Mooncake Types + Spots
Mooncakes are round pastries with a lotus paste filling, and sometimes have egg yolks – they can be sweet or savory! We eat mooncakes to celebrate the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes the harvest moon.
The traditional style of the pastry is imprinted on top with Chinese characters for longevity and harmony. Sometimes they can also feature the moon, flowers, and rabbits – all important motifs from the Legend of the Jade Rabbit.
From red bean and lotus to snow skin and salted egg yolk, celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival this month with an endless number of mooncake flavors. Check out the different types of mooncakes that people eat and where to pick up this delicacy in Chinatown.
Regional Mooncakes
From left to right:
Cantonese Mooncakes: Golden brown pastries with intricate designs, filled with lotus seed paste and cured egg yolk
Yunnan Mooncakes: Hard flour crusts, filled with ham, lard, honey, and sugar
Suzhou Mooncakes: Flaky crusts with sweet (nuts and bean paste) or savory (pork, ham, shrimp) filling
Shanghai Mooncakes: Crisp and crumbly crusts, filled with date or red bean paste
From left to right:
Hokkien Mooncakes: White pastry with a red stamp, filled with candied winter melon, tangerine peel, and sugar
Hopia: Small with thin, flaky crust, and filled with mung bean paste, purple yam, or azuki bean paste
Snow Skin Mooncakes: A newer type of unbaked mooncake with a delicate skin, filled with fruit sago, purple yam, etc.
Teochew Mooncakes: Flaky, colorful crusts filled with lotus paste
Source: Types of Mooncake (Moon Festival Blog), 10 Types of Mooncakes (Bakestarters), 8 different mooncakes to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival (Goldthread)
Where to Buy Mooncakes in Chinatown
You can find fresh mooncakes — primarily the traditional Cantonese style — in Chinatown
Go Believe Bakery (239 Grand St)
Audrey Bakery and Cafe (12 Chatham Sq)
Tai Pan Bakery (194 Canal St)
Bake Culture USA (48 Bowery)
Golden Fung Wong Bakery (41 Mott St)
Double Crispy Bakery (230 Grand St)
Nice One Bakery (47 Bayard St)
Fay Da Bakery (83 Mott St)
Lucky King Bakery (280 Grand St)
Wing Wah Bakery (246 Grand St)
M&W Bakery (85A Bayard St)
Chiu Hong (161 Mott St)
