Moon cakes, also known as moon cakes, harvest cakes and reunion cakes, are one of the traditional delicacies of Han nationality in China. Moon cakes were originally used as offerings to worship the moon god. Offering sacrifices to the moon is a very old custom in China, which is actually the worship of the "Moon God" by the ancients.

Eating moon cakes and enjoying the moon in Mid-Autumn Festival is an indispensable custom in northern and southern China. Mooncakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends.

As an offering to worship the moon god, moon cakes have a long history. The word moon cake was first included in Liang Lumeng written by Wu in the Southern Song Dynasty. The combination of moon cakes and local food customs has developed Cantonese cuisine, Jin cuisine, Beijing cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine and Yunnan cuisine, which are deeply loved by people all over the country.

Dietary customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of August in the Han Chinese calendar. Su Dongpo, a great poet in the Song Dynasty, once praised moon cakes with a poem, "A small cake is like chewing the moon, with crisp inside and stuffing inside", which shows that moon cakes in the Song Dynasty already have ghee and sugar stuffing.

Classification of moon cakes

Cantonese moon cakes: thin skin, soft, sweet and full of stuffing.

Jin moon cakes: sweet and mellow. Simple form, mellow taste, crisp and refreshing, sweet but not greasy.

Chaozhou moon cakes: crispy skin, fine stuffing, oily tongue, sweet mouth and soft taste.

Su-style moon cakes: crisp, crisp, layered, heavy oil but not greasy, sweet and salty.

Yunnan flavor moon cake: crispy skin, moderate sweetness and saltiness, yellow color, oily but not greasy.

Beijing-style moon cakes: exquisite appearance, thin skin and soft flesh, distinct layers and attractive taste.

Hui-style moon cakes: small and exquisite, white as jade, with crisp skin and full stuffing.