Differences Between Mooncakes From Different Regions in China

     The Mid-Autumn Festival has always been an important day, because it’s like Mid-New Year to the Chinese people. On that day, we eat mooncakes, which are an irreplaceable part of our culture. Mooncakes are a symbol of the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are countless different kinds of mooncakes, such as old-fashioned mooncakes, bean-cake mooncakes, lotus seed mooncakes, and so on. Southern and Northern China’s mooncakes are also unique. Here are a couple ways that they’re different.

 

     The first difference is that the ingredients used for the mooncakes aren’t the same. Northerners prefer sweeter foods, so their mooncakes also taste sweet. Their lotus seed mooncakes and bean paste mooncakes are renowned, and are the first choice of mooncakes for Northerners. The Southerners like salty foods, so they have mooncakes made of meat, ham and other ingredients.

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     The second difference is that they’re made differently. Northern mooncakes have hard outsides, with hard stuffing, such as five kernel mooncakes. The mooncakes in the South are thinner, softer, and stuffed to the brim. In contrast, the types of mooncakes in the South are rich, and there are many different kinds of ingredients.

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     The third difference is their eating etiquette. The Northerners are relatively straightforward. Mooncakes are usually eaten by hand. The Southerners are more delicate, so they eat mooncakes like a real cake. They cut it into small pieces with a knife and eaten with a fork.

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     The mooncakes of the South and the North reflect the different tastes and personalities of the people. There’s a mooncake for everyone out there, so go ahead and find it!