Kunshan cuisine: the best bites of autumn

Fresh pork moon cakes have a crispy and flaky pastry. [Photo from Wechat account ksntv0512]

Fresh pork moon cakes (Chinese: 鮮肉月餅)

Typically eaten from mid-August to mid-October

With the Mid-Autumn Festival fast approaching on Sept 15, Kunshan locals are priming their ovens and readying their taste buds for the famed Suzhou variety of moon cakes.

The moon cakes enjoyed in Kunshan and the surrounding area have a history that stretches back over a thousand years and for good reason, they’re delicious! Both the crust and the filling differ greatly from the majority of moon cakes consumed around China during the Mid-Autumn festival.

Unlike typical varieties made with a thick and chewy-style pastry, Suzhou moon cakes are crescent-shaped and flaky because of the wrapping of several thin layers of flour. On the inside, these moon cakes are stuffed with a savory meat filling, typically pork, as opposed to many of the sweet varieties common in China. Fresh pork moon cakes have a crispy and flaky pastry. [Photo from Wechat account ksntv0512]

Why are the fresh pork moon cakes so popular? The secret perhaps lies in continued tradition of making these delicious cakes by hand which helps to give the pastry the perfect texture.