The mooncake is a festive food. Enjoying the moon and eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional custom in China. Lotus seed paste mooncakes have always been loved for their fragrant, smooth, and delicate texture.
Lotus seeds are the main ingredient for the lotus seed paste filling. Lotus seeds can be red or white, and consequently, the paste is also divided into red and white lotus seed paste. Lotus seeds are the seeds of the lotus plant (Nelumbo nucifera). In autumn, when the fruit is mature, the lotus seed pod is cut open to extract the seeds. After removing the pericarp and drying them, they become red lotus seeds. Red lotus seeds are then processed to remove their skin, becoming white lotus seeds. In terms of nutritional value, there is little difference between red and white lotus seeds. Both are rich in nutrients needed by the human body, such as protein, carbohydrates, and various vitamins and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and iron, making them suitable for all ages. From a medicinal perspective, lotus seeds are believed to tonify the middle burner, benefit the heart and kidneys, calm the mind, and strengthen the spleen and stomach. They can be used for conditions like a weak constitution, a weak spleen and stomach after illness or childbirth, irritability, insomnia, poor appetite, and specific issues like lower back pain and leukorrhea in women due to blood deficiency, or spermatorrhea in men due to kidney qi deficiency. Red lotus seeds are more often used for nourishing the blood and improving complexion, while white lotus seeds have a slight edge in tonifying qi. In terms of texture, cooked white lotus seeds are soft and glutinous with a light fragrance, whereas red lotus seeds are harder to cook, with a firmer texture and a slightly astringent taste.
Although lotus seeds are highly nourishing, when made into a filling, a large amount of sugar and oil is added, transforming them into a high-fat and high-sugar food. Eating too many can affect blood sugar and lipid levels and is not good for gastrointestinal health. Therefore, regardless of the type, one should only have a small taste of mooncakes, ideally no more than a quarter of one at a time, to avoid excessive intake of calories and fat. When enjoying mooncakes, it is best to have a cup of hot tea or plain water on hand, which can help cut through the greasiness. Additionally, because tea is low in calories, it is a more suitable beverage than options like cola or coffee. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers mooncakes to be sweet and greasy. When consumed warm, they are "transformed" (digested), but when cold, they "congeal" (cause stagnation), which can easily lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. Furthermore, vinegar drinks are also a good accompaniment to mooncakes. The acetic acid in vinegar can help soften blood vessels, lower blood pressure, aid digestion, and promote the dissolution of nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and iron from the food, facilitating the body's absorption of these beneficial substances and thus providing good support for the spleen, stomach, and digestion.