Baotou moon cakes made manually [Photo/bt.wenming.cn]

The moon cake is a symbol of the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept 10 this year. Baotou people make moon cakes in a unique way using techniques that have been handed down since ancient times.

The ingredients for making moon cakes in Baotou are sourced locally. One of them is sesame oil, a local specialty and high-grade edible oil. It has anti-aging, beauty and fitness effects when used over a long period of time, and has also been shown to be useful in hair growth, pain relief, killing pests, and swelling reduction.

The flour required for production is selected from local high-quality wheat, washed and dried, and then artificially ground, giving it more of a grain flavor than machine-processed flour.

A Baotou resident kneads dough with local wheat flour to make Baotou moon cakes. [Photo/bt.wenming.cn]

The fillings of Baotou moon cakes are also different from other moon cakes. Brown sugar, peanuts, and smashed roasted buns make the fillings blend with the dough and have a soft taste.

In the final baking step, the uniqueness of Baotou moon cakes is highlighted. Unlike ordinary moon cakes, which are processed in an oven, Baotou moon cakes are placed in a pan on a charcoal fire, and the moon cakes are manually turned according to the heat.