Shanghai mooncake

Shanghai dishes often appear red and shiny because they use soy sauce for seasoning. Four classic words are used to describe Shanghai food: "浓油赤酱".[1] This means that Shanghai food uses considerable quantities of oil and soy sauce. Food is cooked using a variety of methods including baking, stewing, braising, steaming and deep-frying. Shanghai mooncake

Fish, crab and chicken are made "drunken" using spirits and brisk cooking techniques, and may be steamed or served raw. Salted meats and preserved vegetables are commonly used to enhance various dishes. Sugar is an important ingredient in Shanghai cuisine, especially when used in combination with soy sauce. Another characteristic is the use of a great variety of seafood. Rice is more commonly served than noodles or other wheat products.[2]

Shanghai cuisine emphasizes the use of condiments while retaining the original flavors of raw ingredients. It aims at lightness in flavor and is mellower and slightly sweet in taste compared to some other Chinese cuisines. Sweet and sour is a typical Shanghai taste. An attractive presentation is also important in Shanghai cooking with ingredients carefully cut and presented with a view to harmonizing colors.[citation needed]

Although Shanghai is a sea port, most families did not incorporate fish in their daily meals in the early 20th century. Eating meat with meals was considered a luxury, with typical meals consisting of vegetables, beans, and rice. In a month, most families typically ate meat or fish for about four meals: on the second, eighth, sixteenth, and twenty-third day of each month.

These days became known as dang hun.[3] In recent times, special attention has been paid to low-sugar and low-fat food, with a good quantity of vegetables and improved nutritional value. A mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

There are numerous varieties of mooncakes consumed within China and outside of China in overseas Chinese communities. The Cantonese mooncake is the most famous variety. A typical Cantonese mooncake is a round pastry, measuring about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 3–4 cm (1+1⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) thick. The Cantonese mooncake consists of a rich thick filling usually made from red bean paste or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin, 2–3 mm (approximately 1/8th of an inch) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs.

Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by tea. Today, it is customary for business people and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents,[1] helping to fuel a demand for high-end mooncakes. Read more..