Mid-Autumn Festival Food And Drink Ideas

Mid-Autumn Festival is a celebration of strong family bonds and a good harvest. Like most Asian Festivals, food and drinks play a huge part in upholding the tradition of bringing the whole family closer.

And speaking of tradition, where there’s a Moon Festival, there are mooncakes. And we love mooncakes when they’re paired with the right kind of tea!

We're sharing the basics of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival along with a quick guide on tea and mooncake pairings that you can try with loved ones.

What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Mid-Autumn Festival, also called Mooncake Festival or the Moon Festival, is the second most important festival in China. Although this festival is predominantly celebrated by the Chinese, other countries in East and Southeast Asia have their Mid-Autumn Festival, too—only they have different names for it and the dates vary.

In Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called Chuseok or Hangawi. In Japan, it's called Tsukimi. In Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, it is referred to as the Lantern Festival.

No matter which country celebrates it, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates thanksgiving, prayer, and gathering.

When is the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Traditionally, it’s celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which is usually in September or early October. For the Mid-Autumn Festival 2021, it falls on September 21st.

Why Celebrate the Mooncake Festival?

Coming from the name itself, Moon Festival is named because this festival is to celebrate the moon in its fullest state. It is believed that the moon on the 15th day of the lunar calendar is at its brightest and roundest. For Chinese culture, this symbolizes the togetherness of families. Thus, it has become their tradition to have a family reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival to celebrate familial love.

Since the Moon Festival also falls in September or mid-autumn, it also coincides with the harvest season, right before the winds get colder and the colorful world gives way to the barrenness of winter. This is the time when rice, one of the staple Chinese foods, has matured enough to be harvested. This festival is a way for them to thank the gods for a bountiful harvest.

Mooncake Festival Activities at Home

The Mid-Autumn Festival is all about expressing familial love, so it’s only fitting to spend it at home with your family. Here are some traditional Mid-Autumn Festival activities for a meaningful celebration:

1. Happy Family Reunion

It’s common among Asians to have strong family ties. This is the time when almost all the members of your clan get together and catch up. Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated by having dinner on the evening of the festival. Traffic jams are typical during this long holiday as people pour in from different parts of the country in order to reach home.

2. Moon Gazing and Worshipping
When people look at the moon, it reminds them of their loved ones and their homeland. And in Chinese beliefs, the moon symbolizes family reunion. After dinner, families put a table outside, and they put mooncakes, fruits, incense, and candlesticks, facing towards the moon.

Nowadays, this tradition is not so much practiced. It's rare to see families worshiping the moon in big cities. However, in some old towns or tourist cities, people still hold a ceremony to worship the moon in a square, park, or street, but this is more like a performance.

It wouldn't hurt to practice this simple tradition with family, especially in a time where travelling has come to a standstill.

3. Gifting and eating Mooncakes and Tea

Mooncake is a Chinese delicacy with lotus seed paste or red bean paste filling. It usually has a round shape and tastes sweet. Family members would gather around and share a mooncake, cut equally among the family members.

Eating mooncakes is the most common and representative tradition of the day. On ordinary days, people won't buy or eat mooncakes, but during the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone will have a mooncake to celebrate, making it a perfect homecoming gift idea for friends and family.

Tea and Mooncake Pairings

Because of the sweet taste of the mooncake, it is often paired with tea to ease the taste up a bit. Tea is considered a healthy drink because it’s rich in antioxidants that can help to digest your food faster. Not to mention it is a perfect partner to any delicacy because it is such a good palate cleanser.

When you give your friend some mooncakes, why not go the extra mile and include your choice of tea? Here is some Mid-Autumn Festival food and drink ideas featuring Prince of Peace Teas you might want to try:

1. Heavy sweet Mooncake + Prince of Peace Organic Black Tea or Green Tea

When the mooncakes are heavily sweetened, the best pair is black tea. It can give you an earthy taste that perfectly balances the sweetness of the mooncakes. The Prince of Peace Organic Black Tea is one of the brands of tea that best go with heavy sweet mooncakes.

Compared to other types of teas, this organic black tea has a richer and fuller flavor because of its oxidation process. This may be a bit bitter than most teas, but since you already have a sweet mooncake, you will only taste a hint of its maltiness and nothing of the bitterness.

2. Greasy Mooncakes + Prince of Peace Premium Peony White Tea

When you’re celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with a greasy kind of mooncake, you might need a type of tea to help break down the oil. White or floral types of tea are your go-to. Prince of Peace Premium Peony White Tea is 3x richer in antioxidants than green tea.

This makes for a refreshing and invigorating cup and one that’s great for digestion. Did you also know that this particular tea was once so rare that only Chinese royalty was served with this? Now, you can easily get your hands on these to pair with your mooncake and you’ll feel like a royal!

3. Salty-Sweet Mooncakes + Prince of Peace Organic Oolong Tea

If you have a salty-sweet mooncake, you can never go wrong with an Oolong Tea to go with it. Prince of Peace Organic Oolong Tea has a richer taste compared with green tea, but with the same antioxidant properties. Because of a different oxidation process, this Oolong tea has a woody aroma that rejuvenates your senses.

Paired with a salty-sweet mooncake, you won’t be needing any sweetener for your tea, and its salty taste can bring out the flavors of this pair even more. Its uncomplicated, clean taste usually complements baked mooncakes, as well as heavier flavors.

Any type of food can be enjoyed more when you know what type of drink to pair it with. When it comes to mooncakes and most Chinese dishes, teas are always the go-to drink. While most may be spending the 2021 Mid-Autumn Festival in a socially distant way, you can still enjoy a happy Mid-Autumn Festival celebration with our tea and mooncake recommendations.

For more Asian food pairings and Chinese groceries for any season, head on over to Karman Foods!