Steeped in history, mooncakes are the culinary icon central to the Mid-Autumn Festival, known as Tết Trung Thu in Vietnam. During this time, while the sky is clear and the moon is full, it is customary to break bread with the family, but instead of bread, there’s mooncakes.
Even in the hardest of times, come the arrival of the harvest moon, it is an honoured tradition in both urban and rural areas to serve bánh nướng and bánh dẻo, golden baked mooncakes and soft sticky rice cakes. Different shapes represent different symbols, as square mooncakes symbolise the earth, and round mooncakes represent the sky.
The word ‘mooncake’ first arose during China’s Song Dynasty, beginning the year 1127. By the Ming Dynasty, mooncakes were a standard tradition. It is not known when mooncakes became introduced to Vietnam, but for the Vietnamese people living today, they’ve been around as long as they can remember. Tết Trung Thu is seen as a special time for reunion and harmony. On this annual occasion, families gather together after a fruitful harvest, and unwind, sing songs and sip tea with a mooncake under the light of the full moon.
Savoury mixed paste mooncakes are usually made up of up to 10 ingredients, including lime leaves, smoked sausage, lotus seeds and a secret sauce. Nowadays, endless varieties of delicious mooncakes are on offer, with modern twists being added every year.
The pinnacle part of the experience of eating a mooncake is biting into the tasty filling beneath the crust. In olden times, not all mooncakes came with the surprise of a salted egg yolk, therefore finding one was considered an envied piece of luck. Nowadays, you might even find two egg yolks in your mooncake, as there are more than enough eggs to go around.
Traditionally, it is customary to offer mooncakes on a family altar, as well as to give them to family members, friends and colleagues, in festive spirit. The celebration is full of life as lion dancers dance to drum beats in the streets, and children stay up late, carrying star lanterns in the dark.
In the run up to Tết Trung Thu, mooncake stalls pop up on streets all across Vietnam, and hotels and bakeries release artistic mooncake sets with creatively curated concepts and flavours. As part of tradition, businesses seek out the best mooncakes to give to their important clients, winning their favour. Two weeks before the holiday, which always falls on the 15th day of the 18th lunar month, is the ideal time to send mooncakes.
Our top picks for this year’s mooncakes are as follows:
SOKO Cake Bake & Brunch
This year, SOKO Cake, Bake & Brunch’s stunning Stellar Orbits mooncake set comes in four jaw-dropping flavours, Five Kernel Abalone & Salted Egg, Five Kernel Grilled Lobster & Caviar, Kahlua Coffee Liqueur & Coconut, and finally Moet, Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne, Godiva Dark Chocolate & Orange Zest.
Address: 24 Ho Tung Mau, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Maison Marou
Famous for their Vietnam-made chocolate, Maison Marou are serving up some mesmerising mooncakes, with flavours including Peanut Praline & Chocolate, Kumquat Jam & Chocolate, and Coconut Coffee & Chocolate.
Address: 169 Calmette Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: +84 28 7300 5010
Maison Mooncake
Oh so luxuriously presented, Maison Mooncake’s offerings are delicate and delightful, with ingredients sourced from Hong Kong to ensure premium fresh quality. In addition to familiar flavours such as Oolong Tea, Green Tea Lotus, Salted Egg Lotus, Red Beans and Custard, Maison Mooncake’s premium line also features tastes of sesame, black walnut, apricot and blueberry.
Address: F6 105A Nguyen Trai Street, Thuong Dinh, District Thanh Xuan, Hanoi. Tel: +84 24 3519093
Brodard
Elegantly designed, Brodard’s “Crafted from the Heart - Gifts Full of Love” mooncake gift sets are perfect for the occasion. Their mooncake flavours include Roast Chicken & Shark Fin, Vegetarian Mung Bean, Taro, Butterfly Pea & Cream Cheese, and Lotus Seed & Green Tea.
Address: 11 Nguyen Thiep Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: +84 913041948.