Lian Zhen Pastries

Lian Zhen Pastries

　　Lian Zhen Pastries is a long-established Taiwanese shop. Its first-generation founder, Mr. Zheng Yuandao, was born into a family of confectioners during the Japanese colonial period. Having inherited exceptional craftsmanship from a young age, he traveled extensively overseas in his youth and also engaged in the food trade business. With a unique vision for food operations, he founded Lian Zhen Pastry Shop. Since its establishment, the shop has been wholeheartedly dedicated to the production, improvement, and innovation of traditional pastries. The business philosophy of “three firsts” — quality first, hygiene first, and trustworthiness first — along with a century-long spirit of dedication, is what has allowed Lian Zhen Pastry Shop to escape the decline that befalls many traditional old shops. Instead, it enjoys thriving and ever-growing business.

Why are Lian Zhen’s pastries so delicious? For food to taste good, you have to use the right ingredients. Glutinous rice is the basic ingredient for traditional pastries. Taiwan is a land of rice, and our shop still uses such high-quality glutinous rice, which gives our pastry flour a rich and full flavor. For pastries to be soft and fine-textured, they must be handmade. Pastry flour is highly sticky, and if mixed by machine, it not only becomes uneven but also forms small lumps, resulting in pastries that are not fine enough. Some pastry shops on the market even switch to using flour and shape their products with machines, producing a “sandy” texture and a looser consistency. Lian Zhen’s pastries, besides being handmade, are also crafted using the unique skills of veteran artisans. Relying on the feel and force of their hands, they employ techniques such as pinching, kneading, rubbing, beating, turning, and grabbing to ensure the pastry flour and ingredients are thoroughly blended. Then the dough is placed into wooden molds and shaped one by one. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth, fine-textured, and delicious pastry.