China is well known for its diversity of food dishes. This diversity leads to many local dishes based off of provinces in China, which may taste exotic to many foreigners. My all-time favorite Chinese dessert/snack is the famous 蛋挞 dàntà.
What is a dàntà exactly? Dàntà is basically an egg tart; it is a tiny pastry that can be devoured in one savory bite. This pastry can be practically found all over Hong Kong and any Asian bakery. These egg tarts are best eaten when fresh out of the oven, where its outer crust is flaky and its inner crust is soft and buttery.
There are two versions of the egg tart. The Portuguese egg tarts have a caramelized top and a less egg-like taste, while the dàntà is a Hong Kong rendition of the Portugese style, where they have more of a sweet egg-like taste (This one is my favorite).
According to the history of egg tarts, it was first found in Guangzhou, China. During the Opium War, European culture quickly impacted and influenced the Chinese market. This led to new kinds of pastries offered all around the markets.
You know you have the perfect dàntà when the crust has a buttery flaky texture and the yellow egg custard is sweet with a hint of caramel.
There are many bakeries outside of West Gate that carry this delicious treat…happy dàntà sampling!
By Chris Kong, Loyola University Maryland, TBC Communications and Social Media Intern and Fall 2015 Student
This is the first American edition of Anderson’s fascinating account of Britain’s first diplomatic mission to China in 1792. By the end of the eighteenth century the East India Company had been trading with Chinese merchants for two hundred years, but in a strictly limited way.
At the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, as the 18th century drew to a close, the Western world was eager for knowledge—driven by a philosophical movement that championed reason and science. King Louis XV of France asked for the advice of his trusted Minister of State, Henri Bertin, about how to reform the spirit of the nation, after giving it some thought, Bertin famously responded, “Sire, to inoculate the French with the Chinese spirit.”