By Jasmine Kaur
Did you know that the egg tarts are actually a spin-off on the English custard tart that has existed for decades now? Let’s find out more.
This Cantonese-style dish is believed to have originated in present-day Guangzhou where they came to be known as daan (eggs) tart in the 1920s.
It is said that the custard tart travelled with the wealthy British who moved to southern China with their chefs and lead to an amalgamation of eastern and western flavours.
With low accessibility to butter, Cantonese chefs used their dim sum skills to use lard, along with eggs, milk and sugar to make these tarts without a short crust.
Once the tart was perfected, it moved to Hong Kong post WWII with the wealthy Cantonese where it acquired a creamy and smooth texture and taste.
These tarts became popular and were sold in bakeries. Hong Kong is still home to one of the oldest places called Tai Cheong who mastered the art of making this dish.