People in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces eat taro during the Mid-Autumn Festival because, in local dialects, taro sounds like 'good luck is coming' in Chinese.

This dish is only cooked on Mid-Autumn Day, partly because it is cooked with osmanthus flowers.Īs the name suggests, it's a very salty dish and goes well with light vegetable dishes characteristic of this time of year. In Nanjing, a typical dish on the dinner table is Osmanthus Duck, known as Nanjing Salted Duck in other parts of the country. Osmanthus wine is popular over the mid-autumn festival as the osmanthus flowers blossom in August. In TCM, the crab has a cooling effect on the body, and ginger, vinegar and wine are said to have warming qualities. The crab is usually paired with hot ginger tea or wine. However, for most people, a pair of scissors and a pair of hands will do. There is an intricate method to getting the delicious meat out from these crabs, with a set of about 7 or 8 tools which each have their own function. Suzhou is famous for hairy crabs, as the most ex-pensive come from Yangcheng Lake, just outside of the city. In late September and October, an entire pop-up economy appears around these crabs, and they fetch crazy prices. This dish is prized for its subtle taste and its cooling (yin 寒性) effect on the body, a concept central to Tradi-tional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Hairy crab is a delicacy in China, only available during a few short autumn months. Suzhou and Shanghai - Hairy crab with tea or osmanthus wine Restaurants paint the mashed potato with food colouring to give its bright appearance, and it can be served with a number of sauces, including sesame, to help give it some flavour. Today, the rabbit is a cute mascot which people make out of clay, or out of mashed potato for the dinner table. Thanks to the rabbit, Beijingers recovered, and Tu Ye became a legend. Chang’e, the Moon Goddess, sent her pet, Yutu, or the Jade Rabbit in English, down to earth to cure the sick. Legend has it that one year, a great plague hit the city of Beijing. Tu Ye (兔爷), or Grandpa Rabbit, is a famous fairy tale legend from Beijing. We take a look at some of the dishes enjoyed around the country during the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, in different cities and regions around China, people enjoy different dishes aside from just mooncakes. It's a time for families to meet up, spend time together, and eat mooncakes - a round pastry loaded with one of any number of fillings. Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important festivals in China, takes place on September 13 this year - this coming Friday.

Midautumn foods