Heavenly and delicate, it is best eaten fresh from the oven, on the street. The egg tart, featuring a lardbased puff pastry crust and a filling similar to steamed egg pudding, was invented by a department store for one of these weekly special competitions. Strain the filling through a sieve, and fill the tart shells. Spending an afternoon making egg tarts in your kitchen is a leisurely affair. Start you journey to old town central from the historysteeped area outlined by wyndham street, caine road, possession street and queens road central, with hollywood road, one of the first roads built in the colonial era, coursing through the middle. If ever a dessert is a reminder of the melting pot of cultures that characterises hong kong, then its the egg tart. The chinesestyle egg tart came about due to department.
Everything you need to know about the hong kong egg tart. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to low and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. Dont expect portuguese egg tarts in macau to be the same. The egg tart is a popular pastry sold in hong kong s bakeries and cafes and is beloved by locals for its flaky crust and sweet, eggy filling. Master baker on buford highway has the best hong kong style egg tarts.
Apr 10, 2018 chris patten enjoying an egg tart handover. Bring the mixture together with your hands, careful not to knead the pastry dough too much or you will make the pastry tough. Tai cheong bakery is the iconic egg tart of hong kong. Hi, im flying from hkia at 4pm soon and have to check out from tst east hotel by 11am. A dan tats filling should be silky smooth with a slightly wiggly, creamy, rich but not too. Wen wei po via disappearing hong kong my favorite hong kong snack, the egg tart daan6 taat1, mixes the native dan for egg with the loanword tat for tart.
Pui pui knows a portuguese egg tart is authentic if she dreams of riding a boatlike egg tart. However, the hong kong egg tart has the creaminess of the former and the smooth uncaramelised taste of the latter. A guide to the curious world of chinatown bakeries the. Its also plausible that macau, a portugueseoccupied region at the time, was the source of the egg tarts in hong kong. As hong kong shares influences from macau and vice versa. Oct, 2017 hong kong egg tarts also called chinese egg tarts, but thats too nonspecific a term given the variety of regional cuisines, are related to portuguese egg tarts.
For round two, we check out macau restaurant where they. Macaus version was brought over by portuguese colonizers, and they have more of a scorched. The slightly nutty shortcrust pastry makes the perfect crumbly case for a rich egg custard topped with nutmeg. From the port of canton around modernday guangzhou hong kong, and macau, the portuguese shipped the nowprocessed leaves down through indonesia, under the southern tip of africa, and back up to western europe.
The last governor is an encyclopedic account of chris pattens governorship in hong kong 19921997. Chinese or hong kong egg tarts can be found in hong kong, macau, and other parts of china. Want to buy some egg tarts for a 4hr flight back for my family but not sure where to get goodtasting ones in the morning that can last the flight home. Casual and inexpensive, they specialized in westernstyle dishes with a chinese twist, including milk tea. It later became influenced by british culture due to british colonialism, resulting in a culture characterised by both cantoneseness. An individual egg custard tart from nash s bakery, the covered market, oxford custard tarts or flans patissier are a pastry consisting of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard and baked. Hong kong s egg tarts pack a whole lot of history into just a couple of bites. An afternoon making egg tarts, a chinatown classic chinese. The kiddos will happily eat them plain, but adults will enjoy pairing an egg tart with a hot cup of milk tea or coffee. We also committed to exploring new, different, and interesting ways to produce recipes books and tvs cooking programme through culture, adventure and travel. An egg tart expert at one of tai cheongs new outlets shows us what goes into the making of one of hong kongs favorite foods. Au yeung claims that he sells 3,000 egg tarts daily in each of his twelve branches.
Oct 17, 20 these little pastries have settled the world far and wide, earning them many names. Aug 19, 2014 well, not exactly, but hong kong used to be a british colony and traditional english custard tarts are made with short crust pastry. Taiwanstyle bakeries may have more influence from american bakery, japanese bakery, or korean bakery styles. We pit four of hong kongs iconic baked treats against each other to see who would be the victor.
Go beneath hong kongs glamorous surface, beyond its dazzling intensity and into its many neighborhoods. In 99, the coronation banquet prepared for henry iv included doucettys. Hong kongs egg tarts have two main types of crusts. A brief history egg tarts, from portuguese monks to hong kong. Sep 10, 20 pastry 225g plain flour 150g unsalted butter 50g caster sugar pinch of salt 1 large egg custard filling 350ml single cream 100ml whole milk 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean 8 large egg. Each character inhabits a different corner of hong kongs dreamscape. After extensive research on the best egg tarts there, we sampled egg tarts from no less than five establishments. The history of egg tarts hong kong travel guide big foot tour. An important part of hong kong culture, cha chaan teng is featured in many hong kong movies and tv dramas. Hong kong egg cakes are a popular street food in hong kong.
