Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan Dynasty and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly sent a message that all the soldiers should have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and give the "moon cakes" secretly sent at the time of the war as seasonal cakes to the ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, and there are more and more varieties, such as dishes, which have also become good gifts. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating moon cakes spread among the people. Some places have also formed many special Mid-Autumn Festival customs. In addition to enjoying the moon, offering sacrifices to the moon and eating moon cakes, there are dragon dances in Hong Kong, piling towers in Anhui, Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangzhou, burning towers in Jinjiang, moon-watching in Shihu, Suzhou, moon-dancing in Dai and Miao, moon-stealing dishes by Dong and dancing in Gaoshan. The English spelling is: moon cake.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang finally overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Although Manchu later occupied China, people still celebrated this festival, which symbolized the overthrow of foreign rule.
Related records
According to legend, in ancient China, the emperor had a system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. In the folk, every Mid-Autumn Festival in August, there is also a custom about Yue Bai or offering sacrifices to the moon. The famous proverb "The moon is full on August 15th, and the Mid-Autumn moon cake is sweet and fragrant" tells the custom of urban and rural people to eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn night. At first, moon cakes were used to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion, and mooncakes gradually became holiday gifts.
Moon cakes originally originated from Zhu Jie food in the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Tang Gaozu, General Li Jing conquered the Huns and returned home in triumph on August 15.
Turpan people who were doing business at that time presented cakes to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Gao Zu Li Yuan took the gorgeous cake box, took out the round cake, smiled at the bright moon in the sky and said, "Please invite toad with Hu cake." After that, share the cake with the ministers.
The word "moon cake" has long existed in the book Old Stories of Wulin in the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the book, moon cakes were steamed at that time. As a must-eat product in Mid-Autumn Festival, this kind of steamed bread in cages is still a popular custom in Shandong, Henan and other places.
The word "moon cake" has been used in the book Liang Lumeng written by Wu in the Southern Song Dynasty, but the description of enjoying the moon and eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival is recorded in the West Lake Travel Agency in the Ming Dynasty: "August 15th is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people use moon cakes to get together". In the Qing Dynasty, there were more records about moon cakes, and the production became more and more elaborate.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, moon cakes have become a delicacy of Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. "The History of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty" contains "In August, I enjoyed Haitang and Hosta flowers in the palace. From the first day, mooncakes were sold ... until the fifteenth day of the first month, every household provided mooncakes and fruits ... If there were any leftover mooncakes, they were collected in a dry and cool place and shared by their families at the end of the year, which was also called' reunion cakes'. " Shen Bang's Miscellaneous Notes on Wanbu describes the customs of Beijing during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, saying: "Mooncakes are given in August, and ordinary furniture is given mooncakes of different sizes, which is called' mooncakes'.
With the development of moon cakes today, there are more varieties and different tastes. Among them, Beijing-style, Soviet-style, Cantonese-style and Chaozhou-style moon cakes are deeply loved by people all over the country.
Moon cakes symbolize reunion and are a must-eat food for the Mid-Autumn Festival. On holiday nights, people also like to eat some reunion fruits, such as watermelons, and wish their families a happy, sweet and safe life.
Moon cake history
Moon cakes, also known as Hu cakes, palace cakes, cookies, moon cakes, reunion cakes, etc. It is an offering to worship the moon god in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival, and the custom of eating moon cakes has been formed since it was handed down.
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" to commemorate Taishi Wenzhong, the "ancestor" of China moon cakes. Zhang Qian introduced sesame seeds and walnuts to the Western Regions in Han Dynasty, which added auxiliary materials for making moon cakes. At this time, a round cake filled with walnuts appeared, which was called "Hu cake".
In the Tang Dynasty, people had bakers engaged in production, and pastry shops began to appear in Chang 'an, the capital. It is said that one Mid-Autumn Festival, when Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei enjoyed the moon and ate Hu Bing, Tang Xuanzong thought the name Hu Bing was not pleasant to listen to. Yang Guifei looked up at the bright moon, and her heart surged, and she came to "moon cakes" at hand. Since then, the name of "moon cake" has gradually spread among the people.
The royal family in the Northern Song Dynasty likes to eat a kind of "palace cake" in the Mid-Autumn Festival, commonly known as "small cake" and "moon group". Su Dongpo has a poem: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, crisp and pleasing."
The screenwriter of the Song Dynasty was thorough. The name "moon cake" was first mentioned in Old 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 moon cakes as food art drawings, making moon cakes a necessary food for Mid-Autumn Festival.
In the folk, every Mid-Autumn Festival in August, there is the custom of Yue Bai or offering sacrifices to the moon. August 15th, full moon, Mid-Autumn moon cakes are sweet. This famous saying says.
On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people in cities and rural areas eat moon cakes. Moon cakes are mostly used to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion, and mooncakes gradually became holiday gifts.
diversification
Now the varieties of moon cakes are colorful. There are many kinds of moon cakes in China, including Beijing-style moon cakes, Cantonese-style moon cakes, Soviet-style moon cakes, desktop moon cakes, Yunnan-style moon cakes, Hong Kong-style moon cakes, Chaozhou-style moon cakes, Hui-style moon cakes, Qu-style moon cakes, Qin-style moon cakes and even Japanese-style moon cakes. As far as taste is concerned, it is sweet, salty, salty and spicy; In terms of stuffing, there are osmanthus moon cakes, plum moon cakes, five kernels, bean paste, rock sugar, black sesame seeds, ham moon cakes, egg yolk moon cakes and so on; According to the crust, there are pulp crust, mixed sugar crust, crisp crust and cream crust; From the modeling point of view, there are smooth surfaces and lace spots.
