Marry girl cake
Encyclopedia
Dowry cake is a traditional Chinese pastry that was once a ceremonial cake used as wedding gifts in the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, hence the name. Today, this cake is known more as a classic Chinese pastry rather than a wedding gift because it has lost most of its original significance due to cultural change. It can be found in Hong Kong
and in some Chinatowns overseas.
that may take any number of shapes or appearances. It is considered large compared to the size of most pastries. The internal base of the cake may consist of lotus seed paste
.
. According to Chinese tradition, giving wedding cakes is serious and it shows respect and importance about the wedding. The bridegroom will send marry girl cake to the bride and her family after engagement, which refers to Gwo Dai Lai(過大禮). The bride's family will then give them to their relatives, as to share the happiness with them and tell them the wedding is approaching soon. However, for those who are not that close with the family, the family can choose not to invite them to the wedding and just giving out at least 2 marry girl cakes, meaning pair; as to present a notice about the marriage. And for cake distribution, it can be according to closeness of the friend and seniority
of the family member. There are 4 , 6 or 8 marry girl cake in a pack and those numbers means the traditional thoughts of pairs and even.
. At that time, Liu Bei
had borrowed a place called Jingzhou
for a long period of time and not returning it to its owner, Sun Quan
. Thus, Sun Quan
had accepted the idea of "honey trap" suggested by Zhou Yu
, which was pretending to make his own sister marrying Liu Bei
as to get back the land, who was newly widowed. Then, Liu Bei
was greeted to marry in Soochow. He knew it was a trick. However after arriving Soochow, he told his soldiers to deliver cakes and eventually turned the marriage into real. Since then, Chinese had a custom of sending marry girl cakes when there was marriage, as to share the happiness with family and friends.
First, mix the ingredients of oil skin and soft creamy butter separately, and then evenly divide into 8 parts. Press the oil skin into a flat shape and wrap in butter. Then, use a long stick to roll, turn 90 degrees left and right to the middle and fold into three layers. Press into cakes skin, put lotus seed paste inside and turn it into a cake shape. Put it in an oven for 25-30 minutes, under 180 degrees.
or yolk, it is not that healthy to eat much. There are 169 calories in 1 small square moon cake of oriental pastry (made with Bean or Lotus Seed Paste Filling, Baked).
Moreover, after calorie breakdown, it contains 11% fat
, 81% carbohydrates, 8% protein
. The content of carbohydrate is the highest and there are 677 calories in a large square (whole) of moon cake, who has a similar size as those wedding cakes. Its calories content are even more than a large french fries (500 calories). According to recommended daily calories intake,
men's intake are 2500 calories a day; women's intake are 2000 calories a day and 2,500 in third trimester of pregnancy; children's (aged 5-10) intake are 1800 calories a day. From this data, it shows a whole piece of oriental pastry that made with lotus seed paste already exceeds 1/4 of human's daily recommended intake of calories.
and starch
. It is also the main source in providing energy to body.
However, carbohydrates turn into sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream, meaning that carbohydrates is basically equals to sugar. Taking too much carbohydrate will lead to fat, maybe then develop diabetes, higher blood pressure
or increase risk of heart disease
.
Type 2 Diabetes
Carbohydrates increase insulin
levels in blood. A too high level of carbohydrate intake may lead to the accumulation of glucose in blood and may eventually causes Type 2 Diabetes.
Tooth Decay
Moreover, there is no doubt that sugar promotes tooth decay. Sugar and starch from food are converted into acids by bacteria in plaque, and the acids can dissolve the enamel
of the tooth and cause cavities.
If the bride's grandparents are still there, the bridegroom will send these kinds of cakes to the girl's place to show good faith. This culture will never ends and it totally represents "marriage" in Chinese.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and in some Chinatowns overseas.
Production
The cake is essentially a lightly sweetened sponge cakeSponge cake
Sponge cake is a cake based on flour , sugar, and eggs, sometimes leavened with baking powder which has a firm, yet well aerated structure, similar to a sea sponge. A sponge cake may be produced by either the batter method, or the foam method. Typicially the batter method in the U.S. is known as a...
that may take any number of shapes or appearances. It is considered large compared to the size of most pastries. The internal base of the cake may consist of lotus seed paste
Lotus seed paste
Lotus seed paste is a Chinese dessert ingredient made from dried lotus seeds. It is traditionally considered as a luxurious ingredient.-Production:...
.
Meaning behind
Marry girl cake is a traditional wedding gift which is originally from GuangdongGuangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
. According to Chinese tradition, giving wedding cakes is serious and it shows respect and importance about the wedding. The bridegroom will send marry girl cake to the bride and her family after engagement, which refers to Gwo Dai Lai(過大禮). The bride's family will then give them to their relatives, as to share the happiness with them and tell them the wedding is approaching soon. However, for those who are not that close with the family, the family can choose not to invite them to the wedding and just giving out at least 2 marry girl cakes, meaning pair; as to present a notice about the marriage. And for cake distribution, it can be according to closeness of the friend and seniority
Seniority
Seniority is the concept of a person or group of people being in charge or in command of another person or group. This control is often granted to the senior person due to experience or length of service in a given position, but it is not uncommon for a senior person to have less experience or...
of the family member. There are 4 , 6 or 8 marry girl cake in a pack and those numbers means the traditional thoughts of pairs and even.
