Mooncakes: a family business

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-9-16 20:58:01

China's Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. As with every Chinese festival, it comes with its own special food, and this time around, the mooncake is the treat of choice.

Mooncakes are similar to small pies, and come with various fillings. The delicacy varies from area to area. Today we head to Anhui Province to take a look at Huizhou-style mooncakes.

A small food factory named Juan Juan in Anhui is owned by Wang Juanjuan, a 59-year-old woman. She started learning how to make mooncakes when she was just 14.

"Today's mooncakes are different from back in the old days. The materials are much better. They are more delicious and crispy," Wang said.

For Wang, taste is the most important part of Huizhou mooncakes. This style is small, delicate and white. The crusts are made from wheat flour and vegetable oil, and fillings consist of edible wild vegetables, fresh lard and sugar. And as our expert says, the duration of time you cook them is also crucial.

"When it becomes sticky, it's ready," Wang said.

To make the mooncake more tasty, Wang always adds black sesame into the filling. "The black sesame we use is different from in other provinces. Their sesame is brown, but ours is totally black. It smells very good," she said.

Now, the whole family joins in the process at the mooncake factory. Even Wang's 5-year-old grandson is learning the ropes.

"I'm very interested in making Huizhou mooncakes. More importantly, this is a business passed down from my mom, so this is my career," said Su Shun'an, Wang's son.

In recent years, Wang's mooncake business has grown fast. She has now opened a store in front of the factory selling the mooncakes, which has attracted a lot of local customers.

"It tastes soft and smooth," said one resident.

"It's our local delicacy. Everyone in my family loves it. We all like eating Huizhou mooncakes," said another.

This year Wang Juanjuan's son opened an online store, so Huizhou mooncakes can now continue to reach many more people.



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