Anhui-style mooncakes bring authentic taste to E China

Packaged Anhui-style homemade mooncakes made by Cheng Guisheng, a 68-year-old Chinese baker, are displayed in Xiuning county, East China's Anhui province, Sept 29, 2017. [Photo/IC]

Traditional homemade mooncakes in East China's Anhui province have a very different flavor and shape from the better-known Cantonese-style or Suzhou-style Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies.

The flaky pastry is made from flour and vegetable oil. The stuffing, mixing preserved wild vegetables with fresh pork suet and sugar, produces an exceptionally refreshing aroma and a spicy-sweet taste.

As a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival treat from ancient times, the Huizhou mooncake still maintains its popularity among local people.

Cheng Guisheng, a 68-year-old baker in Anhui, enjoys a reputation for making Anhui-style mookcakes using ancient eight step techniques, which include making pastry, seasoning the stuffing, rolling out the dough, wrapping the stuffing, molding, branding and baking.

He learned the recipe when he was a child. After decades of practice, he and his family continue to serve the mooncakes to locals' delight.