the popular Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty. "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" says: "On the 15th of August, when the moon is sacrificed, the fruit cake will be round." "Home moonlight is located in the moon, worship to the moon, then burn moonlight paper, withdraw the supply, scattered family will be over. The moon cake bears fruit, and the relatives feed back, and the cake has a diameter of two feet. Mooncakes symbolize reunion and should have started in the Ming Dynasty. If we look at the data about moon cakes and Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty, we should be able to see the historical track of the reunion of moon cakes: after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family will sit around and share the moon cakes and fruits (offerings for the moon). Because the moon cake is also round and shared by the family, it gradually forms the implication that moon cakes represent family reunion.

name evolution

ice cream moon cakes

moon cakes, also known as Hu cakes, palace cakes, small cakes, moon cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are offerings to worship the moon god in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival, which has been passed down from generation to generation and formed the custom of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes have a long history in China. According to historical records, as early as the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, there was a kind of "Taishi cake" in memory of Taishi Wen Zhong, which was the "ancestor" of moon cakes in China. When Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty, sesame seeds and walnuts were introduced, which added auxiliary materials to the production of moon cakes. At this time, a round cake filled with walnuts appeared, which was called "Hu cake". On a Mid-Autumn Moon Night in the early years of Tianbao in Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei enjoyed the moon in Chi Pan, Penglai, Daming Palace. "On the night of August 15th, Emperor Xuanzong was in the pool with the imperial concubine, looking at the moon by the railing, and the emperor was unhappy. Then the decree was issued:' Don't build a 111-foot high platform on the west bank of the pool, and look at the moon with my concubine in the coming year.' "("kaiyuan tianbao legacy "). There is no best place to look at the moon by the Penglai pool, and the emperor is not happy. It doesn't matter. What matters is that a round cake sent by a Hu people to his ancestor Gao Zu has always been called "Hu cake", and this name is not very nice. Xuanzong's moon viewing is very boring. Yang Guifei was originally a very talented person. In desperation, she looked up at the bright moon, and her wisdom came from her heart. She casually said the name "moon cake". The royal Mid-Autumn Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty likes to eat a kind of "palace cake", which is commonly known as "small cake" and "moon group". Su Dongpo has a poem: "A small cake is like chewing the moon, and there is crisp and pleasant in it." The writers of the Song Dynasty were thorough, and the name of "moon cake" was first mentioned in "Old Things in Wulin", which described what Lin 'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, saw. In the Ming Dynasty, eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival gradually spread among the people. At that time, ingenious bakers printed the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon's fairy tales on mooncakes as food art drawings, making mooncakes a necessary food for the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Qing Dynasty, eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a common custom, and the production skills are getting higher and higher. Yuan Mei, a Qing dynasty, introduced in Suiyuan Food List: "Crispy moon cakes are filled with pine nuts, walnuts, melon seeds, rock sugar and lard, which are not sweet, fragrant, soft and greasy, which is unusual." Moon cakes in Beijing are the first made by Qianmen Zhimeizhai. Throughout the country, five flavor series of Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Guangzhou and Chaozhou have been formed, and many local folk customs have also emerged around the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai and enjoying the moon. For example, the "Buzhuangyuan" in Jiangnan: the moon cake is cut into three pieces, big, medium and small, stacked together, and the largest one is placed below, which is the "champion"; The medium is placed in the middle, which is the "second place"; The smallest one is on the top, which is "exploring flowers". Then the whole family rolls dice, and whoever has the most numbers is the champion, eating large pieces; In turn, it is the second place, exploring flowers, and playing games for fun.

Edit the variety classification in this paragraph

Overview

Chaozhou moon cakes

Nowadays, the varieties of moon cakes have become colorful. There are many kinds of moon cakes in China, including Beijing-style moon cakes, Guangdong-style moon cakes, Soviet-style moon cakes, desktop moon cakes, Yunnan-style moon cakes, Hong Kong-style moon cakes, Chaozhou-style moon cakes, Huizhou-style moon cakes, Qu-style moon cakes, Qin-style moon cakes and even Japanese-style moon cakes. As far as taste is concerned, it has sweetness, salty taste, salty sweetness and spicy taste; In terms of stuffing, there are sweet-scented osmanthus moon cakes, dried plum moon cakes, five kernels, red bean paste, roses, lotus seed paste, rock sugar, ginkgo, dried pork floss, black sesame seeds, ham moon cakes and egg yolk moon cakes. According to the cake crust, there are pulp crust, mixed sugar crust, crisp crust, cream crust and so on; From the modeling, there are smooth and lace points. Beijing-style moon cakes

