East Asian Autumn Festival Foods

dantetheexplorer

The Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the Eighth Month of the Lunar Calendar, a major harvest festival where folks celebrate the full moon and give thanks for the bountiful harvest. It is considered one of the MAJOR festivals in East Asia and in many parts of Southeast Asia.

The Autumn Festival this year falls on Friday, September 13th, 2019.

Instead of going through the cultural aspects of the Autumn Festival – which is very interesting in its own right, but will also require a lot more reading on your part – I will be doing a very brief, picture-led rundown of the special foods consumed by each of the three major East Asian cultures during this very special festival. Because I aim to be very brief, I will skipping each food item’s historical backstory and/or cultural significance.

Proviso 1: I will only be covering East Asia as I am East Asian and that’s what I am most familiar with. That, and a MyTake has a 20-picture limit, so I have limited pictorial real estate.

Pingxi Sky Lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan
Pingxi Sky Lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan

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Chinese

In China, this festival is known as 中秋节 (zhōngqiū jié) which translates to Mid-Autumn Festival. In Hong Kong and Cantonese speaking communities, it is known as 中秋節 (zung1 cau1 zit3). It is also known as the Harvest Moon Festival.

The number one, most popular, must-eat food item for Chinese communities is 月饼 (yuèbǐng) in Mandarin, 月餅 (jyut6 beng2) in Cantonese.

In English, it is called a Mooncake.

Despite their name, mooncakes are not “Cakes”, at least in the Western sense of the word.
It would be more accurate to say that they are pastries.

The original, and thus traditional, mooncake is a round pastry, with a doughy crust and a sweet or savory filling.

The most iconic of traditional mooncakes – and many consider it THE original – is the Lotus Seed Paste with Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake. The salted egg yolk – which represents the full moon – in the mooncake is the egg yolk from a Salted Duck Egg, which is traditional Chinese food item made by soaking duck eggs in brine.

In my experience, very few non-Asians enjoy eating traditional mooncakes.

Firstly, the combination of the sweetness from the Lotus Seed Paste and the salty and umami-ness from the Salted Egg Yolk is one taste combination that is very rarely found outside Asian cuisine. The average (non-Asian) American will not have tried either of those two things on their own, let alone together. Combine both those things, and you get a taste combination that may seem completely alien to the average (non-Asian) American.

Secondly, the filling is dense – not at all what non-Asians usually associate with food labeled as “cake”.

Note: China is a huge place. There are eight different Chinese regional cuisines or schools of cooking in China. Similarly, mooncakes vary by region. The most popular mooncake, by far, the one that is most known outside of Asia, and the one which I have described above, is the Guangdong (Cantonese) mooncake. See picture below:

The Traditional Lotus Seed Paste and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake
The Traditional Lotus Seed Paste and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake

Now, the thing is, many health-conscious Chinese consider the traditional mooncake to be a stealthy calorie bomb.

The Traditional Lotus Seed Paste and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake above has about 790 calories.

Yes, you’re not actually supposed to be eating the entire mooncake. People generally cut up the mooncake into slices and have a couple of slices with tea.

Still, that fact doesn’t stop mooncake makers from coming up with Snowskin Mooncakes, which are often touted as “healthier”, in the sense that they contain less calories.

The first difference is that Snowskin Mooncakes don’t need to be baked.
Its “crust” or “skin” is made from glutinous rice flour and is chewy and soft, and is commonly eaten cold, hence: snowskin.

The second difference is that Snowskin Mooncakes do away with the Salted Egg Yolk as mentioned above (thus making it “healthier”, with less calories) – although you’ll still be able to find snowskin mooncakes that have Salty Egg Yolks in them if you really want to chow down on one – and has a much wider variety of fillings. We’re talking about matcha (Japanese green tea), red bean, lotus seed paste, black sesame, taro, custard, chocolate, and as many ice-cream flavors as you can think of.

Häagen-Dazs mooncakes: Snowskin mooncakes with Häagen-Dazs ice-cream filling
Häagen-Dazs mooncakes: Snowskin mooncakes with Häagen-Dazs ice-cream filling

Pomelo is popular during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's a huge citrus fruit that usually weighs about 1 to 2 kilograms (2.2 – 4.4 lbs). It tastes like a mild grapefruit, sweet but without the bitterness that can be common in grapefruit.

Pomelo, written in Chinese, is 柚子 (yòu zi), where 柚 is a homonym for “Bless” , and when taken together, the name of the fruit can mean “Bless the son”.

What the flesh of the pomelo looks like after you take it out from the rind and remove the pith
What the flesh of the pomelo looks like after you take it out from the rind and remove the pith

Taro first started being eaten as a Mid-Autumn Festival food during the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911).

Peel the skin off the taro and you’re good to go
Peel the skin off the taro and you’re good to go

There is a belief that Duck at this time of the year are neither too thin nor too fat, and thus offers the best taste and flavor compared to other months. How the duck is prepared varies by region and provinces.

