Why do you eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival?
According to legend, eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty, which originated from a ceremony of our nation to sacrifice the moon to Yue Bai, which can be said to be a manifestation of natural fetishism. At first, mooncakes were used as sacrifices to the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded the Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion, and gradually mooncakes became holiday gifts.
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".
In the Tang Dynasty, there were bakers engaged in production among the people, and pastry shops began to appear in Chang 'an, the capital. It is said that one year in the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei enjoyed the moon and ate Hu Bing, Tang Xuanzong thought the name of Hu Bing was not nice. Yang Guifei looked up at the bright moon and blurted out "moon cake", and the name of "moon cake" gradually spread among the people.
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 origin of eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival is brief.
Moon cakes are essential food for Mid-Autumn Festival every year, and they are also good gifts. Mooncakes are commonly known as cakes and moon cakes. Today, there are more varieties and different flavors in different places. Among them, Cantonese-style, Beijing-style, Soviet-style, Chaozhou-style and Yunnan-style moon cakes are loved by people all over China. So why eat moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mooncakes symbolize reunion and should have started in the Ming Dynasty. If we look at the information about moon cakes and Mid-Autumn Festival folklore 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.
The word moon cake was first seen in Wu Zimu's Dream of Liang Lu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, the moon cake was rhombic, coexisting with chrysanthemum cake and plum cake, and it was available at all times, so it was always available to 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 small cake, such as chewing the moon, with crisp and sweet poems. Perhaps this is the origin of the name moon cake and the basis of its practice.
It is said that eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival began in 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 uprising on the 15th night of August into the cake, and then sent someone to send it to the uprising troops in different places separately to inform them to respond to the uprising on the 15th night of August. 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 to all the soldiers to share the joy with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and gave the moon cakes, which were sent in secret when they started fighting, as seasonal cakes to the ministers. Since then, moon cakes have 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.
What moon cakes are the best for Mid-Autumn Festival?
1, flowers and moon cakes
In recent years, flower moon cakes have become a kind of popular moon cakes. If we want to say what moon cakes are the best to eat in the Mid-Autumn Festival, flower moon cakes must be counted. The filling of flower moon cake is mainly fruit thinning, and its ingredient is flowers. Flower moon cakes have soft stuffing and different flavors. There are many kinds of fillings such as chrysanthemum, rose, litchi and strawberry. It not only tastes delicious, but also smells pleasant. So it is actually favored by girls. So friends who haven't eaten can try it.
2, egg yolk lotus seed cake
Presumably, everyone should have eaten this moon cake. It is one of the best moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival. Egg yolk lotus seed paste moon cake is very thin and won't go bad for a long time, so it is also deeply loved by everyone; The stuffing of egg yolk lotus seed moon cake is mainly ground pure lotus seeds as stuffing. It has a natural fragrance and tastes very good, so friends who love moon cakes should not miss it.
3. Fruit moon cakes
Fruit moon cake is a popular kind of moon cake. The sugar and fat content in the fruit moon cake is relatively low, so the fruit moon cake has the reputation of "green moon cake". In fact, the fruit moon cake has many flavors, and you can choose any flavor of fruit, so this moon cake is better for people who love fruit and suitable for children.