Which mooncake is your favourite, red or white, sweet or savoury? We talk to an expert about the famous snack
- A Chinese tradition with a legendary backstory, mooncakes come in many different styles
- We talk to a renowned Beijing pastry chef about the origins and variations of the festive treat
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which traditionally sees families and communities reunite to enjoy a feast and express gratitude to Mother Earth for the harvest of summer crops, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
With its roots in both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, the ancient festival takes place on September 13 this year.
With the festival just around the corner, Beijing is spoiled for choice when it comes to mooncakes. Originating from the Chinese capital, Tianjin and their surrounding areas, Beijing-style mooncakes have various legends behind them.
One concerns Chang’e or the Chinese goddess of the moon, who is said to have sent her rabbit down to earth with a cure after a plague broke out in Beijing.
The two medicines the rabbit brought to earth, one white and the other red, later evolved into zilaihong (red mooncakes) and zilaibai (white mooncakes).