How Hong Kong’s most iconic buns and pastries were born

[@Mac_N_Cheezy]

As a Cantonese kid, I grew up eating HK style bakery foods but I still love traditional Chinese steamed buns too, they my not be as fancy or modern but things like Char Siu Bao (bbq pork bun) and Nai Wong Bao (custard bun) will always be classic.

[@ramatgan1]

The sesame seeds likely come from Somalia. Somalia exports the finest sesame seeds in the world and HK, China and Japan are our largest market.

[@AliZhao]

Me too. My favorite is also baked char siu bao, followed by liu sha bao (molten custard bun). I can only find steamed char siu bao where i live now though because there's not many cantonese people here.

[@ninkiminjaj8046]

8:45 “it’s still food” he’s so real 💀

[@allyip5777]

The kids are so candid!!!!

[@winniesato3467]

My childhood memory rests on Maxim's chestnut cake!!! 栗子蛋糕

[@ivanto9771]

Thanks!

[@eddiensw]

8:10 nice to see a bunch of cute kids enjoying some traditional HK buns..

[@ruijuanzheng1187]

8:50 i love this kid with his voice, so cute

[@thelessercat]

kids who haven’t eaten cocktail buns?! i’m a teen and when i was in kindergarten we were fed cocktail buns for tea time. it was great!

[@babyomegaplusultra6978]

I love everything about cake like this! 🍰

[@ANEWCreationLimited]

Love this! Thank you for sharing the history of these classic HK treats! ❤

[@sn350channel]

The more I hear Cantonese language the more I like the way it sounds

[@markshen3280]

All these decades living and working in Hong Kong 🇭🇰, as a Hong Kong born citizen, I still have not even tried any local HK buns and pastries, let alone egg tarts from Macau 🇲🇴 !

[@mozambique9113]

What life you have??😂

[@irmaiz133]

How do you resist?

[@ramatgan1]

The sesame seeds likely come from Somalia. Somalia exports the finest sesame seeds in the world and HK, China and Japan are our largest market.

[@DavidLee-cw6ci]

I don't believe you, that is simply not possible

[@Silksong_in_2077]

This comment is more like a glazing to macau

[@wisedonkey_]

Team cookie crust for Egg Tarts!

[@general682002]

Great history about it!

[@tliew3846]

I wished we have more of these bakeries in the US, it is so hard to find here. We mainly get the boring donuts here.

[@Sacto1654]

You can find them in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City, places with large expatriate Chinese communities.

[@eutatyap7209]

so nice!

[@ichigobagus]

HK is still a Food Haven 🎉😊

[@krisko625]

Whatttttt cocktail buns are my favourite HK style bun!!! 😋

[@albertchiang9515]

As a LA native....I constantly see the constant culture similarities among these buns...I wish SCMP can expand on this subject. I often always wondered about one of my favorite bakery here in LA. PORTOS CUBAN BAKERY....There meat pies taste like Wu Gok...dunno if the Cantonese Cubans had anything to do with it.

[@yyyyy354]

I didn't know this kind of bread/bun are called Hong Kong style. They are also quite common in any south east asian bakery that I thought it was the "default" bun everywhere, apparently I was wrong 😅 (I never visit western country, so have nothing to compare)

[@FMFvideos]

Never in my life have I heard that Hong Kong is famous for their pastries.

[@RaymondwLin]

Hong Kong bakeries in my humble opinion is better than any British bakeries. (and a lot of SE Asia countries too). So many varieties, fillings too. It might not be famous but I have never really found a bad one there.

[@Onlyme.n.u]

My Russian wife loves the pineapple bun and it's such a Hong Kong icon. 🇭🇰

[@marial9964]

Cocktail buns #1🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@蝦記]

Best food cannot keep customers when there's NO smiling servers to show the welcoming atmosphere

[@SuperSulus]

🤣This is typical HK style food culture. And no, you are wrong, these places are packed 24/7, even with the grumpy granny servers.

[@saber26ful]

It’s hard to please all the Karens in the world. You shouldn’t expect goofy, over-the-top happy service in East Asia.

[@WienC9]

我女最鍾意食菠蘿包，我最掛住香港嘅叉燒餐包同吉列咖喱牛肉包。

[@ikozden9079]

Surprised there is no coverage of British influence…like the chicken pie and other pies…

[@zenamom]

For sure! Some of their pastries ("wife cake" or Lao Po Bing) definitely give off vibes from the Eccles cake. Just using different different filling and fat in the pastry (lard).

[@petergriffin9902]

airlines should add egg tarts if they bound to/from HK

[@saber26ful]

Just like chocolate chip cookies on a Frontier flight!

[@ABCA773]

There's some kind of light green mung bean paste that an H mart vendor used to put ribbons of into sweet, milky brioche. I prerty much compare everything from asian bakeries to that rather than just trying to enjoy things. I don't know why. I think because it was actually sweet enough. Sometimes Chinese sweets are very mildly sweet (which is refreshing) but I want more flavor to replace the sweetness. Maybe that's the European part of me being demanding.

