Mid Autumn aka MoonCake Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival

The festival is intricately linked to the legends of Chang E, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality. There is also a folk tale about the overthrow of Mongol rule facilitated by messages smuggled in moon cakes.

Because of its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, mooncakes remain popular even in recent years; although with certain modifications. Part of the reason is that people are becoming more health-conscious. Traditional mooncakes are made with lard, and a lot of sugar. Another reason for its popularity is that the traditional mooncake has undergone much successful diversification. In fact, it has become so popular that many mooncakes are bought by businessmen who give them to their clients as presents. For many, mooncakes form a central part of the Mid-Autumn festival experience such that it is now commonly known as 'Mooncake Festival'.

Mooncakes in other places!!

Taiwan

The most traditional mooncake from Taiwan is filled with yam. Today, Taiwanese mooncakes have been influenced heavily on Japanese and European pastries, many mooncakes are made with finer and health conscious ingredients. As a result, Taiwanese moon cakes are wide in variety that include low fat, lard free and ice cream versions. Popular modern flavors include green tea, chocolate and many others.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, local mooncakes are different from other varieties. They are circular like a moon, white, and rather thin. Fillings may include chocolate, cheese, milk, durian, and jackfruit. It is called "kue bulan".

Japan

In Japan, mooncakes are sold year-round, mainly in Japan's Chinatowns, pronounced in Japanese as "geppei". Azuki (Red Bean) paste is the most popular filling for these mooncakes, but other sorts of beans as well as chestnut are also used. Unlike some types of Chinese mooncakes, mooncakes in Japan almost never contain an egg yolk in the centre.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, mooncakes are known as bánh trung thu (literally "Mid-Autumn cake") and may contain a variety of fillings, such as savory roasted chicken, shark fins, mung beans, coconut or durian.

Cambodia

The most popular mooncake filling in Cambodia is Durian (they are even more expensive than ones with lotus seed). Durian filling is prepared in the same way as durian jam which is eaten as a dessert in Thailand.

*reference from wikipedia