Your Guide to the Colorful History of the Celestial Mooncake

Another Mid-Autumn Festival, another mooncake on the menu. Whether made of red bean, egg, mixed nuts, or some zany fruit filling, the mooncake is universal in supermarkets, offices, and neighborhoods this time of year. Are you tired of blindly nibbling on this regional treat without fully understanding its origins? It’s time to get some answers! For optimally informed snacking, let’s delve a little deeper into the mooncake’s origin story and quirks.

The earliest mooncake dates back to the Shang dynasty (1600-1046 BC) in association with a much-famed scholar Wen Zhong. The “Teacher’s cake” developed in Zhejiang province to honor his legacy.

The mooncake has changed drastically over time. When the Han Dynasty official Zhang Qian visited the western regions of China in the second century, he changed both the taste and name of the mooncake. The sesame seeds and walnuts he brought back became common ingredients. As these elements were picked in regions inhabited by ethnic minority groups (also referred to as “Hu”), the tasty confection was then referred to as “Hu cakes.”

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Are Mooncakes the Same Everywhere?

Not all mooncakes are the same! Over the centuries they have developed regional characteristics. Some particularly well-known varieties include those from Beijing, Suzhou, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Sichuan. Some examples of these regional variations include:

As in turns out, mooncakes have a bit of a rebellious streak. During the Yuan dynasty from 1271 to 1368 AD, rebels would use mooncakes to deliver messages and coordinate uprisings. One such rebel, Liu Bowen, had the bright idea to inscribe the date of the next uprising on mooncakes, which were then sent to resistance forces. The rebels proved victorious and these helpful treats were distributed among the victors as an added bonus.