Just about every country and culture in the world has a festival or holiday recognizing the harvest season, which, in the northern hemisphere, comes in late summer or early fall.
In many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Cambodia and Thailand, that event is called the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Moon Festival, and people there honor the full, harvest moon with family reunions, lantern-lighting celebrations, meals and gifts. In the United States, Asian Americans celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 10 this year.
One of the special treats during the festival are moon cakes, which are often delicately latticed desserts filled with everything from bean paste, lotus paste and salted duck egg yolks to taro and coconut. Families gather together to eat the moon cakes and drink tea.
Penelope Wong, who owns the Yuan Wonton food truck, said on Instagram that she spends three days making her delicate moon cakes, using duck eggs and lotus paste.
She details the labor-intensive and time-consuming process on her Instagram page.
Want to try some moon cakes? Here are three places to get them this week.
Penelope Wong
Moon cakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Harvest in many Asian communities. (Penelope Wong)
Yuan Wonton Food Truck
The popular Yuan Wonton makes its weekly stop at Long Table Brewhouse, 2895 Fairfax St., on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 4 to 7:30 p.m., and Yuan Wonton owner Penelope Wong will have her homemade moon cakes. It’s a good idea to pre-order since she typically sells out of everything. But she will be taking a few walk-up orders that day as well.
Far East Center
The Denver Streets Partnership and Little Saigon Vietnamese restaurant are sponsoring a Mid-Autumn Festival at the Far East Center, 333 S. Federal Blvd., on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11. Saturday’s festivities run from 5 p.m. and include a night market, while Sunday’s events take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You’ll find two restaurants in the Center selling mooncakes, Vinh Xuong Bakery and Celestial Bakery. But the Center’s Mimi Luong said several Asian supermarkets will have pre-packaged brand-name boxes of mooncakes as well, including GW supermarket, Little Saigon Supermarket, and Viet Hoa Supermarket. In addition to moon cakes, there will be Asian-inspired street food, lanterns, music and performers. There is also a pho-eating contest, a moon cake-eating contest, a lion dance performance and a traditional drum performance.
Jade Mountain Brewery & Teahouse
Not only can you find moon cakes at Jade Mountain Brewery & Teahouse’s Mid-Autumn Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10, but there will also be a moon cake beer. The fest takes place from 2 to 10 p.m. at the brewery, 4233 S. Buckley Road, in Aurora, and features a wide variety of vendors, including the Ninja Ramen Mobile food truck, Not You Mama’s Cupcakes, the Conbini store, Colorado Cocoa Pod, Gochu Sauce, and many more. The brewery will tap several beers, including Moon Cake, which was brewed with purple ube sweet potatoes, coconut and wheat, as well as a Rice Saison, a Lychee Black Tea beer and a Match Chocolate Stout.
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