Roast duck
Roast duck

The Mid-Autumn Festival is Hairy Crab harvest season; hairy crabs are a sought-after delicacy. You can find them at many a Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, steamed and dressed with ginger and vinegar.

Steamed Hairy Crabs, served with ginger and vinegar
Steamed Hairy Crabs, served with ginger and vinegar

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Korean

In Korea, this festival is known as 추석 (Chuseok, a Sino-Korean word, deriving from 秋夕, which means Autumn Evening) or 한가위 (Hangawi, a pure Korean word).

The most iconic food for Chuseok is 송편 , or Songpyeon.

Songpyeon is a kind of tteok (떡: rice cake). They are stuffed with sweet fillings such as sweetened sesame seeds, honey, or sugar, and with nuts and grains. Traditionally, they are steamed on a bed of pine needles.

Songpyeon and their fillings
Songpyeon and their fillings

For Chuseok, many varieties of Jeon (전) are prepared. Jeon is a general name for all foods that were seasoned, then coated in wheat flour and egg wash before being pan fried.

There are many kinds of jeon:

pajeon (파전) – made of scallions
buchujeon (부추전) – made of garlic chives
kimchijeon (김치전) – made of kimchi
aehobakjeon (애호박전) – made of Korean zucchini
baechujeon (배추전) – made of Nappa cabbage

Jeon: you want variety, you get variety
Jeon: you want variety, you get variety

Japchae (잡채) is made with various namul (나물: leaf-or-stem-style vegetables) and beef, and glass noodles (당면). Originally, japchae was prepared without the glass noodles.

Japchae, translates literally to mix of vegetables
Japchae, translates literally to mix of vegetables

Galbi-jjim (갈비찜) is braised short ribs. The sauce has a tangy aroma –soy sauce with garlic, sesame oil, onions, the sweet essence of jujube – and is definitely a crowd-pleaser for many.

Galbi-jjim, a hearty dish
Galbi-jjim, a hearty dish

Toran-guk (토란국) is a soup made from taro. This soup is a combination of savory broth, tender beef brisket, and soft, starchy taro.

Taro, once again features
Taro, once again features

Hangwa (한과) translates to Korean confectionery and is a catch-all term for a plethora of slightly sugary confectioneries. Great with brewed tea.

Hangwa, take your pick
Hangwa, take your pick

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Japanese

In Japan, this festival is known as 月見 (Tsukimi), which translates literally to Moon Watching/Viewing.

The most popular food for Tsukimi is Tsukimi dango.

Dango is a round dumpling made from a mixture of non-glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and water. They are then steamed and served in a variety of ways.

The Tsukimi version is plain white, to resemble/represent the full moon.

You can serve them in a variety of ways. I like my Tsukimi dango with sweet red bean paste, white/brown sugar with soy sauce, and matcha (Japanese green tea) paste/syrup. Those flavors are pretty standard. I know that Kansai-style Tsukimi dango is carefully coated with red bean paste.

 Tsukimi dango, the most popular food during Tsukimi
Tsukimi dango, the most popular food during Tsukimi

Because of the Japanese legend of rabbits living on the moon, there is also a rabbit variant to the Tsukimi dango:

Rabbit Tsukimi Dango – too cute to be eaten?
Rabbit Tsukimi Dango – too cute to be eaten?

Once again, Taro features.
One can include taro in any number of dishes:

Taro with Japanese mustard spinach and fried tofu simmered in a soy-based sauce
Taro with Japanese mustard spinach and fried tofu simmered in a soy-based sauce

Kuri gohan (栗ご飯) or chestnut rice.
Chestnuts in Japan are seasonal and make the quintessential autumn dish, like in Kuri gohan.

Kuri gohan, a nutty staple
Kuri gohan, a nutty staple


There is one very common everyday food associated with Tsukimi.

And that is a Fried or Poached Egg.
The reason is simple enough: the egg resembles the full moon.

Take for example, Tsukimi Soba:

Hot Soba (buckwheat) noodle soup with a raw egg on top
Hot Soba (buckwheat) noodle soup with a raw egg on top

Typically, fast food restaurants in Japan jump on the Tsukimi bandwagon and when that time of the year rolls around the corner, they add fried or poached eggs to their burger or sandwich options.

Every autumn in Japan, McDonald’s releases the Tsukimi Burger.
There’s really nothing particularly genius about it.
It’s: a burger with a perfectly round fried egg in the middle.

From left to right: Golden Tsukimi Burger, (Normal) Tsukimi Burger, Cheese Tsukimi, and Tsukimi Pie
From left to right: Golden Tsukimi Burger, (Normal) Tsukimi Burger, Cheese Tsukimi, and Tsukimi Pie

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Conclusion:

The Autumn Festival is here.
Enjoy the festival, enjoy the food.

I hope this has been an educational article for you.
Thank you for making it this far!

A Full Moon
A Full Moon
East Asian Autumn Festival Foods
22 Opinion