<Taste>Pineapple Cakes in Taiwan

On Sep 27, Taiwanese people will celebrate the moon festival which is the most important festival in Taiwan. On that day, families will gather and have a nice meal together. In addition to a delicious meal, people will also have Pomelo and mooncakes as well. There is an interesting story about the mooncake. A folk tale said that when people in ancient China wanted to overthrow the ruling party, they would put the secret message in the mooncake and spread them. I have to admit that this was a very smart way to spread information when people didn't have smartphones.

However, the tradition changes in Taiwan in recent years. We prefer BBQ that day and some people will buy pineapple cakes instead of mooncakes. Why do people choose pineapple cakes instead? First, eating mooncakes all the time is so boring and they are usallully too big for one bite. You cannot enjoy one mooncake yourself in a cafe with a cup of coffee or tea. Also, "pineapple" this word in Taiwanese means here comes the fortune. Thus, pineapple cakes become a decent gift on moon festival and other festivals.

In the past, pineapple cake is originally made from winter melon and add some pineapple flavor. As time past, chemical analysis found out that pineapple cake was not actually "pineapple" cake so people feel cheated for all these years. Then, some bakery started to make it with true pineapple. Nowadays, as the government promote pineapple cake to the world, it becomes so popular and a must-buy in the souvenir stores.

My mom can also make excellent pineapple cakes. She sent some to Sweden when I was an exchange student there. I brought some to the gathering with international students and they all say it's the best dessert with coffee. I also took some to the Taiwanese people in Sweden. They all felt homesick when they had the first bite. Next time, if you don't know what to bring as a gift to your friends' place. Bring the pineapple cake and I promise they will love it.

#taste #pineapplecake #moonfestival