Duck, Duck, Duck… Moon?
Date: 9th September 2022
Author: Laura Dodwell-Groves
Did you know there is a tradition of eating duck at Mid-Autumn festival dating back over 700 years?
No, I admit neither did I. Living in HK since I was three-years-old and I didn’t know?! How embarrassing. Insert face slap emoji here please. In school I learnt a lot about Chang-e: sacrificing her life for her husband and flying up to the moon for eternity, sharing the moon with a Jade Rabbit, etc. But ducks?!
Unwelcome Mongolian visitors
More myth than history perhaps, the popularity of the tradition dates back to the Yuan dynasty (founded by the Mongolian Kublai Khan, the first non-Han emperor). The Chinese term for Mongol at the time was similar to the pronunciation of the word duck, and so the rebels would secretly encourage their followers with coded messages to “eat duck” at Mid-Autumn Festival. Mooncakes sometimes pop up in this myth too and maybe an influence for the salted duck eggs that form the traditional mooncake centres.
So why eat duck now?
Eating duck is a common celebratory meal. Symbolising loyalty fidelity, it crops up often at weddings. Duck is plentifully available with very little waste, which helps with the budget and with food sustainability. While it packs a bit more of a calorific punch than e.g. chicken, it is denser in energy and minerals and will fit well into a low carb or low sugar diet.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, duck is a cooling (yin) food which contrasts well with the warming (yang) of mooncakes if that is your usual indulgence.
Scared to cook duck at home?
Don’t be – just waddle a bit before you fly. Start with the breast rather than a whole duck. Quick marinades will still give you the sense of the traditional Cantonese or Peking style. And it can be precooked and kept in the fridge for 3 days if you are looking for a fast workday evening meal (10 mins to reheat).
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Ducking for Meaning
Mid-autumn festival at its heart is about family and harvest: coming together and celebrating what you have. Introducing duck can be a fun way to bring traditions, old and new, into the minds and stomachs of a new generation. Not to mention it’s a rather yummy way to spend a long weekend.
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