Chef Ryu Osaki pulls trays of golden-yellow mooncakes from the piping hot pastry oven. The delicate, buttery cookie casing filled with dense, tiger-orange custard cream bears a final hallmark of its origins: a phoenix emblem pressed into its top.
¡°While the ingredients are Japanese, the recipes are based on traditional Cantonese flavors,¡± says Osaki, executive Chinese chef at The Peninsula Hotel¡¯s , of his delicate creations central to any celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. ¡°We take special care to deliver authentic flavors rather than localizing it to Japanese tastes.¡±
The Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is one of the most significant celebrations in Chinese culture. It¡¯s a public holiday in China, and many countries across Asia ¡ª including Japan ¡ª celebrate the full moon that waxes on the day. With this year¡¯s festival set to fall on Sept. 10, family and friends will soon pray for good fortune, give thanks for a bountiful harvest and, of course, treat one another to mooncakes.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.