Bangkok--8 Aug--The Peninsula Bangkok
Hotel chefs to prepare 3,000 mooncakes daily in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Peninsula Bangkok celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with the ever-popular hand-made Peninsula mooncakes, together with special set menus at the award-winning Mei Jiang Chinese restaurant.
Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn or Zhongqiu Festival. One of the four most important Chinese festivals, it honours lunar worship and moon watching. The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. The date parallels the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. Traditionally, the Emperor would worship the moon during autumn and give thanks for the harvesting season and people would gather to admire the moon, eat mooncakes and partake in other cultural customs. Today, mooncakes are still considered an indispensable delicacy on this occasion and are offered by friends, colleagues and at family gatherings while celebrating the festival.
This year The Peninsula Bangkok’s Executive Chinese Chef Jackie Ho and his team will hand-make 128,000 mooncakes (the equivalent of 3,000 mooncakes per day), using approximately 25 tonnes of ingredients, including duck eggs, which give the very best quality and flavour. No preservatives are used, and the pastry skin is delicate but strong enough to withstand the baking process.
At 1.5 inches each, 128,000 mooncakes stacked atop each other would soar an impressive 4,885 metres into the sky — 40 times higher than The Peninsula Bangkok at 120 metres tall. Placed side by side the 128,000 mooncakes would stretch for almost five kilometres along the Chao Phraya River, the mighty River of Kings that flows past the hotel.
Freshly made by The Peninsula’s skilled chefs on a daily basis and with only a limited quantity
available each day, the delicious treats are available in two flavours — Lotus Seed Paste and the best seller, Egg Custard, which is created from a traditional secret recipe originating at The Peninsula Hong Kong.
The home-made mooncakes are priced at THB 520 per box of eight, and can be purchased from two locations at the hotel - The Peninsula Boutique on Level G (between 7:30 am and 8:30 pm) and Mei Jiang restaurant on Level G (between 11.30 am and 10.30 pm).
“Early Bird” orders placed from 1 to 31 August will enjoy one additional complimentary box for every purchase of 10 boxes. Free delivery is offered to one location within the Bangkok metropolitan area for purchases of 50 boxes or more (a minimum of three days’ advance notice is required), and special corporate prices are available for bulk orders. **
From 1 to 12 September, mooncakes are also on sale at The Emporium (on the 5th floor, opposite the supermarket entrance) and Siam Paragon Shopping Complex (Ground floor, in front of the Gourmet Market).
There will also be a special Mid-Autumn Set Menu on offer at Mei Jiang restaurant from 9 to12 September 2011. Diners can enjoy the Set Lunch at THB 1,680* per person and Set Dinner at THB 2,280* per person.
For enquiries and orders, please contact The Peninsula Boutique on (66-2) 861 2374 or email:
[email protected]
*Prices are subject to 10% service charge and applicable government tax.
**Complimentary box, free delivery and special corporate prices are available only with Early Bird orders.