From Portugal to China: The Journey of the Egg Tart

How a Portuguese Dessert Became Part of Chinese Cuisine 🇵🇹🇲🇴

Word of the week: 必尝美食 (bì cháng měishí)

Meaning: must-try delicacy

蛋挞是去澳门旅游必尝的美食。Dàntà shì qù Àomén lǚyóu bì cháng de měishí.
Translation: Egg tarts are a must-try food when traveling to Macau.

Did you know that China and Portugal share a love for the same dessert?

Back in the 16th century, when the Portuguese first arrived in China, they began a long-lasting process of cultural exchange by establishing their colony in Macau. Anyone who has visited Macau knows it is a unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese architecture and art. Yet one more thing stood out and eventually spread across China and the rest of Asia: pastel de nata, the Portuguese egg tart.

Let’s explore how the Portuguese egg tart became part of Macau’s cultural heritage. The text is written in a more literary style, so it’s a bit more advanced than our usual materials; but don’t worry, we’ve prepared extra vocabulary explanations this time.

路环是澳门最具乡村特色的一景，虽然距离酒店云集的金光大道只有4公里，却宛然换了个天地，林荫、平房、窄巷、小店浑然一体，充满了静谧悠然的气息。

• 路环 (Lùhuán) – Coloane (an island in Macau)

• 乡村特色 (xiāngcūn tèsè) – rural characteristics / rustic charm

• 景 (jǐng) – scene, view

• 云集 (yúnjí) – to gather in large numbers, to swarm

• 金光大道 (Jīnguāng Dàdào) – Cotai Strip (literally “Avenue of Golden Light”)

• 宛然 (wǎnrán) – as if, just like

• 天地 (tiāndì) – world, environment, realm

• 林荫 (línyīn) – tree shade / avenue shaded by trees

• 平房 (píngfáng) – single-story house / bungalow

• 窄巷 (zhǎi xiàng) – narrow alley

• 浑然一体 (húnrán yītǐ) – blended into a harmonious whole

• 静谧 (jìngmì) – quiet, tranquil

• 悠然 (yōurán) – leisurely, unhurried

• 气息 (qìxī) – breath, atmosphere, aura

Coloane is the most rustic corner of Macau. Although it lies only 4 kilometers from the hotel-packed Cotai Strip, it feels like an entirely different world—shaded by trees, dotted with low houses, narrow alleys, and little shops, all blending together in an atmosphere of quiet leisure.

坐落在其中的安德鲁饼店门面不大，远看去甚至并不起眼，唯一“出卖”其身份的就是一大早慕名而来的众多顾客。这也凸显了澳门的文化特色，既有金碧辉煌的酒店代表“档次格调”，又有接地气的独特商铺隐于市井。

• 坐落 (zuòluò) – to be situated, to be located

• 门面 (ménmiàn) – shop front, façade

• 不起眼 (bù qǐyǎn) – unremarkable, not eye-catching

• 出卖 (chūmài) – to reveal, to give away (here in quotation marks, figurative)

• 身份 (shēnfèn) – identity, status

• 慕名而来 (mù míng ér lái) – to come attracted by reputation

• 凸显 (tūxiǎn) – to highlight, to make stand out

• 金碧辉煌 (jīnbì huīhuáng) – resplendent, magnificent (lit. “gold and jade glittering”)

• 档次 (dàngcì) – grade, level, class

• 格调 (gédiào) – style, tone, character

• 接地气 (jiē dìqì) – down-to-earth, close to ordinary people

• 商铺 (shāngpù) – shop, store

• 市井 (shìjǐng) – marketplace, common streets of a town

Nestled within this setting, Lord Stow’s Bakery has a modest storefront that looks rather unremarkable from a distance; the only thing that “gives away” its identity is the crowd of eager visitors who arrive early in the morning. This contrast highlights Macau’s cultural character: on one side, there are lavish, glittering hotels representing luxury and style; on the other, down-to-earth, distinctive shops tucked away in the city’s everyday streets.

一块刚出炉的葡式蛋挞，酥脆的外皮配上表面黄黑相间的蛋奶馅料，一口咬下去，伴随着咔咔的响声，酥皮与馅料混合在嘴里，热气和浓郁的香甜奔涌而出，似乎充满了整个灵魂。“真的会爱上。”品尝的食客大多这样评价。

• 刚出炉 (gāng chūlú) – freshly baked, just out of the oven

• 葡式蛋挞 (Púshì dàntà) – Portuguese egg tart

• 酥脆 (sūcuì) – crispy and crunchy

• 外皮 (wàipí) – outer crust/skin

• 黄黑相间 (huáng hēi xiāngjiàn) – interlaced yellow and black (mottled golden-brown)

• 蛋奶馅料 (dànnǎi xiànliào) – egg-and-milk filling, custard filling

• 咔咔的响声 (kākā de xiǎngshēng) – crackling/crunching sound

• 混合 (hùnhé) – to mix, blend

• 浓郁 (nóngyù) – rich, strong (flavor or fragrance)

• 香甜 (xiāngtián) – fragrant and sweet

• 奔涌而出 (bēnyǒng ér chū) – to gush/rush out

• 灵魂 (línghún) – soul, spirit

• 品尝 (pǐncháng) – to taste, to savor

• 食客 (shíkè) – diner, customer

• 评价 (píngjià) – to comment, review, evaluate

A freshly baked Portuguese egg tart, with its crisp, flaky crust and custard filling mottled golden yellow and brown on top, gives off a delightful crackle as you bite into it. The crust and filling mingle in your mouth, releasing a surge of warmth and rich sweetness that seems to fill your very soul. “You’ll really fall in love with it,” is how most diners describe the experience.