Features of all kinds of moon cakes

Cantonese-style moon cakes: thin skin, soft, sweet and full of stuffing. Su-style moon cakes: crispy, crispy and layered, heavy oil but not greasy, sweet and salty. Beijing-style moon cakes: exquisite appearance, thin and soft skin, distinct layers and attractive flavor. Chaozhou moon cake: heavy oil and heavy sugar, soft taste. Yunnan-style moon cakes: crispy skin, moderate sweetness and saltiness, yellow color, oily but not greasy. Hui-style moon cakes: small and exquisite, white as jade, with crisp skin and full stuffing. Qu-style moon cakes: crisp and delicious, sesame is the master. Moon cakes

Among them, Cantonese-style moon cakes are made of exquisite materials, exquisite craftsmanship and rigorous production, which make them thin and soft, golden in color, exquisite and embossed in patterns, beautiful in shape, rich in stuffing, diverse in stuffing, stable in quality, pure in flavor, sweet and delicious, and endless in aftertaste, thus becoming the leader of the moon cake clan. It makes consumers of different social strata, income levels and life tastes covet, forming a trend that the whole country eats Cantonese-style moon cakes regardless of the north and south, regardless of people's age. Even overseas Chinese and students living abroad, as far away as Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia and the United States, all take Cantonese moon cakes as the essential products for Mid-Autumn Festival. Cantonese-style moon cakes are the largest kind of moon cakes at present. They originated in Guangdong and its surrounding areas, and have been popular all over the country. They are characterized by thin skin and large stuffing. Usually, the ratio of skin to stuffing is 1: 4, and the oil content of skin stuffing is higher than other kinds. They taste soft, smooth and have outstanding surface luster. The outstanding representatives are Bai Lianrong moon cakes from Xiamen Haorenzhen, Guangzhou Lianxianglou, Jinkou and Guangzhou Restaurant, Bao Yueyue from Foshan Hotel and Jiangmen.

Brief introduction of all kinds of moon cakes

Beijing-style moon cakes: Beijing-style moon cakes originated in Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding areas, and have a certain market in the north. Their main features are moderate sweetness and the ratio of skin to stuffing, which is generally 2: 3, mainly with the special flavor of stuffing, and their taste is crisp and crisp. The main products are delicious egg yolk tea-oil moon cakes and Zilaihong moon cakes in Daoxiang Village, Beijing. Su-style moon cakes: Su-style moon cakes originated in Suzhou, and their main features are loose crust, five kernels and bean paste, which are sweeter than other kinds of moon cakes. The exact name of Su-style moon cakes should be called "crisp moon cakes". The prosperity of Suzhou cake industry may be the reason for the earliest name of Su-style moon cakes. Although the formation of "Su-style moon cakes" is a little later than that of "Beijing-style moon cakes", it has the greatest influence on China's cake industry, and the application scope of "pastry" is very wide, and it has never failed so far. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai are more popular. Yunnan-style moon cakes: Yunnan-style moon cakes are mainly originated and popular in Yunnan, Guizhou and surrounding areas, and now they are gradually liked by consumers in other areas. Their main features are that Yunnan-style ham is used as the filling, the cake crust is loose, the filling is salty and sweet, and they have a unique flavor of Yunnan-style ham. The main product is Yuntui moon cakes produced by Jiqingxiang, Kunming. Qu-style moon cakes are self-contained and are the local characteristics of Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is characterized by sesame as an important raw material, so Qu-style moon cakes are also called "Quzhou sesame cakes". Its main representatives are "Du Zegui Flower Moon Cake" and "Shao Yongfeng Sesame Cake", a century-old Chinese brand. Hui-style moon cake, whose skin is crispy, is made of fine flour and plain oil, and the cake flame is made of wild vegetables (bitter vegetables), which are pickled and mixed with fresh pork suet and white sugar. The main representative is "dried plum moon cake". French Moon Cake: French Moon Cake is a Mid-Autumn Festival cake ceremony made by perfectly combining the spiritual connotation of traditional festivals in China with the production technology of French cakes.

Classification of fillings

Bean paste fillings (such as raw bean paste and mung bean paste) Raw bean paste consists of butter bean (said to have anti-cancer components), trehalose (moisturizing, less sweet and greasy in taste and anti-aging to extend the shelf life of products), sorbitol (a compound sugar, its sugar content is only 71% of that of granulated sugar, and its calorie is zero), and high maltose powder (delaying tissue aging and making bean paste fillings richer). Jelly (such as pineapple cake cream) itself is made by boiling wax gourd meat or white grapes, adding pineapple pulp and blending, or adding essence and pigment. Ice cream (generally common ice cream) French moon cake taste: New Zealand cheese; Tempting strawberries; Hazelnut chocolate; Almond coffee; Purple jade blueberry; Pineapple cheese. In addition, there are jam, egg yolk and other fillings.

