All you need to know about moon cakes in Hong Kong
You only need to take one look at moon cakes to feel full and with the excessive publicity, full racks in supermarkets and new flavors created for the occasion, overdosing is dangerously close!
The ancestral recipe uses salty egg yolks (still prepared in Tai O village where visitors often take them for dry apricots … beware!) but has evolved and also uses dried fruits, meat, ice cream and many more flavors.
The design has remained the same though, a thick and round cake with patterns on its surface. This compact and nourishing cake (count 800 to 1000 calories per cake) is mainly consumed during mid autumn festival and symbolises the moon and unity within the family. Sharing it among family members also signifies love and good wishes.
Mid-autumn festival occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar and falls on Thursday 1st of October this year. The next day is a public holiday as the moon is at its fullest and brightest. The festival is the Asian version of Thanksgiving as it is also the occasion to thank the gods for generous harvests.
Do not worry though, it is possible to celebrate without suffering from indigestion : you can also decorate your home with a nice traditional lantern.
To know more about mid-autumn festival, click here.