My first moon cake

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional harvest festival in the Chinese culture and it's in full swing. It seems like everywhere you look, there are decorations, celebrations and religious ceremonies. As one of the two most important Chinese holidays (the other being Chinese New Year), Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival and moon cakes are an annual treat. I've been wanting to try one and today I had the chance.


Wasn't I lucky when one of our clients sent our office a basket of moon cakes?

Here's what one looks like up-close.

Sam at work said people usually cut them into slices/wedges and just eat a little piece because they're quite rich and sweet, especially by local standards. This flavor was lotus and frankly I didn't think it was that sweet. (Probably an indication of how much sugar Americans consume daily.) The taste was fine, nothing remarkable, but pleasant enough. I can see how some people wouldn't like the texture though. It's hard to describe, not quite like marzipan, but a little pasty.

This one has a salted duck egg yolk in the middle. The Singaporeans think it's really salty, and I suppose it's slightly salty, but not too much so. However, I preferred the first flavor.

Adrienne said she's had them before and she thought they tasted like sawdust. Rest assured, I did not feel that way. I'd eat another but I probably wouldn't buy one. Good to try though!