September 21, 2021 is Mid-Autumn Festival, a centuries-old tradition deeply valued by Asian cultures around the world. Known as a time of the Harvest Moon, where the moon is believed to be shining its brightest, Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important celebration in Chinese culture. It is a time where families unite from far and wide to enjoy an indulgent meal, admire the bright full moon, light ceremonial lanterns, and share sweet delicacies of the occasion: mooncake.
For the very first time, Buttermere Patisserie is offering charming mooncakes to celebrate this significant cultural tradition. “The traditional mooncake is a round, baked delicacy filled with lotus paste and a salted egg yolk meant to depict the moon,” explains Jamie Tung, owner and pastry chef of Buttermere Patisserie. “At Buttermere, we like to do things a little differently while still honouring cultural traditions, which is why we decided to offer a mixture of historical convention and present-day style in both flavour and look.”
Buttermere Patisserie’s mooncakes are made with steamed glutinous rice flour to make a mochi-like pastry shell and shaped to tell the mythical love story of Goddess Chang’e. Each mooncake symbolizes a piece of the ancient legend: the white coconut pandan Jade Hare (玉兔) is the mythical moon rabbit sent to accompany Goddess Chang’e; the green matcha red bean Marigold (萬壽菊) is a symbol of love and despair; the dark pink cream cheese cranberry Lotus (蓮花) is a depiction of purity and union; the black sesame hazelnut Hua-Chuan (花窗) is the shape of the antique Chinese window pane from which one admires the moon; the purple milky taro Auspicious Cloud (祥雲) is a popular mark in the evening sky; and the classic yellow salted egg custard Mid-Autumn mooncake is an ode to the heritage folklore.
Sold only as a package of 6 in a Buttermere branded hand-carry box, each mooncake weighs about 50 grams and comes individually packed. Buttermere’s mooncakes are priced at $60 each set and available for pre-order August 23rd through to September 18th online for pick up or delivery from September 12th to September 21st.
