China not over the moon about cakes
Wed, September 17 2008
Mooncakes — heavy blocks of sticky lotus seed or red bean paste mixed with whole egg yolks, encased in a thin pastry embossed with Chinese characters and motifs — have enjoyed a comeback among both young and old in recent years, Hong Kong bakers said.
But the increased demand for the treat, traditionally given as presents to mark the autumn moon, has not translated into profits for the bakeries because of the global rise in the cost of raw ingredients.
Wing Wah, the oldest mooncake manufacturer in Hong Kong, said the cost of peanut oil had jumped 80 per cent because of the surge in peanut prices in China.
Flour costs 10 per cent more than last year while egg yolks — embedded whole in the filling to symbolize the phases of the moon — are up 20 per cent.
The more costly ingredients have contributed to a 26 per cent increase in overall production costs, said Lee Ying-kuen, spokesman for the brand.
“We had no choice but to increase the price as the ingredients have become so expensive now,” Lee said, adding that the company has capped its retail price rises at five per cent.
“We don’t want to drive our long-time customers away by matching the prices with the cost of production. We’d rather live with smaller profits,” he said.
A box of four double-yoke Wing Wah mooncakes costs Hong Kong $278.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the second most important on the lunar calendar after Chinese New Year, is based on the legend of Chang E, the mythical moon fairy who lived in a crystal palace and came out only once a year to dance on the moon’s shadowed surface.
The most famous story linked to mooncakes is that they were used to conceal secret messages sent among Chinese revolutionaries who plotted the overthrow of the Mongol invaders in the fourteenth century.
These days, families gather together for large meals, traditionally on the evening of the new moon which this year falls today, with the mooncakes central to the celebrations.
Apart from the lotus-seed Cantonese version, mooncakes vary in style across China. Those from Chaozhou in eastern Guangdong province, for instance, contain sweet yam paste.
As shoppers have become more health conscious, mooncakes have also been criticized for their high fat and cholesterol content.
