Mooncake
Obviously, the most iconic food associated with the Mid-autumn festival is Mooncake. They are really only available around this time of year so you have to get them while you can. The pastry skin is thick and the filling can be a variety of different ingredients. There are many variations of this ever-popular treat with the traditional being a thick pastry with a red bean filling.
Mooncakes are also the most important Mid-autumn food in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia. Their cooking method and fillings are similar to Chinese mooncake. In Thailand and Singapore, mooncakes with local characteristics and ingredients are more popular, such as durian mooncakes, purple mangosteen mooncakes. In Vietnam, mooncakes can be divided into two kinds, including baked mooncake and sticky rice mooncake. Baked mooncake is similar to Chinese-style mooncake while sticky rice mooncake is made from glutinous rice flour, sugar, pomelo blossom water or vanilla.
Tsukimi Dango
The Mid-autumn festival in Japan is also known as ‘Tsukimil” and “Jugoya”. On the night of Mid-autumn festival, Tsukimi Dango, taro, edamame, chestnuts, sake are offered to the moon in order to pray for an abundant harvest. Tsukimi Dango is among the most representative Mid-autumn food in Japan and every household must have. Dango is a Japanese traditional sweet made from glutinous rice flour (mochiko). It is a sticky ball with no colour, whereas the shape of the ellipse and rabbit are also popular in Japan. Tsukimi Dango by itself has no flavour, so it is often served with red bean paste, brown sugar syrup, kinako or painted with teriyaki sauce.
Songpyeon
The Mid-autumn festival in Korea is called “Chuseok”. It is a major festival for Korean to visit their family and share traditional food. Songpyeon is one of the most popular Chuseok food which is half-moon shaped rice cakes made by kneading rice powder and stuffing with peanuts, red bean paste, green bean paste, sesame, chestnuts etc. As the cake is steamed on the pine needles, it will give the Songpyeon fresh fragrance of pine leaves. Apart from that, Korean also eat pancake and fried food during Chuseok, such as chili pancake, Alaska pollock pancake, zucchini pancake or other fillings pancake.