Why are traditional moon cakes "scented"? The Mid-Autumn Festival is "nostalgia"

　　China News Service, Hangzhou, September 10th (Zhang Yuhuan Lei Yuer) "I am still very proud that traditional moon cakes are still so popular today and the sales volume is still so large." Walking into the pavilion located in Yunhe Street, Linping District, Hangzhou City Toe supply and sell food factories, the aroma of newly baked moon cakes is tangy.

Deng Zuru, the factory director, said that this year's Tingzhi mooncakes are very popular, and the supply of 100,000 mooncakes is still in short supply every day.

　　During the Mid-Autumn Festival, moon cakes, which symbolize reunion, are indispensable.

The reporter found that in the Yangtze River Delta region, traditional handmade moon cakes are still popular this year. Moon cakes are not only crispy and fragrant cakes in the local area, but also become a cultural symbol at the intersection of tradition and innovation, carrying full of nostalgic memories.

When history and trends are combined in a small mooncake, every bite seems to contain the sparks of inheritance of classics and innovative vitality.

Workers take out the baked pavilion-toe mooncakes.

Photo by Lei Yuer

　　When the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, vehicles transporting moon cakes shuttle at the entrance of the Tingzhi Food Supply and Marketing Factory, and sometimes there are long queues.

　　"Nearby people often say, 'The Mid-Autumn Festival is here, we are going to Tingzhi to buy moon cakes'." Deng Zuru said that some local companies have ordered Mid-Autumn moon cakes in the factory for more than ten years, and some work nearby The foreigners sent Tingzhi mooncakes back to their hometowns to bring this Mid-Autumn Festival flavor to their relatives far away.

　　The layers of crispy dough are wrapped with fresh, sweet and savory fillings. When you take a bite, the soft and sweet fragrance bursts out between your lips and teeth... After more than 70 years of wind and rain, this "time-honored brand" has long been branded in the hearts of local residents. An indelible taste imprint.

　　Walking into the food factory, Deng Zuru, who has worked for nearly 40 years, is wearing the same white work clothes as the staff, and carefully patrols the production workshop back and forth.

"Fagan Pastry" newly launched "Big Moon Cake".

Photo courtesy of Tangqi Town

　　"Handmade moon cakes seem to have a simple process, but they also have a lot of attention. The process is linked to each other, and the taste is different if there is a slight error." Deng Zuru said, "For example, put more water and less, the ratio of fillings and dough, and even the noodles. It takes a lot of work to get the size of the small hole where the sticker is left after the skin has wrapped the stuffing.”

　　Talking about the "mystery" in the raw materials of moon cakes, Deng Zuru is also very familiar.

For example, the peculiarity of mincemeat fillings is the walnut kernels. Since the walnut shells cannot be completely screened out by the machine selection, the staff insists on hand-picking the walnut kernels, and sometimes conducts a secondary selection.

The ham filling comes from Jinhua, Zhejiang, a well-known ham producing place. In the food factory, it goes through several steps, such as peeling, cleaning, dicing, and filling. From the start of ingredients to the completion of production, it takes about seven or eight processes.

　　While maintaining traditional tastes, Deng Zuru will also pay attention to new trends in Chinese pastries and try new ingredients on the market.

In addition to the "old three" of mincemeat, salt and pepper, and ham, Tingzhi mooncake insists on launching at least one new flavor every year, including durian, spicy beef, custard, etc., which are very popular among young people.

　　The fillings are changing, but the original intention of traditional handicrafts remains the same.

"My biggest pursuit is to let everyone eat with peace of mind, so that our food factory can also become a memory for the next generation and the next generation." Deng Zuru said.

Matcha-flavored handmade mooncakes.

Photo courtesy of Zhang Yanzhen

　　In Tangqi Town, which is not far from Tingzhi Food Supply and Marketing Factory, "Fagen Pastry", which has more than 80 years of cultural heritage, also produces "earth moon cakes" that are very popular among locals.

Li Ting, general manager of Fagan Foods Co., Ltd., introduced that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival launched a new "Fagan Mooncake", which is also hand-made. The fillings include egg yolk, meat floss, mochi and red bean paste and other young people love it. food.

　　"We have now expanded online sales channels and opened new forms such as 'live streaming'. The main force of offline consumption is our middle-aged and elderly 'customers', and the number of young people among the online purchase groups is increasing. There are more." Li Ting said that considering the pursuit of health by contemporary people, she has also improved the traditional cake skin, making it less sweet and more crispy, and used the "sharing package" to realize the Mid-Autumn Festival party. Family sharing.

　　In addition to moon cakes, other products of "Fagan Pastry" also echo the 24 solar terms, select local seasonal ingredients in Tangqi to make special snacks, and integrate authentic traditional culture into the production of Chinese pastries.

　　"We want more young people to understand traditional Chinese pastries, and let traditional pastries follow the times and young people, so that each generation has its own taste memory." Li Ting said that there are many local people who still return to the country after going abroad. Don't forget to ask your family to order a traditional moon cake on Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　In many places, many handmade mooncakes are inextricably linked with local culture.

　　In Jingshan Village, Jingshan Town, Yuhang, Hangzhou, the Zen tea culture that originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties has been here for thousands of years. New refreshment drinks.

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival, Jingshan Town Xinxiangxian, Moxiangge Homestay Zhang Yanzhen launched a matcha-flavored handmade mooncake to delight diners.

　　"Our matcha mooncakes have four flavors: matcha avocado, matcha liuxin, matcha rice moon, and matcha walnut rice moon. "Zhang Yanzhen told reporters that matcha is a food that is good for the body, and mooncakes made from it are also healthy and low-sugar.

　　In addition to the moon cake itself, Zhang Yanzhen also paid attention to the packaging design. For example, a sulfuric acid paper printed with the introduction of Jingshan's thousand-year history is placed in the box, so that people can taste the cultural story of Jingshan while tasting the moon cake.

　　"Actually, this mooncake was nearing the Mid-Autumn Festival when it was shipped. I didn't expect to sell hundreds of copies in just two days." Zhang Yanzhen said that she hoped that through the matcha mooncake, more people would learn about Jingshan tea from experience to appreciation, and eventually make This traditional culture has become a classic in the hearts of more people.

　　In Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, the "Zhang Shenyu" traditional handmade moon cake workshop is very lively once the Mid-Autumn Festival arrives. With the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the staff will make moon cakes at full speed. This pastry shop has also opened more than ten specialties in the Yangtze River Delta region. shop.

In Shanghai, there is also a long queue in front of the stall of the "time-honored" Guangming Village Hotel. It takes about 30 minutes for a pot of hand-baked fresh meat mooncakes to be baked. taste imprint.

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