Place Of Origin: | China |
Name Lang: | zh |
Type: | Mooncake |
Associated Cuisine: | Hakka cuisine |
Main Ingredient: | Glutinous rice flour and sugar |
C: | 月光饼 |
Lang1: | English |
Lang1 Content: | Moonlight cake/ Hakka mooncake/ Hakka Mooncake Biscuits/ Hakka Moonlight biscuit |
Lang2: | Mauritian creole |
Lang2 Content: | Gato lalune |
P: | Yuèguāngbǐng |
L: | Moonlight biscuit |
H: | ngiad6 guong1 biang3 |
, also called moonlight cake, Hakka mooncake, and sometimes referred as Hakka mooncake biscuits or Hakka Moonlight cake in English, is a form of traditional mooncake of Hakka origins. It is a white, flat and disc-like biscuit which typically features carvings and paintings of flowers and animals on its top surface as adornments. It was traditionally used as offerings to the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival.[1] It is also consumed by the Hakka diaspora and/or people of Chinese and/or Hakka heritage in countries outside of China, such as countries in the regions of Southeast Asia and Africa (Mauritius).[2]
The is mainly composed of two ingredients: glutinous rice flour and sugar. If there is any fillings inside the cake, it is usually candied winter melon, desiccated coconut, and sesame seeds which is mixed with glutinous rice flour, sugar, margarine, and water.
The continues to be produced, sold, and consumed on the island of Mauritius by the Sino-Mauritians community during the Mid-Autumn Festival as a traditional custom and practice. The has been introduced by the Hakka diaspora and their ancestors, where it is called Niat Kwong kow (; Hakka Chinese: ngiad6 guong1 gau1) but is more commonly referred by its local Mauritian creole name as gato lalune although the term gato lalune is also applied to several forms of mooncakes, including the Niat piang .