History
The beginning of giving out marry girl cakes started from the era of Three KingdomsThree Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
. At that time, Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
had borrowed a place called Jingzhou
Jingzhou
Jingzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River.Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.-Geography:Jingzhou occupies an area of...
for a long period of time and not returning it to its owner, Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
. Thus, Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
had accepted the idea of "honey trap" suggested by Zhou Yu
Zhou Yu
Zhou Yu was a military general and strategist who served his close friend, the warlord Sun Ce, during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
, which was pretending to make his own sister marrying Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
as to get back the land, who was newly widowed. Then, Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
was greeted to marry in Soochow. He knew it was a trick. However after arriving Soochow, he told his soldiers to deliver cakes and eventually turned the marriage into real. Since then, Chinese had a custom of sending marry girl cakes when there was marriage, as to share the happiness with family and friends.
Types
There are around 30-40 types of marry girl cakes, they all taste different and distinct ingredients are used to produce those wedding cakes. And here are the most popular ones.- Colorful preserved eggs pastry(五彩皮蛋酥)
- Duck egg lotus seed paste pastry(蛋黃蓮蓉酥)
- Red lotus seed paste pastry(紅綾蓮蓉酥)
- Yellow green been paste pastry(黃綾荳蓉酥)
- Terminalia walnut pastry(欖仁合桃酥)
- Duck egg lotus seed paste cake(蛋黃蓮蓉雞蛋糕)
- Duck egg pastry(雞油蛋黃酥)
Creation
There are lots ingredients needed to make red lotus seed paste pastry(紅綾蓮蓉酥) (8 pieces). As to make the oil skin, solid vegetable oil 15g, flour 70g, syrup 15g, water 30g, and a little pigment. For making the butter, flour 90g and solid vegetable oil 55g are needed. Lastly, lotus seed paste 300g are used to create the inside part of it.First, mix the ingredients of oil skin and soft creamy butter separately, and then evenly divide into 8 parts. Press the oil skin into a flat shape and wrap in butter. Then, use a long stick to roll, turn 90 degrees left and right to the middle and fold into three layers. Press into cakes skin, put lotus seed paste inside and turn it into a cake shape. Put it in an oven for 25-30 minutes, under 180 degrees.
Nutritional facts
As the internal base of most popular marry girl cakes contains lots of lotus seed pasteLotus seed paste
Lotus seed paste is a Chinese dessert ingredient made from dried lotus seeds. It is traditionally considered as a luxurious ingredient.-Production:...
or yolk, it is not that healthy to eat much. There are 169 calories in 1 small square moon cake of oriental pastry (made with Bean or Lotus Seed Paste Filling, Baked).
Moreover, after calorie breakdown, it contains 11% fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
, 81% carbohydrates, 8% protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
. The content of carbohydrate is the highest and there are 677 calories in a large square (whole) of moon cake, who has a similar size as those wedding cakes. Its calories content are even more than a large french fries (500 calories). According to recommended daily calories intake,
men's intake are 2500 calories a day; women's intake are 2000 calories a day and 2,500 in third trimester of pregnancy; children's (aged 5-10) intake are 1800 calories a day. From this data, it shows a whole piece of oriental pastry that made with lotus seed paste already exceeds 1/4 of human's daily recommended intake of calories.
Health risk
There are lots of calories in lotus seed paste and yolk, thus it will lead to health problem if eating too much of them. First of all, it contains a high content of carbohydrates, which are sugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
. It is also the main source in providing energy to body.
However, carbohydrates turn into sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream, meaning that carbohydrates is basically equals to sugar. Taking too much carbohydrate will lead to fat, maybe then develop diabetes, higher blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
or increase risk of heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
.
Type 2 Diabetes
Carbohydrates increase insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
levels in blood. A too high level of carbohydrate intake may lead to the accumulation of glucose in blood and may eventually causes Type 2 Diabetes.
Tooth Decay
Moreover, there is no doubt that sugar promotes tooth decay. Sugar and starch from food are converted into acids by bacteria in plaque, and the acids can dissolve the enamel
Enamel
Enamel may refer to:* Tooth enamel, the hard mineralized surface of teeth* Vitreous enamel, a smooth, durable coating made of melted and fused glass powder-See also:* Enamel organ, a cellular aggregation that functions in the formation of tooth enamel...
of the tooth and cause cavities.
Culture
Although marry girl cake has a long history, people in modern society still keep it as a sign of "happiness" and send wedding cakes to relatives and close friends when there is marriage. There are different styles and flavors of marry girl cakes now, which shows the popularity of it. Moreover, there is a new cake in recent years called great-grandmother cake(太婆餅).If the bride's grandparents are still there, the bridegroom will send these kinds of cakes to the girl's place to show good faith. This culture will never ends and it totally represents "marriage" in Chinese.