Gateau de la Lune

Dans la famille Miam, je demande le mini moon cake.

On les a vus, on les a goûtés et on a survecu. Selon Avi (qui parle des moon cake mieux que moi, allez donc chez elle voir ce qu’elle en dit), on aurait eu droit à pate de soja ou lotus. La liste des ingrédients étant comme assez souvent en chinois, ça restera un mystère mais c’était bien bon quand même (Tortue a cependant fait une tête très bizarre) 🙂 Après quelques recherches, j’ai trouvé que les moon cake étaient en avance puisque le festival de la lune (Moon Festival) n’aura lieu que le 18 septembre 2005. On ne sait pas encore ce qu’il y aura comme festivités mais le texte ci-dessous donne quelques indices.

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival

Date: 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
Place: Nationwide
Activities: Dragon boat racing, enjoying the moonlight, and eating moon cakes

Remarks: People eat moon cakes under the moonlight with family members. Moon cakes are pastries filled with gooey sesame, red bean, and walnut meats.

This festival originated in a fairy tale. A hero names Hou Yi saved his people by shooting down the other nine suns that burned his people to death. He was then bestowed with the elixir of immortality by the Queen Mother of the West. He did not want to consume the elixir and leave his beautiful but very mortal wife, Chang Er, so he gave the elixir to his wife for safekeeping. Unfortunately, Hou Yi’s disloyal apprentice forced Chang Er to swallow the elixir. She then became a supernatural being. She flew to the moon, and from there watched her husband. Knowing that his wife had now been separated from him, Hou Yi was crazed with grief. Looking up at the moon one night, he saw a figure like his wife. He hurriedly took cakes and succade Mooncakes with elegant packaging(preserves in sugar, whether fruits, vegetables, or confections) as offerings to his wife. Upon hearing this, people developed the custom of watching the moon and eating moon cakes annually on this day.
There are other traditional festivals that have waned in recent years. The Double Seventh Day is China’s traditional Valentine’s Day. It is the day when a cowherd and his wife, a weaving maid and daughter of the Jade Emperor, met in the heaven on the Magpie Bridge. The Double Ninth Day used to be the day when people climbed into the high mountains, and there missed their families.

Travel China Guide
p.s. Le mini moon cake est à 3,5 RMB, ce que je trouve bien un peu cher vu la taille.