Pastries

Pastries

　　Among China’s famous pastries, there are various styles such as Suzhou-style, Beijing-style, Shanghai-style, Cantonese-style, and Chaozhou-style. Chaozhou-style pastries refer to those produced in the Chaozhou area. They have a richer flavor, and when paired with Chaozhou’s Gongfu tea, they become the “good tea and good pastry” that locals love to serve guests. There is a wide variety of well-known Chaozhou-style pastries, including not only the widely known Winter Mushroom Pastry (commonly called “wife cake”), but also Laobing (with the moon radical), Five-Nut Pastry, Shuangpeng Pastry, Red Bean Paste Pastry, Fermented Tofu Pastry, Scallion Pastry, and Baodou Pastry. The ingredients used in these pastries include: peanut oil, pork fat (with the moon radical), white sugar, white pork, lard (with the moon radical), black bean paste, mung bean paste, diced winter melon, lotus seed paste, olive kernels, almonds, taro, sesame seeds, ham, fermented tofu, and more. Flour is the main ingredient for making the pastry crust. In addition, scallions and coriander are used as aromatic seasonings. Among Chaozhou-style pastries, the Laobing (with the moon radical) is made with filling ingredients such as fatty pork, sugared winter melon, stir-fried scallions, and sesame seeds, and the crust is made with flour mixed with lard. It is then coated with sesame seeds on the outside and stamped with a red seal. High-quality Laobing (with the moon radical) has its filling prepared in advance and stored in a cellar for over two years before use. There are also varieties such as “Crystal Laobing” and “Large Laobing.” A famous place for producing Laobing is Guiyu in Chaoyang, hence the reputation “Guiyu has the best Laobing.” Shuangpeng Pastry is made with two different fillings, each occupying half. Previously, it was often half red bean paste and half crystal filling. Later, there were also versions with half sweet and half savory, similar to Cantonese-style mooncakes that mix salted egg yolk, ham, and lotus seed paste. Its sweet fillings are generally red bean paste or lotus seed paste; the savory ones are ham, salted egg yolk, or lard-filled pastry. Five-Nut Pastry uses five types of seeds and nuts—olive kernels, melon seeds, peanut kernels, almonds, and sesame seeds—as filling. The appearance of the pastry is very similar to Cantonese-style mooncakes. Ordinary red bean paste pastry typically uses black beans, mung beans, or red beans as filling. When red bean paste is mixed with alum, it turns a dark, oily color, hence the name “black bean paste.” Additionally, lotus seed paste, taro paste, and others are also used as filling ingredients in Chaozhou-style pastries. The scallion pastry from Chaoyang is a smaller type, with an especially strong scallion and lard flavor, and the fermented tofu pastry is also quite famous. Chaozhou-style pastries emphasize richness in oil, quality ingredients, and refined craftsmanship. A well-made Chaozhou pastry—rich in oil, made with premium ingredients, exquisitely crafted, and properly baked—not only boasts appealing color, aroma, and taste, but is also crispy, sweet, and can be stored for a relatively long time. For Chaozhou locals, having tea alone doesn’t seem quite satisfying, so Chaozhou’s specialty—Chaozhou-style pastries—are often served as “tea accompaniments.” Besides pastries, Chaozhou also has other specialties, such as cakes. Cakes are mainly made from glutinous rice mixed with white sugar, melon seeds, olive kernels, etc., and when made into thin slices, they are called “cloud slice cake.” Using special molds, they can also be made into small pieces called “little cakes.” These “little cakes” were often used as a substitute for milk by poor families in rural areas during earlier times when breast milk was insufficient and formula was unaffordable, serving as infant food. Nowadays, since China produces its own condensed milk and powdered milk, little cakes are no longer necessary, but as a children’s snack, they still suit young palates well. Pastry shops in Chaozhou, apart from making pastries and cakes, often also produce candies, many of which are exported in large quantities and are renowned overseas.