Mid-Autumn Mooncakes

Last week, China celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional holiday that’s marked by family gatherings, big meals, and tasty treats. At our Early Education Center, where we work with young orphans, we celebrated the holiday in true culinary style.

The traditional food you can find lining store shelves all over China this time of year is the mooncake. These little pastries, usually round in shape to represent unity and longevity, are filled with sweet and savory fillings. So what better way to celebrate than to have a cooking class at our school?

Everyone donned their aprons and sat glued to their seats, clinging to the teachers’ words as they were introduced to the mooncake-making process. Teachers pointed out each kitchen tool and its use: the cutting board, rolling pin, and moon cake molds.

They loved rolling out the dough and pressing it into a bunch of different molds. 

When it came time to bake their creations, the kids sang a song in their seats while they waited.

Soon, the mooncakes were done baking. The kids grabbed the warm cakes and wolfed them down, complimenting themselves on a job well done. One child called over his teacher and told her, “Teacher, have a bite! It’s really tasty!”

These hot mooncakes really warmed everyone’s hearts and bellies. It was a wonderful way to celebrate a holiday that’s all about togetherness.