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The debut marks the first time The Westin Surabaya team presents snow skin mooncakes to family, friends, and guests for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival.
3,000 years of history continued at The Westin Surabaya
The origins of the mooncake lie in ancient times and can be traced back over 3,000 years. However, it was not until the Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368) that this sweet pastry treat became synonymous with the auspicious mid-autumn festival – one of four significant holidays in the Chinese calendar held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar year.
Traditionally baked mooncakes are made from a sweet, dense pastry filled with either delicious red bean, sesame or lotus seed paste and topped with an intricate pattern symbolising good-luck sentiments like ‘longevity’ or ‘harmony’. The scrumptious filling is often paired with a salted whole duck egg yolk – or two if one is lucky, which represents the full moon.
Unlike traditional moon cakes, snow skin mooncakes are not baked and originated in the Chinese city of Hong Kong in the 1960s as a healthier alternative to the rich baked variety.
Nowadays, mooncakes come in different sizes and multiple flavours and are even suitable for people unable to eat them in the past. The Westin Surabaya‘s low-sugar snow skin mooncakes, which contain less sugar, provides an even healthier Eat Well option. Yet, regardless of the changes, the tradition and symbolism of love, family and sharing remain the same.
The Westin Surabaya’s first Snow Skin Mooncakes
The Westin Surabaya‘s Snow Skin Mooncakes range has been hand-selected by the hotel’s Head Chef and Culinary Team and expertly blends tradition with exciting new flavours meaningfully.
“The flavours chosen represent our collective team’s memories of childhood and what it means to spend time with friends and family throughout the year. Whether it is the orange given to you by your grandma or the first bite of a custard bun as a child, each was chosen to indulge the senses and help us relive some of those happy memories,” said Twedi Martatna, Complex Director of Culinary The Westin Surabaya and Four Points by Sheraton Surabaya, Pakuwon Indah.
The Snow Skin Mooncake flavours curated this year are:
Bamboo Charcoal & Golden Naiwong Custard
- Peach Blossom
- Mandarin Orange
- Japanese Matcha
- Red Strawberry
The Westin Surabaya also offers traditionally baked mooncakes with a twist, adding a quintessential flavour of Southeast Asia, Pandan.
The Baked Mooncake flavours include:
- White Lotus
- White Lotus with Egg Yolk
- Green Tea
- Pandan and Red Bean
The White Lotus Mooncake that is the quintessential representation of Cantonese-style Mooncakes, is one of the guests’ most favourite and popular choice. The healthy ingredients of white lotus seed paste, melon seed, golden syrup, and peanut oil are perfect for those who prefer traditional taste. Guests are provided the options of baked White Lotus Mooncake with or without the egg yolk.
Gift sets of four mooncakes will also come presented in a seasonally sensational presentation box with decorative motifs representing the heart of the occasion, such as harmony, peace, or longevity. The Mooncakes can also be bought in bags with a variety of colour selections such as purple lavender, sunset coral, mint leaves, and ocean blue. Other than adding a little touch of elegance to the mooncakes, these bags can be multipurposed and brought anywhere for other daily activities.
Mooncakes of all varieties can be purchased from The Westin Surabaya or online. Guests also have a chance to enjoy the delicious mooncakes with the Early Bird discount until the 17th of August 2022.
For more information or to purchase moon cake gift sets, please visit www.westinsurabaya.com
Source: The Westin Surabaya