[@jyy9624]

1st imported beer in HK was San Miguel Pale Pilsner

[@HardyMung]

You can put a real piece of pineapple inside the pineapple bun !

[@benwong9683]

For egg tarts, cookie crust must prevail over pastry crust haha

[@monkeyguy80]

I’m not from HK but I personally liked to eat Po Lo Bao (Pineapple Buns) in Singapore ya! 😊

[@vascovalente3929]

The portuguese egg tarts originated in Portugal in 1835... what a band of liars...

[@WangEd]

Yes the Pastel de Natas! The egg tarts from Macau 🇲🇴 is definitely inspired by the Pastel de Natas of Portugal. They also have a version of Bifañas with a fried pork chop in it.

[@juny2047]

yes! i dont think they are lying, but certainly are leaving a great part out

[@michelleduong8450]

Steaming is still far superior compared to their baked equivalents. Steaming gives the bread that light, cloudy bounce and chew that you cannot replicate by another cooking method.

[@Hkchinese888]

No one mentions our pork chops.😂

[@isleephungry]

Curry Porky 🤤

[@vincently1995]

Yummy

[@stoneyim9751]

其實菠蘿包雞尾包椰撻都來自葡萄牙，如果你去葡萄牙旅行，你會驚訝點解佢地有同香港差唔多嘅菠蘿包，雞尾包椰撻。

[@jaschan2006]

I didn’t know Maxim originated overseas. I wonder if Pine House bakery is the same.

[@Jesus74i]

I've seen it in Japan but it was melon pan

[@mandyfong6168]

I really miss the pineapple bun in Hong Kong. Usually, I'd pair it with a bottle of Vita soy milk when going to school. Well, I used to think that how come pineapple bun has no pineapple and why chicken tail bun has no chicken. Just a naive young chick from Hong Kong Island.

[@buzzy33]

i remembered my guah-ma calling these an abomination and preferred the steamed ones. not until i bought some for her and she tried them and she regretted disliking them HAHAHAHAHA.

[@ramatgan1]

The sesame seeds likely come from Somalia. Somalia exports the finest sesame seeds in the world and HK, China and Japan are our largest market.

[@ypw510]

Uh no. Somalia isn’t even top 15 in sesame seed production worldwide. China itself produces 15x the amount that Somalia does and there are Asian countries that produce even more.

[@Strider_141]

Egg Tarts Civil War: Team Cookie Crust VS Team Pastry Crust Huh!? Only Children make choices, Adults want it all!!! Welcome to my mouth 😋

[@rohansharma2004]

Ayo! Where can I buy some pineapple buns to take abroad for friends and colleagues? Should I buy them at the HK airport, local shops? Any suggestions would be helpful!

[@HardyMung]

I don't think this is possible. Come to Hong Kong and eat them fresh !

[@ramatgan1]

The sesame seeds likely come from Somalia. Somalia exports the finest sesame seeds in the world and HK, China and Japan are our largest market.

[@WienC9]

我個奧地利老公都問我點解香港包鋪點解得甜包，雖然佢哋一日三餐都可以食包，但係早餐先會食甜包，午餐晚餐食鹹包。

[@ypw510]

This seems strange claiming that HK style egg tarts come from European fruit tarts. There have been Portuguese pastel de Nata and European egg tarts (especially English style) since at least the 1800s.

[@WangEd]

Yeah fruit tarts are filled with a pastry cream and the Pastel de Natas are filled with an egg custard that is cooked in the oven

[@ypw510]

@@WangEd You can find English style egg custard tarts too. They're generally sweeter, but most often have a fluted shell. The English also make them in different sizes, including pies that need to be sliced.

[@hehe-mq2bk]

perhaps the fruit tarts are actually where they got the inspiration to create HK egg tarts from? I mean we don't really have an actual detailed account of how it came to be, just that it was inspired by a European pastry that's similar.

[@Mene-z1n]

Everyone love the pork bun

[@petergriffin9902]

I can eat them all day if I can lol

[@vans87]

team cookie crust!

[@Aceof2Hearts]

Pasties de nata came from Portugal concocted by the Catholic nuns.

[@xihangyang]

What is made of lard instead of buter

[@Max-nt7ho]

The crust of the egg tarts.

[@Pastadudde]

@@Max-nt7ho but some bakeries have both the lard version and the butter version.

