What’s in a pineapple bun? Three famous bakery snacks in Hong Kong and their health facts
- Some of the most beloved snacks in the city have amusingly incongruous names, but this has not stopped them from winning the hearts of millions across the world
You’ll never go hungry wandering through Hong Kong’s streets: carts serving steaming snacks and stalls with freshly made egg waffles line walkways in a dizzying array of choices. But perhaps what stands out most is the myriad of bakeries, serving anything from artisanal European baked goodies to traditional Hong Kong-style buns.
The city’s breads and pastries, such as flaky wife cakes, egg tarts and various forms of soft steamed buns, have won hearts worldwide, and they are available not only in the city but also on Chinatown corners around the globe.
City Weekend steps into Hong Kong’s bakeries to explore famous snacks with amusingly incongruous names and what they have come to symbolise, including the health facts behind them.
Piggy Bun
Perhaps most confusing are Hong Kong’s piggy buns – a bread that, contrary to its name, contains no pork.
Zyu zai baau, the bun’s Cantonese name, directly translates to “little pig bun”. It is, however, essentially the equivalent of a short French baguette, and is commonly found in bakeries and cha chaan tengs across Hong Kong and Macau.
While piggy buns are similar in taste and texture to baguettes, they are not identical. Unlike their French counterpart, these buns can be hard or soft, and sweet or savoury. A common feature, however, is that they are always small and quite round.
In Hong Kong, the bread is served toasted and cut in two, with butter and condensed milk as topping. It often accompanies a more filling hot dish for a tasty combo of sweet and savoury.
Where pork is concerned, piggy buns are also used as bread for Macanese pork chop buns, a local speciality of fried pork chop between lightly toasted, buttered bread.
Cocktail Bun
