History
Custard tarts were introduced in Hong Kong in the 1940s by cha chaan tengs. They were then introduced in western cafes and bakeries to compete with dim sum restaurants, particularly for yum cha. During the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s, Lu Yu Teahouse took the lead with the mini-egg tart. Ironically, mini egg tarts are now a common dim sum dish and are richer than those served in bakeries.
One theory suggests Hong Kong egg tarts are an adaptation of English custard tarts. Guangdong had more frequent contact with the West, in particular Britain, than the rest of China. As a former British colony, Hong Kong adopted some British cuisine. Another theory suggests that egg tarts evolved from the very similar Portuguese egg tart pastries, known as pastel de nata, traveling to Hong Kong via the Portuguese colony of Macau.
Read more about this topic: Egg Tart
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“The custard is setting; meanwhile
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—John Ashbery (b. 1927)