Combine the white sugar and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Hong kong style cantonese pastries are made by most bakeries in hong kong, like egg tarts, pineapple buns, wife cake, jin deui and cream bun. Well, not exactly, but hong kong used to be a british colony and traditional english custard tarts are made with short crust pastry. After sampling a total of egg tarts i take my research very seriously, i feel that the best two are from tai cheong bakery and tsui wah restaurant the jaffe road branch. What used to be a simple pastry crust with sweet egg custard filling has turned into a plethora of egg white tarts, honeyegg tarts, chocolate tarts, green tea tarts the list goes. Our number one pick for egg tarts is lord stows bakery in macau.
Hong kong travel package corporate information travel. Featured in popular sitcom virtues of harmony, a tvbmade soap opera tells the story of a family who runs a cha chaan teng, usually boasting the egg tart and silkstocking milk tea produced by them. I hope that this hong kong egg tart recipe opens your eyes to a new dessert to use for your meals or potluck. For a taste of hong kongs favorite dessert head to central to the tai cheong bakery and get yourself a hong kong style egg tart. Found at expresso, a small cafe at the excelsior, hong kong s only lord stows franchise serves up the most amazing portuguese egg tarts, which are every bit as good as its macanese sisters when we say best, we mean the best. Egg tarts were introduced in hong kong via their famed tea restaurants after world war ii, eating establishments called cha chaan tengs, literally tea restaurants, started popping up in hong kong. If you have any questions or would like to share your tips on making a hong kong egg tart, please comment down. Hong kong egg tarts also called chinese egg tarts, but thats too nonspecific a term given the variety of regional cuisines, are related to portuguese egg tarts.
Cook until the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature. An afternoon making egg tarts, a chinatown classic. As the innovator of butterflavoured shortcrust pastry and with the long history of tai cheong bakery, its egg tarts are ranked as the number 1 in hong kong by many local and global media and tourists. Hong kong style egg tarts are probably my favorite pastry. Let this recipe be the start of you exploring baking and become a baking lover like me with awesome recipes you will enjoy. Tai cheong bakery opened in 1954 in lyndhurst terraces, hong kong. Egg custard tarts were introduced in hong kong in the 1940s by cha chaan tengs a tea diner. The owner makes them fresh every morning but you can call ahead and let her know when youll be there and she will have a hot batch for you. The culture of hong kong, or hongkongers culture, can best be described as a foundation that began with lingnans cantonese culture which is distinct to begin with and, to a much lesser extent, noncantonese branches of han chinese cultures.
May 11, 2019 sandwiched between shenzhen and hong kong, it is a vestige of colonial anticommunist history, and a symbol of political tensions between the local government and mainland china. Mix flour, part of the powdered sugar, butter, and part of the egg by hand. According to one website 1, custard tarts were introduced in hong kong in the 1940s by cha chaan tengs and western cafes and bakeries to compete with dim sum restaurants, later evolving to become egg tarts today. Most hong kongers have an egg tart for morning or afternoon tea and i was very eager to immerse myself in their egg tart eating culture. Another story mentions the portuguese colonisation of macau. The chinese egg tart is comprised of two simple pieces a crumbly butter pastry shell and a delicatelysweet custard filling. Tai cheong bakery comes out as the top native egg tart establishment in hong kong.
For the pastry, in a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, and salt. Hong kongstyle egg tarts have two main varieties, divided according to the type of the outermost layer or. Jan 09, 2017 hong kongs egg tarts pack a whole lot of history into just a couple of bites. Expecting the sweet taste of a british egg custard or portuguese egg tart of which the hong kong version is apparently a hybrid, the savoury filling. Hong kong and macau is really a heaven for egg tart lovers. Dimbleby was given unprecedented access to the inner working of hk government house, as well as backstage passes to some of its top bureaucrats. A few more clicks and wikipedia tells me that custard tarts derived from the portuguese pastry were introduced in hong kong in the. Stores and restaurant were tasked with developing a dish that suited their taste. Found at expresso, a small cafe at the excelsior, hong kongs only lord stows franchise serves up the most amazing portuguese egg tarts, which are every bit as good as its macanese sisters when we say best, we mean the best. Pour in the cooled sugar water and mix until well combined. Stick with the original egg custard flavour, the chocolate is interesting and isnt overpoweringly sweet, but still, an egg tart is an egg tart, so we recommend sticking with the original.
