Throughout the ages, there are many "moon cake poems" in the vast number of poems and songs. Su Dongpo wrote in a poem about moon cakes: "Small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crisp and stuffing." It can be seen that as early as the Song Dynasty, moon cakes were very popular because of their sweet and delicious taste. In fact, the embryonic form of moon cakes appeared as early as the Tang Dynasty. With the passage of time,
As time goes on, there are more and more varieties of colors. Yuan Jinglan, an ancient Suzhou poet, wrote in the poem Ode to Moon Cake that the cake maker carefully made moon cakes: "The shape is extremely cold, and the name follows the food. The cake maker has a clever heart. He looks beautiful. When you enter the kitchen, you can defrost and steam the liquid in the kettle. Rub fine dust and polish rouge marks. There is no room for negligence. " From the poem, we not only know the process of making moon cakes, but also can see that the custom of giving moon cakes to each other was formed in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. In some places, such as Fujian, anyone who is a grandfather or uncle will give moon cakes to his grandson, granddaughter or nephew on the Mid-Autumn Festival. In this regard, Shi's "Mid-Autumn Festival Ci" intones: "The cake is full moon, which indicates that Jiaxiang has more food and feels more love from other families. Every year is also Pisces. "
The real cause of moon cakes should be the ancient and simple "taste the new" style in China. Autumn is the harvest season, and it is normal for ancient people to make some fresh and delicious food with new grains and fruits. There is a poem "Songnan Yuefu" describing this scene: "Songnan is good, and things are full of autumn fragrance. Moon cakes are full of jujube stuffing, and sweet fruit new valleys are gradually emerging. " This is not only a taste of the fruits of labor, but also a wish for a bumper harvest in the coming year.
By the Ming Dynasty, the technology of making moon cakes had reached a high level. At that time, decorative patterns such as "Toad in the Moon" and "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon" appeared on the moon cakes. Its exquisite design, ingenious composition and exquisite patterns give people beautiful enjoyment, which not only reflects the ingenuity of mooncake makers, but also reflects the splendid culture of our nation. Peng's "Youzhou Local Customs" praised the moon cake and said: "Make a silver toad and a purple shadow, and a pair of toads and rabbits are all over the world. The thief who stole the medicine suddenly ran into the cold wind and could not come back. " It can be seen that ingenious cake makers reproduce the beautiful legend of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon on moon cakes as the image of food art patterns. As time goes on, the filling of moon cakes becomes more exquisite. Yang Guangfu has a poem in "Southern China Picking House" as proof: "The moon cake stuffing is peach meat, and the ice cream is made of icing." It can be seen that the moon cakes at that time were quite similar to today's.
Mid-Autumn Festival, family reunion, enjoying the cool moon, tasting cakes and singing poems, and having fun with cakes are really elegant and extraordinary.