[@selenaBlack-o7y]

Let me have it all😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@selenaBlack-o7y]

😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤ hay let me have some😅😅😅😅😅

[@wonga28168]

Nice

[@mackchin0x1000]

seems like creative historical fiction

[@蝦記]

Expect no services from Hongkong's tourists restaurants because they are fed by their Govt. They have no need to work to earn servers

[@Jianfa88Tsai]

Billion dollar global insight to max profits and charity donations via monetisation in anime, real life, movies, gaming or thesis. Feedback to Australia or global bakery owners to display conspicuous coloured signs with visual image of Hong Kong VLT lemon tea drink (sold by Woolworths Supermarket, VIC Australia) at cashier so customers (e.g. international time poor Asian students) can quickly buy chilled VLT lemon tea drink with their buns. The VLT lemon tea drink paired with pineapple bun helps the students think about home and feel better being in a foreign land. This motivate them to study harder and work harder in their casual jobs which boost the economies of both nations to max out bosses profits so management can max their charity donations to sick and starving orphans.

[@ramatgan1]

The sesame seeds likely come from Somalia. Somalia exports the finest sesame seeds in the world and HK, China and Japan are our largest market.

[@bobbymoss6160]

The best pastries in the whole world!

[@primepikachu5]

wait really thats why its called pineapple bun?! I always wondered why it was called that. my mom's favorite is the coconut flavored one though.

[@TuttleVictoria-i8j]

Allen Angela Lee Jason Taylor Sandra

[@JSL382]

Why did they only choose fluent English speaking kids to do the bakery taste test ? Wasn't this supposed to be Hong Kong local culture ? Its kind of sad they exclude ' normal ' local kids.

[@flyingpig258]

I know the whole thing was sponsored by CX to promote a local Hong Kong bun culture. But, there are problems: 1. All buns are over-fermented to look bigger and appealing. It is definitely not a filling meal because u are eating air. 2. Normally, a loaf of freshly baked bread without preservatives will go stale in less than a week. I used to purchase a loaf of bread from one big Hong Kong bakery chain. It still looked fresh, soft and fluffy with a forever shelf life after three weeks of storage under normal room temperature.

[@LindaTaylor-e7u]

Perez Kenneth Hall Larry Lee Paul

[@The_Pleiades_Is_Our_Enemy]

う～ん...日本人からすると、香港には海老や蟹や海鮮料理の豊富なレシピがある。それを「調理パン」（英語で何と訳すだろう、dish on dough?) としてもっと開発すればいいのに、と思う。 エッグタルトも美味しそうだけれど、世界中どこにでもあるから。

[@selenaBlack-o7y]

Let me have it know😂😂😂😂😂😮😢😢😢😢

[@acuraukm]

The guest is really knowledgeable

[@jeffreychongsathien]

Egg tarts are still for the affluent 😢

[@neilmanx1001]

Glad they didn't have tofu influence!

[@zollionemagazines]

buns

[@JaniceWithTheTarlovCysts]

I plan on visiting China in the next year and originally Hong Kong wasn't on my list because I was advised it wasn't the safest place for a single woman to go. I finally decided that I'm going to visit; after all, in 1980 I was going to move to Hong Kong. I had a job offer and was learning Cantonese, though my pronunciation wasn't great. When my friend, whose family offered me the job told me I'd need to learn Mandarin too, I became too overwhelmed and stayed in Canada. I'm determined to stuff my face when I get to Hong Kong; I've got many years of catching up to do 😂

[@sarryhuang3182]

Hong Kong is very safe for a single female traveler.

[@Hkchinese888]

We hv national security law, you come on your own risk

[@sarryhuang3182]

@@Hkchinese888 as a guest entering any country we should follow their laws. Not just hk China.

[@tylerd8245]

Whoever told you HK was unsafe for a solo female traveler, don't ever take any advice from them again.

[@JaniceWithTheTarlovCysts]

​@@tylerd8245I saw it on a Canadian government website. Nothing will stop me, I truly believe I'll be safe.

[@jules263]

Made with extra gutter oil so you get that flavour hit

[@Xerdoz]

Hong Kong is gone.

[@AnythingJW]

so much shortening and trans fat...

[@PenguinLama]

Out of so many breads in the world, the hong kong style bread is still the best.

[@dojoloitongbam4783]

Women ai ni china wo shi cong Manipur

[@israelitenephite3383]

Why is it never from Africa/America?

[@bryanchanner]

cuz this is a hong kong/china news channel. also american culture is currently everywhere thanks to the internet, and even before that, cartoons were dominated and still is by americans. Africa unfortunately has been dominated by global superpowers in the past, hence limiting their culture. But their culture is still noticeable, especially in African-American jazz.

[@user-rh6ru5oz2o]

African cuisine does get talked about, usually along with Chung King Mansion

[@israelitenephite3383]

Which Britain invented the car which Britain invented the washing machine which Britain invented the dryer, which Britain invented Goves, which Britain invented anything???! please tell me which invention a Britain didn’t steal?

[@pbworld7858]

They didn't steal imperialism. That was their own original invention.

[@HardyMung]

​​​@@pbworld7858No one steal British inventions. Hong Kong people build everything in their own ways and versions. Hong Kong people like local style.