Special food has always played an integral part in any traditional Chinese event.

节日小吃向来是中国传统佳节必不可缺的一环。

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, which will be celebrated this year on Sept 15, the mooncake is a staple.

今年的中秋佳节恰逢9月15日，月饼则是必备的节日美食。

Fresh fillings

新奇的口味

Mooncakes have become more diverse over the years.

这些年来，月饼的口味变得越来越多样化。

If you’ve had your fill of traditional flavors like red bean, *walnut *kernels, candied tangerine, *shredded coconut, white lotus or egg yolk, try something a bit more creative.

如果你已经厌倦了红豆、五仁、蜜桔、椰蓉、白莲蓉、蛋黄等传统口味，不如试些新花样。

Many hotels in Beijing have launched mooncake gift boxes with new fillings like egg custard, tiramisu paste and ham.

北京的许多酒家推出了如奶黄、提拉米苏、火腿等新口味的月饼礼盒。

Days before the festival, residents in cities like Shanghai and Suzhou queue around the block outside bakeries to grab their freshly baked meat or crab mooncakes.

而上海、苏州等地的居民节前则在街上的面包店外大排长龙，购买新鲜出炉的鲜肉或蟹肉月饼。

Ice-cream cakes are also worth a try, especially for those with a sweet tooth.

对于那些喜爱甜食的人而言，冰淇淋月饼尤其值得一试。

The sugary snacks often feature a chocolate *crust and are filled with various delicious flavors of ice cream.

这种甜点的外层多为巧克力，而内馅则是各式各样口味的冰淇淋。

Lovely leftovers

多余月饼的妙用

*Surplus mooncakes could be a sweet burden after the festival is over.

佳节一过，多余的月饼便成了甜蜜的负担。

To avoid waste, Sichuan Daily offers some recipes to re-use those leftover cakes, like mooncake porridge or salad.

为避免浪费，《四川日报》专门介绍了月饼糊、月饼沙拉等食谱，为人们解决多余的月饼出点子。

Most people mix beans with sugar and nuts to make soybean milk.

大多数人将大豆、白糖以及坚果混合制成豆浆。

For something different, try emptying the fillings of nut-flavored mooncakes into the soybean milk machine together with the beans.

而更有创意的一种做法是，将月饼的果仁馅和大豆一起放入豆浆机中搅拌。

Generally, one normal-sized five-nut mooncake can be transformed into two bottles of soybean milk when mixing with 100g beans and 1,200ml water.

通常情况下，一个正常大小的五仁月饼、100克的大豆以及1200毫升的水，便能做成两瓶豆浆。

It’s best not to fry leftover mooncakes as this will send their fat and calorie content sky high.

然而，最好不要煎炸食用这些剩余的月饼，因为这样会使月饼的脂肪含量和卡路里奇高无比。

A more obvious way to enjoy them without the guilt would be by combining them with fresh fruits and vegetables, suggests Zhang Ying, a nutritionist at The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu.

成都第三人民医院的营养师张颖建议，将月饼和新鲜蔬果共同食用，可以降低罪恶感。

Other indulgences

其余佳肴

Mid-Autumn isn’t all about the mooncakes.

中秋佳肴并不仅仅只有月饼。

Other popular festival *delicacies include *taro, river snails, wine *fermented with *osmanthus flowers, duck, pumpkin and crab.

芋头、田螺、酒酿桂花、鸭子、南瓜、螃蟹等美食也备受欢迎。

Taro is often boiled, peeled and eaten after dipping in caster sugar – it’s even said to dispel bad luck.

人们认为，将水煮芋头剥皮后蘸糖吃，能够驱除厄运。

Autumn is considered the best time to enjoy duck and people across China all have their own special regional cooking methods for the bird.

正所谓秋高鸭肥，而中国各地也有不同的食鸭方法。

Nanjing Saltwater Duck, for example, is marinated and simmered with ginger, onion and star anise.

例如，南京盐水鸭便是以姜、洋葱以及八角腌制炖煮而成。

Hairy Crab is also a highlight of the Mid-Autumn reunion dinner, especially in Shanghai and Jiangsu.

而在上海和江苏等地，毛蟹则是中秋团圆宴上的又一亮点。

Local people believe that the tastiest way to eat hairy crab is to steam it to keep its original flavor then pair with vinegar and bruised ginger.

当地人认为，清蒸保留了螃蟹的原汁原味，再佐以醋和姜末，是食用毛蟹的最佳方法。

Whether you’re a huge food fan or not, the Mid-Autumn festival is a time for getting together with family.

不论你是否是个吃货，中秋节都是阖家团圆的日子。

So go spend some time catching up with the ones you love – just don’t forget to unbuckle your belt if you do have one too many mooncakes.

所以多花些时间和你爱的人待在一起吧 —— 如果吃了太多月饼的话，别忘了松开腰带。