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Lisa Cam

When you think of mooncakes, the ones that come to mind tend to be the classic sweet lotus paste versions with salted egg yolk, or maybe a more modern interpretation like one with a salty-sweet baked custard filling.
Historically, however, the first mooncakes were made with a mix of nuts and seeds. The five-kernel (wuren) mooncake – filled with ingredients including walnuts, almonds and sesame seeds – was considered the height of sophistication from the 1950s to the 1970s.
With traditional sweet mooncakes increasingly eschewed by the health-conscious, might this protein-packed version make a comeback?
Mooncake history
Five-kernel mooncakes originated from the Hu cakes introduced during the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220), when Chinese diplomat and explorer Zhang Qian brought back nuts, such as walnuts and sesame seeds, from the western regions, laying the foundation for their use in mooncakes.
Later, during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, these small cakes filled with nuts became popular among the common people, gradually becoming associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Similar multi-nut-filled cakes appeared in Qing dynasty (1644-1912) publications such as the Chinese classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber and the gastronomical guide Recipes from the Garden of Contentment. Flaky mooncakes containing finely ground pine nuts, walnuts and melon seeds were mentioned, and it can be inferred that they were found in both the imperial court and local regions.
The five kernels symbolise completeness and harmony, making it a classic representative of Cantonese mooncakes. The typical kernels would include walnuts, almonds, olive kernels, melon seeds and sesame seeds, which symbolised the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness – in that order.
Long before white lotus seed paste or modern snow-skin flavours took over the market, wuren was the undisputed king of mooncakes across mainland China and Hong Kong. In times of material scarcity, the calorie-dense components of rich nuts, Jinhua ham and cured pork fat were highly precious, luxury food items. Gifting wuren mooncakes was a massive sign of respect.

The ‘five-nut fruit mooncake’
In the early 1950s, imported nuts were rare in Hong Kong, so the traditional five-kernel filling was often replaced with the more common peanuts, melon seeds, sesame seeds and candied winter melon.
“People in the industry did not dare call the replacement fillings a five-kernel mooncake. At most, they called it a five-nut fruit mooncake,” says Tse Jing-yuen, the second-generation operator of Tai Tung Bakery, one of the oldest bakeries in Hong Kong.
According to Tse, there have been many variations of the five-kernel filling. The most common sweet version included candied winter melon, while the savoury version included preserved mustard greens.
By the 1960s, palates had become increasingly discerning, and people wanted more novelty when it came to flavours. Gradually, fillings like five-kernel rose sweet mooncake, straw mushroom braised chicken mooncake, roast duck mooncake and even a luxury banquet mooncake appeared.
“The five-kernel mooncake filling is quite interesting. The same flavour can be both sweet and savoury, which reflects different levels of quality,” Tse explains. “For example, the meatless five-nut fruit mooncake was the cheapest, the five-nut ham mooncake was slightly more expensive, and the luxury banquet mooncake was the most luxurious, because it contained dried oysters.”
Traditional five-kernel mooncakes include ingredients such as walnuts, cashews, sesame and melon seeds. Modern five-kernel mooncakes have evolved: for example, Lung King Heen, a two-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong, has added pistachios for extra texture and a more satisfying bite.
“For our mixed nuts mooncakes with candied citrus, we use a generous selection of nuts and seeds, including walnuts, cashews, melon seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, sesame, pumpkin seeds, pistachios and whole almonds,” says Lo Kin-ming, dim sum head chef at Lung King Heen.
“While we respect the traditional foundation of [five-kernel] mooncakes, we have added a few ingredients to enhance the overall flavour and texture. We also added candied citrus that brings a distinctive aroma and refreshing citrus note. It helps balance the richness of the nuts and gives the mooncake a more elegant and fragrant finish.”

Protein-forward mooncakes
A recent obsession with protein, driven by social media fitness trends, a cultural focus on longevity and the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, has made people worry about losing muscle. So might wuren mooncakes be a good protein-packed alternative for the Mid-Autumn Festival?
“Because five-kernel mooncake is made with lots of nuts, the protein content is relatively higher than the lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk or custard versions,” registered dietitian Zoe Tsui says.
“However, we still have to watch out for [portion control] when eating these nutty mooncakes as vegetable oil and sugar are added to make these treats. Indeed, nuts have good fat, but overeating food fats also affects body weight.”
Lo echoes the sentiment.
“Mixed nuts are generally believed to offer nutritional benefits and, compared with very rich or sweet fillings, this mooncake offers more texture, aroma and natural nuttiness,” he says.
“At Lung King Heen, we also do not add any extra sugar; the sweetness comes naturally from the ingredients themselves, such as the dried fruit. Rather than calling it healthy, I would say it is a more balanced version.”


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Food & Drink

Rich in nuts and seeds, five-kernel mooncakes are making a comeback as a protein-packed alternative to have during the Mid-Autumn Festival


Rich in nuts and seeds, five-kernel mooncakes are making a comeback as a protein-packed alternative to have during the Mid-Autumn Festival.


What are five-kernel mooncakes? A history of the protein-packed Mid-Autumn Festival treat

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Rich in nuts and seeds, five-kernel mooncakes are making a comeback as a protein-packed alternative to have during the Mid-Autumn Festival

Mooncake history

Rich in nuts and seeds, five-kernel mooncakes are making a comeback as a protein-packed alternative to have during the Mid-Autumn Festival