The origin of moon cakes?

Moon cakes are a long-standing traditional snack of Han nationality, which is deeply loved by people in China. They are round and shared by the whole family, so they symbolize reunion and harmony and are a must-eat food for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ancient moon cakes were eaten as sacrifices in the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is said that the custom of eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Tang Dynasty. In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was popular in the court, but it also spread among the people. At that time, it was commonly known as "small cake" and "moon group". In the Ming dynasty, it became a common dietary custom of the whole people. Nowadays, there are more varieties and different local flavors. Among them, Cantonese-style, Peking-style, Yunnan-style, Suzhou-style and Chaozhou-style moon cakes are deeply loved by people all over China.

Dietary customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of August in the Han Chinese calendar. It is said that it originated in the Tang Dynasty. "Luo Zhong's Experience" once recorded: On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the new scholar gave a banquet in Qujiang, and Tang Xizong gave the scholar a moon cake. Su Dongpo, a great poet in the Song Dynasty, once praised moon cakes with a poem, "A small cake is like chewing the moon, with crisp inside and stuffing inside", which shows that moon cakes in the Song Dynasty already have ghee and sugar stuffing. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was said that people took advantage of the opportunity of giving mooncakes to carry a note in them, and agreed to take action at the same time to kill and drive away Mongolian "Tatars" on the evening of August 15. In the Ming Dynasty, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival became more common. Ming Shenbang's "Wan Bu Miscellaneous Notes" contains: "The furniture of ordinary people's homes is a kind of moon cake with different sizes, which is called moon cake." "Proceedings" said: "In August, Haitang and Hosta flowers were enjoyed in the palace. Mooncakes have been sold since the first day of the first lunar month. From … to 15, every household sells mooncakes and melons. ..... If there are leftover moon cakes, they should be stored in a dry and cool place and used separately at the end of the year, called reunion cakes. " After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the custom of giving away mooncakes on Mid-Autumn Festival became increasingly popular, and mooncakes had the symbolic meaning of "reunion". From Qing Dynasty to modern times, new progress has been made in the quality and variety of moon cakes. Different raw materials, production methods and shapes make moon cakes more colorful, forming Beijing flavor, Suzhou flavor, Guangdong style and other unique varieties. Nowadays, moon cakes are not only unique holiday food, but also exquisite cakes available in all seasons, which are deeply loved by people.

There have been many records about moon cakes since the Ming Dynasty. At this time, the moon cakes are round and only eaten in the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is the main offering of the popular Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty. "A Brief View of the Imperial Capital" says: "On August 15th, the moon is sacrificed, and the fruit cakes are round." "Home moonlight is located on the moon, worshiping the moon, then burning moonlight paper and withdrawing the supply, and the scattered family is over. Moon cakes bear fruit, and relatives feed them back. The cake is two feet in diameter. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family sat around and ate moon cakes and fruits (offerings of the moon). Because moon cakes are also round and shared by the whole family, it gradually forms the implication that moon cakes represent family reunion.