About Moon CakesBy Cindy

About Moon CakesBy Cindy
The eighth Chinese mid-lunar moon marks the Moon's birthday andis believed to be the only night of the year when the moonappears perfectly round. At the time of the Moon Festival,special moon-viewing parties are held with much wine andfeasting, and poems composed to the moon. Moon cakes aregenerally packaged in boxes of four cakes and are a traditionalgift from one family to another.
The reason why moon cakes are so meaningful goes back to the14th century when China was overrun by the Mongol invaders whoruled the country in a cruel and oppressive fashion. The womenof the households devised a clever way to organize an uprising.They inserted messages in the filling of the moon cakes givenand received during the Moon Festival, conveying secretinstructions to patriots who could be depended on to join in thestruggle that ended in war and liberation.
Moon cakes are not easy to make, as special, elaborately carvedwooden mounds have to be used to shape them. Most Westernersfind the filling made from solid lotus seed paste unpalatable,especially with the salted egg yolk in its center. If possible,try to find moon cakes with a filling of preserved melon andmelon seeds. For anyone with a sweet tooth this is irresistible,especially when cut into thin wedges and nibbled while drinkingclear, fragrant Chinese tea.
It is the packaging of moon cakes that makes them tempting,usually square red and gold tins with Chinese characters andmotifs printed on them, and containing four individually wrappedcakes. For the determined cook, the pastry should be very richand preferably made with at least a proportion of lard. Somepopular fillings are candied fruits or sweetened lotus seedpaste.
About the Author: Cindy is the host ofhttp://www.asianonlinerecipes.com, a Free Asian Recipes websitededicated to all things on Asian Cooking and Culinary Guide withthousands of Cooking Tips. Besides, she is also the co-host forhttp://www.vietnamese-recipes.com andhttp://www.asianhomerecipe.com.
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