taste classification

other types of mooncakes are relatively small. "Moon cakes are different in the Mid-Autumn Festival every year." In recent years, new styles of mooncakes have emerged one after another. Such as ice-covered moon cakes, ice cream moon cakes, fruit and vegetable moon cakes, seafood moon cakes, coconut milk moon cakes, tea moon cakes and so on. Let's take a look at today's new moon cakes: * Ice-skinned moon cakes: The characteristics are that the crust of the cakes does not need to be baked, and they are eaten after freezing. Mainly transparent milky white epidermis, but also purple, green, red, yellow and other colors. The tastes are different, and the appearance is very harmonious and interesting. * Ice-cream moon cake: It is made entirely of ice cream, but the mold of the moon cake is used. On August 15th, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the heat has not been completely removed. It is delicious and cool, and it is also a popular choice for many consumers. * Fruit and vegetable moon cakes: characterized by soft stuffing and different flavors. The fillings include cantaloupe, pineapple, litchi, strawberry, wax gourd, taro, dark plum, orange, etc., and fruit juice or jam, so it has a fresh and sweet flavor. * Seafood moon cake: it is a relatively expensive moon cake, including abalone, shark's fin, laver, ray column, etc. It tastes slightly salty and is famous for its sweetness. * Naliang moon cake: it is made by mixing lily, mung bean and tea with moon cake stuffing. It is the latest innovation and has the effect of moistening and beautifying. * Coconut milk moon cake: The stuffing is made of freshly squeezed coconut juice, evaporated milk and melons and fruits, with low sugar content and oil content, sweet taste, rich coconut flavor and fragrant mouth. It has the functions of moistening, invigorating stomach and caring skin. * Tea moon cake: also known as new tea ceremony moon cake, with new green tea as the main filling and light and fragrant taste. There is a kind of moon cake with tea paste, which is mixed with lotus paste with oolong tea juice, which is more fresh. * Health mooncakes: This is a functional mooncake that appeared only two years ago, including ginseng mooncakes, calcium mooncakes, medicated mooncakes, and iodine mooncakes. * Pictographic moon cakes: used to be called pig cakes, with hard fillings, which are mostly eaten by children; Vivid appearance is the new favorite of children. * Golden cream moon cake: the crust is full of cream flavor, golden color and excellent taste. * Mini moon cakes: the main shape is small and exquisite, and the method is exquisite and elegant. * Miscellaneous moon cakes: The raw materials are miscellaneous grains, which are delicious, healthy and fashionable.

Editing the nutritional value of this paragraph

Most of the moon cakes are filled with plant seeds, such as walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, melon seeds, hawthorn, lotus seeds, adzuki beans, jujube paste, etc., which have a certain health care effect on the human body. Plant seeds contain high unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid and linoleic acid, which are beneficial to soften blood vessels and prevent arteriosclerosis; Containing minerals is beneficial to improving immunity and preventing zinc deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in children; Lotus seeds, adzuki beans and sesame seeds are high in potassium, which can replace sodium salts in cells, nourish myocardium and regulate blood pressure; From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, some raw materials are mostly mild, which strengthens the heart, calms and calms the nerves. Some seeds are rich in vitamin E, which is anti-aging and nourishes the skin and blackens the hair. However, mooncakes are rich in oil and sugar, and the mooncakes filled with duck egg yolk have high cholesterol. Generally speaking, they are high-calorie foods, so diabetics and obese people should not eat more.

Edit the purchase method in this paragraph

The cleanliness of the production workshop, the advanced equipment and the brand awareness of the production enterprise directly affect our choice! Relatively speaking, we prefer to choose products of old brands. Generally, Cantonese-style moon cakes are thin-skinned and stuffed, with pure taste and soft and refreshing taste. The stuffing is mainly lotus seed paste, coconut paste, egg yolk, fruit and various kinds of meat stuffing, which is moderately sweet and salty. The skin stuffing of Beijing-style moon cakes is elaborate and complicated. There are four kinds of mooncake skins: oily skin, crispy skin, clear skin and Jingguang skin. The stuffing is divided into three categories: refined stuffing, fried stuffing and rubbed stuffing. The stuffing contains more fruit materials. After cutting, you can see peach kernel, melon kernel, hemp seed, sweet-scented osmanthus, green and red silk and all kinds of fruit materials. Zilai red moon cake also contains rock sugar, which is crisp and delicious, soft and delicate. Poor-quality moon cakes are not only tough but also have a bitter taste.

Edit the storage method in this paragraph

Generally, mooncake fillings are divided into soft and hard fillings. Soft fillings contain more water and can only be stored for about 7 to 11 days, while hard fillings can be stored for about 1 months. Boxed moon cakes should be opened and ventilated. In addition, because moon cakes contain