Easy egg tarts recipe makes 18 egg tarts ingredients for the egg tart shells. It was a fusion between chinese steamed egg and the english egg custard. Apr 28, 2017 if ever a dessert is a reminder of the melting pot of cultures that characterises hong kong, then its the egg tart. Apr 12, 2012 this little shop in old taipa village sells tiny egg tarts the size of usual tarts in different flavours like coffee, chocolate, green tea. The concept arrived in hong kong during the 1940sfrom, some sources believe, the neighboring island of macau, which had been colonized by the portuguese. Combine water, butter, sugar and salt in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan and heat on medium high. A brief history egg tarts, from portuguese monks to hong. Hong kongs 6 best egg tarts to try thetravelzombies. We begin at the famous tai cheong bakery to find out for ourselves. Dan tat was developed in the early 20th century in the guangdong province of china. Portugal, with its long history of naval exploration, first landed in guangzhou province in 15 while hong kong became a british colony in the early 1840s.
There are many special foods and drinks in hong kong. Aug 05, 2008 thanks to the whims of history and colonialism, 1970s hong kong and taiwan were where chinese populations were most exposed to western cultureincluding european pastries. Whisk the egg yolks and add the 2 tablespoons of beaten yolk to the flour mixture. Hong kongs egg tarts pack a whole lot of history into just a couple of bites. Oct 01, 2017 peachpocket girl reads stolen love letters at a cafe. Much like a brownie or a chocolate chip cookie in the united states, almost everyone in this city has a strong opinion on how they like their egg tarts. Hong kong egg tart dan tat traditional chinese recipe. Hong kong bakeries have more western influence due to the 150 years of british rule that ended in 1997, and the nearby presence of the former portuguese colony of macau. Apr 14, 2007 according to one website 1, custard tarts were introduced in hong kong in the 1940s by cha chaan tengs and western cafes and bakeries to compete with dim sum restaurants, later evolving to become egg tarts today. They represent a fusion of culture and cuisine that is uniquely hong kong.
Nevertheless, according to, critics contest the origin of the pastry, with some believing that the chinese egg tart is based off the english tart as britain previously colonized hong kong. Here in singapore, egg tarts are sold in bake shops, kopitiams coffee shops, hawker centers, and dim sum houses. Egg tarts were then introduced in western cafes, bakeries, dim sum restaurants and many people loved to eat them with yum cha. Kind of interesting that it was fairly recent, unlike the hong kong egg tart that dates back to southern chinaguangzhou at department stores in the 1920s which then trickled down to hong kong, where it was used as a gimmick to entice shoppers into department stores. However, the pastry overpowers the mild custard, which could be a bit sweeter. The authors view was very clear and he made no apology for it. I first came across these little egg cake as a child growing up in new york citys chinatown. Classic english egg custard tart recipe the spruce eats. Topping our list is the best portuguese egg tart you can find in the city. Foodie your guide to good taste on 24 feb 15 adventures with egg tarts. From a tiny red stall on mosco street, cecilia tam churned out pan after pan of these perfectly fluffy and heavenly eggettes for over a decade. Among hong kongs cuisine, egg tarts represent as the top five of the most popular snacks in hong kong. The butter crust has strong aromatic tastes similar to a butter cookie while our flaky tart is comparable to a puff pastry having over hundreds of layers within it.
Save on diabetes products and learn more about managing diabetes. These little pastries have settled the world far and wide, earning them many names. Its puff pastry is wellcooked and crunchy, and has a nice nutty flavour. Tai cheong bakery has been around since 1954, and has always been a local favorite. Their egg tart is famously known for its cookie crust. First popularized in the 40s and 50s, the history of this local snack reflects hong kong s unique cultural identity as an eastmeetswest melting pot. I remember in 2002 i visited the wanchai location flagship store i think, and as i was so used to san franciscos golden gate bakery egg tart before the original egg tart chef passed away, i felt honolulus version was different and not up to standards but then again once youre so used to something, its hard to compare. Feb 01, 2018 we also committed to exploring new, different, and interesting ways to produce recipes books and tvs cooking programme through culture, adventure and travel. Read up on egg tart hong kong at the free diabetes magazine. The development of custard is so intimately connected with the custard tart or pie that the word itself comes from the old french croustade, meaning a kind of pie. Hong kong style egg tarts have two main varieties, divided according to the type of the outermost layer or. Mad about egg tarts in hong kong honeyandsoy food adventures. The origins of dan taht egg tarts foodie hong kong.
Bake in the preheated oven until the filling has puffed a little bit, about 20 minutes. The zhen guang restaurant in guangzhou is also credited with inventing the chinese egg tart. During that time, trade with the britain was growing. Oct 10, 2014 egg custard baked into singleserving tart shells reached hong kong by way of macau, the nearby portuguese colony.
1363 1525 36 1429 227 752 1668 1364 1209 1394 844 38 825 1421 1032 917 497 994 163 492 1293 896 948 1347 189 284 1422 361 1483 1363 320 201 301 554 567 954 204 335 673