Mid-Autumn Festival: September 12
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, August 22nd, 2011
Moon cakes on sale at Lotte Plaza (Chantilly Location)
Summer is coming to a close, but that’s no reason to feel glum. As summer dwindles away, autumn is approaching. This means a cooler temperature, crispy leaves, and the Moon Festival (also referred to as the Mid-Autumn Festival). This is a holiday largely celebrated in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. There are many stories and legends behind this festival which may make it confusing as to which story is being celebrated. However, one thing is for certain: with the Moon Festival come moon cakes.
Moon cakes can come in squares or circles and have various fillings. The most common and traditional filling is a sweet lotus seed paste with yellow egg yolk. The more egg yolk that is in a moon cake, the more expensive and valuable it is considered. Other moon cake fillings that I’ve tried include nuts, red bean paste, and green tea paste.
The price for a box of four moon cakes can vary. I’ve seen some as cheap as $12.99 (seen above at Lotte Plaza), but I’ve also seen many being sold at Eden Center for $25 to $50. But don’t worry, there is a way to stretch that hefty bill for four moon cakes. Since moon cakes are so massive and dense, it’s generally really hard to eat the whole thing in one sitting. I generally cut each moon cake into four pieces, and just that one-fourth is more than enough to satisfy me for a while. Plus it’s better to eat them in smaller portions since one moon cake can have 700 to 1000 calories depending on which one you get.
There are also more modern variations of moon cakes. One popular version is known as the “snowskin moon cake” due to the crust’s pale appearance. This crust is made out of glutinous rice requires no baking. Other variations include a jelly outer crust, and mini sizes for those who are watching their weight.
This year the Moon Festival will fall on September 12, so be sure to buy your moon cakes before they sell out!
- Mai Nguyen
Tags: Gut Check, Mai Nguyen, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Cakes, Moon Festival, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA