With the Mid-Autumn Festival less than half a month away, moon cakes, one of the symbolic foods of the festival, are in full swing these days. In addition to the moon cakes packaged in major supermarkets, some traditional freshly handmade moon cakes are also favored by citizens.  

“It is now the peak period. The orders are coming one after another, and we are working overtime to make moon cakes.” During the past few days, a traditional moon cake production enterprise on Donglin Road of Baoshan was extremely busy.

61-year-old Zhang Xiru is the leader here. With 31 years of experience in making vegan moon cakes, Zhang continued to make moon cakes by hand with seven other bakers this year. From soaking powder, mixing materials, kneading stuffing to rubbing, making cakes, and baking, they strove for perfection in every step. “The key is the raw materials. Although the cost is high, you must choose fresh sesame, walnuts and other nuts.”  Zhang Xiru said.

The company has been producing vegan moon cakes for 16 years. This year, the seaweed, the five-kernel and the walnut black sesame flavors here again won the title of Shanghai Excellent Moon Cake in 2021, which is their 9th consecutive championship, and the price has not increased for six consecutive years. “We have maintained the standard of 48 grams of filling and 80 grams for each moon cake. In every procedure, the spirit of craftsmanship is also demonstrated.” Zhang Xiru said that in addition to the affordable price, the secret of the “popular” handmade moon cakes lies in the selection of raw materials and excellent processing techniques: “For example, the process of making cakes must not be too slow. Otherwise, the pastry can easily leak out, and the moon cakes will crack. The appropriate pace is to make seven to eight moon cakes in a minute.”

At a little bit past 13:00, another batch of moon cakes was freshly baked, and the fragrance of the cakes came out, attracting many customers. Ms. Zhu from Shanghai passed by and bought her favorite flavors of five kernels, the walnut black sesame and the seaweed. She bought six of each flavor not only for herself, but for her son and daughter living in the city center:“Their moon cakes are genuinely great since the black sesame and the walnuts are all of good quality. The materials are good, and the price is moderate.”

The company representative told reporters that the eight bakers are currently making 4000 moon cakes a day, and they will increase production in the days to come: “We are now at full capacity and actively prepare stocks. The week before the Mid-Autumn Festival will usher in the peak of sales, and we will sell 10 to 20 thousand boxes per day. Around 50,000 boxes of mooncakes will be sold throughout the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Not only are traditional handmade moon cakes favored and their production volume being soaring, all kinds of moon cakes are also rushing to the major supermarkets, attracting citizens to have a try.

The reporter saw in a supermarket in the city that the moon cake area with a strong reunion flavor had been well decorated, and the banners with the words “Merry Mid-Autumn Festival” and “Wish You a Perfect Conjugal Bliss” were very eye-catching. The shelves are also full of all kinds of moon cakes. In addition to traditional flavors such as egg yolk, lotus paste, fruit, and five-kernel, merchants have also introduced many new varieties in order to cater to consumer needs.

Some well-known brands of bulk moon cakes have already provided discounts. Gift boxes of moon cakes are available in various grades, and there are also affordable prices a bit more than 100 yuan per box. According to the sales assistant of the moon cake, moon cake sales during this period were mainly for pre-festival taste, and bulk moon cakes were comparatively popular. The peak sales period usually arrives a week before the festival, and supermarkets are also “waiting for it” with sufficient supplies.