Traditional Mooncakes

Fillings

The types of filling vary according to the region's tradition. The most used fillings are as follows:

Lotus seed paste (莲蓉, lían róng): It is made from dried lotus seeds. Lotus seed paste is considered by some people the most delicious and luxurious filling for mooncakes.

Sweet bean paste (豆沙, dòu shā): There are several types of sweet bean paste: mung bean paste, red bean paste and black bean potato paste. Red bean paste is the most commonly used filling for mooncakes.

Five kernel (五仁, wǔ rén): This filling consists of 5 types of nuts and seeds. The types of nuts and seeds vary according to different regions, but commonly used nuts and seeds include: walnuts, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds and almonds.

Egg yolk: A whole salted egg yolk is placed in the center of mooncakes to symbolize the full moon.

Jujube paste: A sweet paste made from the ripe fruits of the jujube (date) plant. It is dark red in color.