Characteristics of moon cakes from different places;
Cantonese moon cakes: thin skin, soft, sweet and beautiful stuffing.
Su-style moon cakes: crisp, crisp, layered, heavy oil but not greasy, sweet and salty.
Beijing-style moon cakes: exquisite appearance, thin skin and soft flesh, distinct layers and attractive taste.
Chaozhou moon cake: heavy oil and heavy sugar, soft taste.
Yunnan flavor moon cake: 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.
Bent moon cakes: crisp and delicious, mainly sesame.
Among them, Cantonese-style moon cakes have become the best among the moon cakes because of their exquisite materials, exquisite craftsmanship and rigorous production, making them thin and soft, golden in color, exquisite in relief, beautiful in shape, rich in fillings, stable in quality, pure in flavor, sweet and delicious, and endless in aftertaste. It makes consumers of different social classes, income levels and life tastes salivate, forming a trend that everyone eats Cantonese-style moon cakes regardless of age. Even overseas Chinese and students in Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia and the United States regard Cantonese-style moon cakes as a necessary product for Mid-Autumn Festival. Cantonese-style moon cake is the largest kind of moon cake 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 big stuffing. Usually, the ratio of skin to stuffing is 2: 8, and the oil content of skin stuffing is higher than other kinds. They taste soft and smooth, and their surface luster is outstanding. Among them, the outstanding representatives are the white lotus seed cakes in Lianxianglou and Guangzhou Restaurant, and the Gong Li Chenpi moon cakes in Jiangmen.
Beijing-style moon cakes. Beijing-style moon cakes originated in Beijing and Tianjin and their surrounding areas, and have a certain market in the north. Their main feature is moderate sweetness, and the ratio of skin filling is generally 4: 6. They are mainly full of special flavor and crispy. The main products are purple red moon cakes, purple white moon cakes and Wuren moon cakes in Daoxiang Village, Beijing.
Su-style moon cakes. Suzhou-style moon cakes originated in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and surrounding areas. Their main features are loose shells, five kernels and red bean paste, and their sweetness is higher than other kinds of moon cakes. The main product is Suzhou-style moon cakes produced by Limin in Hangzhou.
Yunnan flavor moon cake. 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 regions. Their main feature is that Yunnan ham is used as stuffing, the skin is soft, and the stuffing is salty and sweet, which has a unique flavor of Yunnan ham. The main product is Yuntui moon cake produced by Kunming Jiqingxiang.
Qu-shaped moon cakes have their own system, which is the local characteristic of Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is characterized by sesame as an important raw material, so Quzhou moon cake is also called "Quzhou sesame cake". Its main representatives are "Du Zegui Flower Moon Cake" and "Shao Yongfeng Sesame Cake", a century-old brand of China.
Hui-style moon cakes, with crisp skin, are made of refined flour and plain oil, and the cake flames are pickled with wild vegetables (bitter vegetables), mixed with fresh pork suet and white sugar. The main representative is "Hua Mei Moon Cake".
Other types of moon cakes are relatively rare. "The moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival are different every year." In recent years, new styles of moon cakes 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-covered moon cakes: The characteristics are that the crust of the cakes need not be baked, and they can be eaten after freezing. The epidermis is mainly transparent ivory, but also purple, green, red, yellow and other colors. The taste is different, the appearance is harmonious and interesting.
* Ice cream moon cake: It's made entirely of ice cream, but it's made of a moon cake mold. August 15 is the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the heat has not been completely removed. Delicious and refreshing, it is also a popular choice for many consumers. Among them, Baxi ice cream moon cake has the highest cost performance, and Haagen-Dazs has become the most expensive ice cream moon cake because it enjoys the title of "Rolls Royce in ice cream".
* Fruit and vegetable moon cakes: characterized by soft stuffing and different flavors. The fillings are cantaloupe, pineapple, litchi, strawberry, wax gourd, taro, dark plum, orange and so on. And fruit juice or pulp, so it has a fresh and sweet taste.
* Seafood moon cakes: they are relatively expensive moon cakes, including abalone, shark's fin, laver, lei Zhu and so on. It tastes slightly salty and is famous for its sweetness.
* Liang Na moon cake: It is made of lily, mung bean, tea and moon cake stuffing. This is the latest innovation, which has the effect of nourishing and beautifying.
* Coconut milk moon cake: The stuffing is made of freshly squeezed coconut milk, evaporated milk and melons and fruits, with low sugar content and oil content, sweet taste, rich coconut fragrance and fragrant entrance. Has the effects 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, with a light and fragrant taste. There is a kind of tea mud moon cake, which is fresh with oolong tea juice mixed with lotus seed paste.
* Healthy moon cakes: This is a functional moon cake that appeared only two years ago, including ginseng moon cakes, calcium moon cakes, medicated moon cakes and iodine moon cakes.
* Image-shaped moon cakes: in the past, they were called pork cakes with hard fillings, which were mostly eaten by children; Vivid appearance is the new favorite of children.
* Golden cream moon cake: the skin is full of cream fragrance, golden color and excellent taste.
* Mini moon cakes: the main shape is small and exquisite, and the practice is exquisite and elegant.
Cereal moon cakes: The raw materials are miscellaneous grains, which are delicious, healthy and fashionable. Xibei Grains Moon Cake launched by Xibei Catering Group is the most representative.
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