How many flavors are there in traditional mooncakes? Why is lard added to mooncakes?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is our traditional festival, and mooncakes are delicious gifts for family reunions. However, with people’s quality of life and pursuit of quality of life, if the whole family gets together and participates in making mooncakes together, the picture will be too warm. This is also a big challenge to the hands-on ability and cooperation of the whole family, young and old. Today, Encyclopedia Knowledge Network will introduce to you how to make mooncakes and what flavors can be made. Let us DIY mooncakes together!

Contents of this article

1. What are the flavors of traditional mooncakes?

2. What kind of flour is used to make moon cakes?

3. How to prepare alkaline water for making mooncakes

4. Why do we need to add lard to make mooncakes?

There are several flavors of traditional mooncakes

There are five flavors of traditional mooncakes. Five-nut mooncake is the most representative of traditional mooncakes. Lotus seed paste and egg yolk mooncake is one of the traditional Chinese mooncakes. Date paste mooncake is one of the traditional mooncakes, with a soft and fragrant crust. There are also ham mooncakes and fresh meat mooncakes, each with a unique flavor.

There are five flavors of traditional mooncakes. Five-nut mooncakes are one of the traditional Chinese mooncakes, and there are different ways to make five-nut mooncakes all over the country. Lotus seed paste and egg yolk mooncakes combine the salty fragrance of egg yolk and the sweetness of dough, which is unique.

The mooncakes made of jujube paste are soft and fragrant, and are very popular among the public. The ham mooncakes are different from other traditional mooncakes. The dough is divided into crispy, hard-shell, buckwheat, etc. Among them, the hard-shell ham mooncake is more representative.

Fresh meat mooncakes are a specialty of the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai areas. The filling is made entirely of fresh meat, the skin is crispy and powdery, and the meat is full of gravy.

What kind of flour is used to make moon cakes?

The flour used to make mooncakes is usually ordinary flour or flour specially made for mooncakes. Ordinary flour is medium-gluten flour. The protein content of medium-gluten flour is about 11%, which is suitable for making Chinese pastries, such as steamed buns and dumplings. High-gluten flour is suitable for making bread and some puff pastries. Low-gluten flour is suitable for making cakes, sponge cakes, biscuits and other Western pastries that require a fluffy and crispy texture.

Flour is a powder made from wheat. According to the protein content of the flour, it can be divided into high-gluten flour, medium-gluten flour, low-gluten flour and gluten-free flour.

Medium-gluten flour is milky white in color, between high-gluten flour and low-gluten flour, and has a semi-loose texture. Most Chinese dim sum are made with medium-gluten flour. Generally, all flour sold in the market without special instructions can be regarded as medium-gluten flour.

How to prepare alkaline water for making mooncakes

You can use edible alkali and water in a ratio of 1:3, or you can use baking soda and water in a ratio of 1:10. The main ingredients of moon cakes include: flour, alkali water, eggs, sugar, food additives, various fillings, additives, etc. The fillings can be five kernels, barbecued pork, sesame, fruit sauce, etc.

You can also use the ash from burnt hardwood or fruit wood to make alkaline water. Add water to the ash from burnt hardwood or fruit wood, boil it, let it sit for a day, and take the clear liquid on the top.

If it is difficult to prepare alkaline water by yourself, you can also buy ready-made alkaline water directly from e-commerce platforms.

Adding alkaline water when making mooncakes can neutralize the acid in the invert sugar syrup, adjust the softness of the crust, make the mooncakes easier to color, and so on.

Why do we use lard to make mooncakes?

Lard is added to mooncakes because it has a special aroma. It can give the entire mooncake a special aroma, increase people's appetite, and make the mooncake more crispy and taste better. When there is no lard, butter can be used instead.

Lard is an edible oil extracted from pork. It is initially a slightly yellowish translucent liquid and is a white or light yellow solid at room temperature.

Chinese people often use lard for two main purposes. One is cooking. Adding lard to cooking makes the dishes more fragrant. The other is making puff pastry, such as barbecued pork puff pastry and so on.

Compared with general vegetable oils, animal oils have an irreplaceable special aroma, can enhance people's appetite, and can provide extremely high calories. The digestion and absorption rate of lard in the human body is relatively high, reaching more than 95%.