Mooncake

There is this story about the moon cake. During the Yuan dynasty (AD 1280-1368), China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (AD 960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to the foreign rule, and decided to find a way to coordinate the rebellion without being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Baked into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. Today, mooncakes are eaten to commemorate this legend and were called the Mooncake.
For generations, mooncakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates (枣子), wrapped in a pastry. Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert. People compare mooncakes to the plum pudding and fruit cakes which are served in English holiday seasons. Nowadays, there are hundred varieties of mooncakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Moon Festival.