On this holiday, Chinese people traditionally eat the pastry, pictured above, known as mooncake (月饼). There are many, many varieties of mooncake with various combinations of filling and crust ranging from the traditional to the contemporary. The most common cakes use a standard chewy crust with lotus seed paste, red bean paste, or a mixture of crushed nuts and seeds (for the closest American analogy, think trail mix mixed with a very crunchy and loose rice krispies treat).
My favorite is lotus seed paste with egg yolk. Traditionally speaking, ask any Chinese person and they will likely tell you that the most desirable part of the cake is the salted duck egg yolk (the round, golden-orange segments), which I do not expect non-Asians to grasp quite frankly. Out of politeness, my non-Asian friends usually control their disgust when they discover what the golden-orange section is. And that is okay--more for me. Actually, it would seem that love for egg yolk has gone so overboard in recent years that cakes are now sold with three entire egg yolks in a single cake, as was the case for the batch I purchased. In fact, you will be hard-pressed to find a lotus seed paste mooncake without yolk today. Contrast that with the options a decade ago, when supposedly, buyers chose between single yolk or none at all. I, for one, welcome the egg yolk fanaticism, which turns out to be awesome for my gluttony and terrible for my arteries.
With modern technology and Pan-Asian culture mixing and evolving, contemporary mooncakes make use of mochi crusts and ice cream fillings to name a few innovations. These new options can be quite tasty, although the traditionalist in me still prefers a good lotus seed paste. For further exploration of the different types of mooncake that can be found today, check out the Wikipedia page on mooncakes.
As with many Chinese holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival is connected with a legend steeped in mythology and ancient Chinese customs. However, this celebration is not exclusive to China. Many analogous observances are held in other Asian countries including Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. I am not that interested in discussing this topic on a deep level, but I do think it is worth mentioning that the ancient Chinese practically worshiped the moon. So what is the connection, even if tenuous, between this cake and the moon? Look no further than the duck egg yolk, which, when sliced in half within the cake, carries the shape of a full moon placed against the backdrop of a night sky. Use your imagination.
