Fresh meat mooncakes, nothing special

Fresh meat mooncakes, nothing special

The Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions, is coming very soon! In the Jiangnan region, pork-filled mooncake from the hot ovens has become as much of a buzzword as meat zongzi, salty soybean pudding, and magnolia cake. Suzhou-style mooncakes were originally called "flaky-style mooncakes," and a single bite could make ten crumbs fall! In Wuxi, bakeries and pastry shops started selling them over a month ago. If they weren't selling well, they would not have accompanied Wuxi locals throughout the summer. However, pork-filled mooncakes are really nothing special, especially when compared to those made in Changjing Town, Jiangyin City, Wuxi.

An old street full of mooncake shops

The mooncake recommendations from Jiangyin Changjing are definitely worth considering! Under the reign of the Guangxu Emperor, the time-honored brand, and the cultural heritage of Changjing mooncake from Jiangyin, Wuxi, once graced the palates of Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor as tributes. In the mooncake shops of Changjing, internet-famous pork-filled mooncakes don't even make the must-taste list nowadays.

"Pork-filled mooncakes were the newcomers. Our shop didn't have this flavor in the beginning," said the top saleswoman at a mooncake shop in Changjing, who seemed somewhat unfamiliar with meat mooncakes. She told the reporter that the most classic fillings are mixed nuts, pepper salt, and red bean paste.

According to folklore, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, Weng Tonghe, a tutor to two emperors, passed through Changjing. After tasting the mooncakes there, he found them to be delicious and bought a batch to present to the imperial palace. Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi praised them highly. From then on, every Mid-Autumn Festival, a large quantity of specially made mooncakes from Changjing was sent to the Forbidden City, and Changjing mooncakes became famous throughout the nation. In the past, there were many bakeries producing mooncakes in Changjing, with dozens during the Qing Dynasty. Today, there are nearly a hundred pastry shops in Changjing producing Mid-Autumn mooncakes, along the whole length of the street. This old street of Changjing is divided by the Jing River into two streets, the southern (Henan) and northern (Hebei) streets. Therefore, strictly speaking, there are two old streets full of mooncake shops in Changjing.

With so many mooncake shops on the street, it's actually a good thing for us gourmets, as each shop competes to create new flavors. Whether it's salted egg yolk, coconut, chestnut, or even pickled vegetables, you can find a mooncake that suits your taste. Among these exquisite mooncakes, the freshly made pork mooncake has somewhat become just another ordinary option.

Mooncakes with a story taste better

The mooncake-making craft in Changjing has a long history, with the earliest legends dating back to the Yuan Dynasty. It is said that during the late Yuan Dynasty, when peasant uprisings were frequent, one rebel army planned to launch an uprising during the Mid-Autumn Festival by using small pieces of oiled paper attached to mooncakes to convey messages.

This tradition has been preserved to this day. Peeling off the small oiled paper before eating will cause the flaky crust to start falling off. Similar to the ritual of licking the yogurt lid, eating a Changjing mooncake involves the small ritual of licking the oiled paper.

In addition to the habit of sticking oiled paper, Changjing mooncakes still use traditional oiled paper packaging. The mooncakes wrapped in oiled paper exude a bit of oil, making them seem more fragrant than others, perhaps because mooncakes with a story have a richer taste of history.

There is an old saying in Jiangyin Changjing: "Eat up Changjing." In fact, along with the mooncake-making craft, "tea snacks" have also been listed as intangible cultural heritage. Although many new varieties have emerged from the mooncakes on Changjing's old street, the traditional flavors remain, with fillings that are quite substantial. By today's taste standards, some mooncakes from certain shops may seem overly sweet or oily.

After the solar term called White Dew, the tea tastes sweet, mellow, and fragrant. The refreshing tea aroma balances the sweetness of the mooncakes, creating an afternoon tea experience unique to Wuxi.

Tips: The sweetness of the fillings varies from shop to shop, and since there are two streets full of mooncake shops, it's recommended to try a few different places before making bulk purchases!

The mooncakes of Changjing in Jiangyin bring the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere to this place earlier than elsewhere. Arriving at Changjing Old Street 10 days in advance, you'll find not only the delicious mooncakes but also the authentic wooden architecture of the old houses, where you can always experience moments that will move you.

Source: WeChat Account IP WUXI