既然在澳门做生意，便绕不开葡萄牙人这个消费者群体。这时，“葡挞”就进入安德鲁的视野。葡挞，即葡式蛋挞，是“蛋挞”这个大家族中的一员。所谓“挞”，是“tart”的粤语音译，指馅料外露的西式馅饼，与其相对应的是馅料被完全包裹密封的“派”。

• 既然 (jìrán) – since; now that

• 做生意 (zuò shēngyi) – to do business

• 绕不开 (rào bù kāi) – cannot avoid; can’t get around

• 消费者群体 (xiāofèi zhě qúntǐ) – consumer group

• 视野 (shìyě) – field of vision; view; perspective

• 大家族 (dà jiāzú) – big family; large group

• 音译 (yīnyì) – transliteration (based on sound)

• 馅料 (xiànliào) – filling (for pastries, dumplings, etc.)

• 外露 (wàilù) – exposed, visible

• 西式馅饼 (xīshì xiànbǐng) – Western-style pie/tart

• 相对应 (xiāng duìyìng) – corresponding; in contrast

• 包裹 (bāoguǒ) – to wrap up, to enclose

• 密封 (mìfēng) – sealed, airtight

Since doing business in Macau inevitably involves the Portuguese consumer group, “Portuguese egg tarts” soon entered Lord Stow’s line of sight. A pastel de nata, or Portuguese-style egg tart, is a member of the broader “egg tart” family. The word “挞” (taat3) is the Cantonese transliteration of “tart,” referring to Western-style pastries with exposed fillings, in contrast to the “pie” (pai), where the filling is completely enclosed within the crust.

用、牛奶、制成的蛋挞，在欧洲已有数百年的历史，在20世纪20年代便传到中国，结合了广东的“炖蛋”和酥皮点心技巧之后又传到香港，发展出了俗称的“港式蛋挞”。

• 制成 (zhìchéng) – to make into, to produce

• 已有 (yǐ yǒu) – already have (a history of…)

• 数百年 (shù bǎi nián) – several hundred years

• 20世纪20年代 (èrshí shìjì èrshí niándài) – the 1920s

• 传到 (chuándào) – to spread to, to be introduced to

• 结合 (jiéhé) – to combine, to integrate

• 广东 (Guǎngdōng) – Guangdong (province in southern China)

• 炖蛋 (dùn dàn) – steamed egg custard

• 酥皮点心 (sūpí diǎnxīn) – flaky pastry

• 技巧 (jìqiǎo) – technique, skill

• 俗称 (súchēng) – commonly known as

• 港式蛋挞 (Gǎngshì dàntà) – Hong Kong–style egg tart

Egg tarts, made with eggs, milk, and sugar, have a history of several centuries in Europe. They were introduced to China in the 1920s, where they merged with Cantonese traditions such as steamed egg custard and flaky pastry techniques, before spreading to Hong Kong and developing into what is popularly known as the “Hong Kong–style egg tart.”

Dorota in Macau in 2017.

在葡萄牙，相传早期的葡式蛋挞由200年前的修道院发明，因为蛋清是制作修女袍的原料，大量剩余的蛋黄弃之可惜，便被用来制作糕点。后来，买到蛋挞配方的饼店将之发扬光大。因为饼店在里斯本的贝伦区，这种葡式蛋挞又被称为“贝伦挞”，在今天依然是前往里斯本旅游的必尝美食。

• 相传 (xiāngchuán) – it is said; legend has it

• 早期 (zǎoqī) – early period

• 修道院 (xiūdàoyuàn) – monastery

• 发明 (fāmíng) – to invent

• 蛋清 (dànqīng) – egg white

• 修女袍 (xiūnǚ páo) – nun’s habit/robe

• 剩余 (shèngyú) – surplus; leftover

• 蛋黄 (dànhuáng) – egg yolk

• 弃之可惜 (qì zhī kěxī) – a pity to throw away

• 糕点 (gāodiǎn) – pastry, dessert

• 配方 (pèifāng) – recipe, formula

• 发扬光大 (fāyáng guāngdà) – to carry forward and popularize

• 里斯本 (Lǐsīběn) – Lisbon

• 贝伦区 (Bèilún Qū) – Belém district

• 必尝美食 (bì cháng měishí) – must-try delicacy

In Portugal, it is said that the early Portuguese egg tart was invented about 200 years ago in a monastery. Since egg whites were used to make nuns’ habits, large quantities of leftover egg yolks would have gone to waste, so they were instead used to make pastries. Later, a bakery that acquired the recipe further popularized it. Because the shop was located in Lisbon’s Belém district, this Portuguese egg tart came to be known as the “Pastel de Belém,” and to this day it remains a must-try delicacy for anyone visiting Lisbon.

Have you tried the egg tart in China? Let us know in the comments!

Antoine & Dorota

Referenced author(s): 环球时报