I never seen or heard of it until my friend from Taiwan,
James shared the Chia Te (or Jiande) Pastry cakes. The Chia Te pastry cakes are really square
bars filled with a fruit paste – similar to the shape and appearance of Fig
Newton Bars. Except the Chia Te bars
completely enclosed the filling and is individually beautifully wrapped – then
encased in gift boxes which you carry in glossy tote bags.
You get the picture of the attention and care
given?
Chia Te's Bakery (or Jiade Bakery) was established
in Taipei in 1975 and is known for its pineapple pastry. Why pineapple? Did you know that Taiwan was the third
largest exporter of pineapples in the world in the 60s and early 70s. (As of 2010, the top three pineapple growers
are Brazil, Costa Rica and the Philippines).
Then the online revolution came along and now the island country is an
electronics/IT hotbed.
Pineapple became a surplus setting the motion for
local chefs to concoct ways on how to make use of the tropical fruit. Hence, the birth and evolution of the
pineapple cake also known as pineapple pastry, pineapple shortbread, pineapple
tart, or “鳳梨酥
fèng lĺ su”.
I think the more accurate terminology is pineapple
squares or fruit squares.
Chia Te offers a variety of pastry and delicacies,
including pineapple pastry, cranberry pineapple pastry, egg yolk pineapple
pastry (my fave), wife cake (see http://www.scmp.com/article/999237/wife-cakes
Wife cakes), milk cake, sun cake and nougat.
The company's cranberry pineapple cake has been
selected one of "Taipei's Top Ten Gifts" - a must for tourists
What makes the pastry worth writing about? The delicious crust is made from butter, and the cream
they use is high-quality import from New Zealand. The filling for the pineapple flavor is
really a well-experimented trial and error version of a blend of pineapple and
winter melon. Pure pineapple filling is
too tart and fibrous – although the inclusion of winter melon is considered a degradation
of quality by some local bakers.
Fortunately, their web site www.chiate88.com in
Chinese has an English translation feature. If you are
in Taipei, visit the Bakery at:
No. 88, Section 5, Nanjing East Rd, Taipei 105, Taiwan Tel: +886 2 8787 8186
For reviews
see:
There are
other bakery brands worth trying as well see:
No. 88, Section 5, Nanjing East Rd, Taipei 105, Taiwan Tel: +886 2 8787 8186
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