List of Chinese bakery products


Chinese bakery products consist of pastries, cakes, snacks, and desserts of largely Chinese origin, though some are derived from Western baked goods. Some of the most common "Chinese" bakery products include mooncakes, sun cakes |Beijing] and Suncake, [egg tarts, and wife cakes.
Chinese bakeries are present in countries with ethnic Chinese people, and are particularly common in Chinatowns. The establishments may also serve tea, coffee, and other drinks.

Bakery types

There are regional differences in cities with large Chinese presences, particularly those in Asia like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Jakarta, Manila, and Bangkok. Bakery fillings especially may be influenced by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, or Thailand. In North America, the largest Chinatowns, such as San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, and Toronto, have the widest range of offerings, including influences from France, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.
There are also large overlaps in the products sold at Hong Kong-style and Taiwan-style bakeries; there nevertheless remain significant differences between these two major types. For instance, bread cake and pineapple cake were developed in Taiwan-style bakeries, while the cocktail bun and pineapple bun is a Hong Kong style product. Hong Kong bakeries have more Western influence due to the 150 years of British rule that ended in 1997, and the nearby presence of the former Portuguese colony of Macau. Taiwan-style bakeries may have more influence from American bakery, desserts and sweets|Japanese bakery], or Korean bakery styles.
Chinese bakeries show considerable variation within mainland China due to the cultural and geographical diversity of the country. For example, Furu bing are sold in the Chaoshan region, while nang is sold in Xinjiang. Shanghainese bakeries are strongly influenced by European bakeries, particularly French and German traditions.
Some bakeries also offer small snacks traditionally associated with dim sum cuisine. There is considerable overlap between these categories.

Eastern-origin pastry

Some types of steamed or baked buns have a very similar appearance, making it difficult to determine what they have been filled with. Informal de facto standards have developed for indicating the filling by some external mark on the buns, such as a colored dot or a sprinkling of a few sesame seeds.
Unless otherwise indicated, most of the following foods are baked. Some foods are steamed, boiled, deep-fried, pan-fried, or do not require further cooking at all.
Some Western-influenced baked goods are essentially identical to their Western counterparts, whereas others differ subtly. The items listed here are often found in Chinese bakeries, in at least some parts of the world.
  • Almond cake – Light cupcake, coated with whipped cream, and then rolled in thinly sliced or shredded almond chips
  • Cream bun – Usually elliptical-shaped yeast bun, filled with whipped cream or butter, sprinkled with shredded dried coconut
  • Cream horn – Long tapered cone of puff pastry, filled with whipped cream, and sometimes fruit or jam
  • Eclair – Very similar to the French original
  • Egg tart – Delicate pastry tart with a lightly sweet golden egg custard filling; probably influenced by the Portuguese tart pasteis de nata
  • Napoleon – Layers of puff pastry and creamy filling or jam
  • Swiss roll – Rolls made just like a Portuguese roll torta; the creamy layer may be sweetened cream, chocolate, pear, or lemon paste

    Drinks

  • Bubble tea – Large tapioca pearls served in tea with milk
  • Suanmeitang – Plum-based beverage
  • Milk tea – Black tea sweetened with sweet evaporated milk
  • Tea – Aromatic drink made from water boiled and poured over tea leaves
  • Yuanyang – Blend of tea and coffee, popular in Hong Kong
  • Soy milk – Plant-based drink, a product of soybeans