By: Corinne Lam
Pineapple buns are a delicious pastry found decorating the numerous streets of Hong Kong and East Asian countries. These buns, though having the word “pineapple” in their name, contain absolutely no pineapple at all! What makes them live up to this fruitful name is their appearance. The bun, when baked, is often decorated with criss-cross lines, thought to represent the pineapple’s surface. With a soft, chewy, lighter colored bread on the bottom, and a more yellow, flakey, crunchy top, this pineapple bun is an absolute treat for everyone and anyone. Though seemingly small and mundane, the pineapple bun represents much more than just an iconic Cantonese pastry.
Food is an incredibly important staple of Cantonese culture. Their struggles and achievements alike are represented through the various spices and flavors of their cuisine. As such, the pineapple buns, though originating from the colonial times of British colonization, represent an outbreak of sorts, a resilience against British and Chinese control. Through their taste, looks, and preparation alone, these buns represent the longing for independence and self-preservation.
With these in mind, I was actually inspired by the pineapple bun’s story because I started attending school in Boston. As something of a college city, a multitude of cultures and backgrounds come to live in the Boston area, which allowed me to see and understand different perspectives, one of which being the Cantonese culture. I was especially interested because I am half Cantonese, and Boston has an entire Chinatown dedicated to the Asian cultures. As such, I decided to explore the various bakeries in Boston’s Chinatown that carry pineapple buns to see the amazing global reach they (and the Cantonese culture) have.
Looking on Yelp, I found some of the top bakeries in Chinatown and decided to give five of them a visit.
**The rest of the photos were taken by me :)
Our first stop was Cafe Corner. This bakery is a personal favorite of mine as it was the first bakery I ever visited in Boston. Cafe Corner is easily recognizable with its iconic burnt peach exterior and brightly-lit golden interior. During the day, this bakery is such a comforting and calm presence though constantly filled with hungry and eager customers.
I believe this bakery had the most variety of pastries as compared to the rest of the bakeries we visited that day. In a way, I saw this multitude of pastries as a way of Cantonese culture branching out to the Boston community. By offering these flavors, perhaps the bakery is saying that there is so much the Cantonese culture has to offer, and thus, shouldn't be stifled and undermined by other larger powers.
Of course, I had to get the pineapple buns, the most iconic pastry of them all. Cafe Corner sold three types of pineapple buns: the original Hong Kong bun, a Taiwanese spin, and a red bean filled bun. I was initially surprised to see that they didn't all look the same despite being labeled as "pineapple buns". However, I loved these differences as they showed diversity even within the same pastry. I found the differences between the Taiwanese and Hong Kong style pineapple buns to be most interesting. The Taiwanese style look more like pineapples, are denser, and sweeter than the HK ones. My guess is that, because Taiwan is more closely tied with China, their buns are more closely resembled to Chinese deserts and appeal to a Western audience. In contrast, the Hong Kong buns are more geared to a personal feeling, not quite sweet enough to appease the typical Western dessert lovers, but too fluffy and light to be connected with Chinese desserts.
Continuing with this idea of Taiwan desserts versus Cantonese desserts, we visited Taiwan Bakery next. The exterior/store-front of Taiwan Bakery was a very typical Asian exterior for a bakery with its sign flat against the wall and stairs leading up to the actual bakery. However, unlike most locally Asian bakeries, the interior was clean and clearly made for a Western audience, much like Cafe Corner.
I also noticed that most of the packaging on Cafe Corner's pastries were the same as the ones in Taiwan Bakery, showing that the pastries were mass-made. Seeing this surprised me as I was under the assumption that pineapple buns were made fresh from the bakery, which could be viewed controversial. However, In a positive light, this similar logo means that Cantonese buns are well-known enough (especially in Boston and America) to be mass produced and shipped to multiple bakeries. I was also intrigued by the name of bakery, "Taiwan Bakery." Finding a pineapple bun there only emphasized the outreach Cantonese pastries (and culture) has because the buns are well-known enough to be recognized by other cultures and changed to fit them and sold in their bakeries.
What was most interesting to me was the way Taiwan Bakery's pineapple buns looked as compared to Cafe Corner's, even though they came from the same company. As compared the pervious buns, this bun was much more dense on the outside, and the patterning on top was more burnt and filled in with a sweetener. This version also included a light egg wash on top showing a darker yellow color and a slightly salty taste. As such, the bread was less fluffy and sweeter than Cafe Corner's, perhaps appealing more to the Western audience. However the addition of egg resembled a taste more Asian combining the classic Cantonese flavor of salty-sweet.
Speaking of hand-made pastries, we visited two more bakeries that actually sold fresh-from-the-oven hand-made pastries and other delicious Cantonese desserts.
They were Ho Yuen Bakery and Hing Shing Pastry. Both sported a massive kitchen with at least 5-10 bakers, making the environment seem musty and warm. Unlike the other two bakeries, Ho Yuen and Hing Shing kept their pastries behind a glass case without the plastic packaging, probably because their pastries are genuinely hand-made. However, despite this resemblance to Asian bakery culture, many customers of all cultures filter in and out, showing the massive outreach these pineapple buns and Cantonese pastries can have despite being made from more humble shops.
The pineapple bun itself has a clear difference from the more Westernized buns. The crust, firstly, is thicker and more golden, sticking out from the bottom bun that is fluffy and perfectly sweet. Though there is not criss-cross design, the crust is still baked enough that the various colors on the crust resemble the pineapple bun. In the end, the thicker crust combined with the immense fluff of the bottom (both very nicely sweet) create a wonderful mixture, the beauty of hand-made Cantonese pastries.
And lastly, we visited probably one of the most westernized bakeries in Chinatown, Bao Bao Bakery. The name itself appeals to a more Western audience as "bao bao" is easily recognizable as the word "bun" or at least something remotely food related. The alliteration and "baby-fication" of the name also speaks to the cute appeal to Western audiences looking for a simple Asian delight.
The storefront window also displays a beautifully decorated white wedding cake featured in front a lavender background, which almost dissuaded me from even entering the shop in the first place simply because I didn't think they had pineapple buns. However, upon entering, I did find pineapple buns, which was really amazing to see because it meant that these Cantonese pastries are so iconic and well-known that they're even featured in a westernized shop clearly intended for Western customers.
As such, Bao Bao Bakery carries multiple flavors of pineapple buns that I didn't even think was possible, most of them well known as the classic "Asian flavors" to Westerners. The flavors included the original Hong Kong (called "HK Pineapple Sweet Bun" in the shop), custard paste, taro paste, raisin custard, and matcha mochi red bean.
Honestly, as generic as these flavors are, I was very intrigued and wanted to try each one. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to buy all of them, and simply tried the standard. It was a little bit dry, tasted more like butter, and was very very fluffy. I believe this take on the pineapple bun was definitely meant for a Westernized audience, having a richer butter flavor and a texture and appearance more reminiscent of Western bread.
After visiting these bakeries and trying each of their pineapple buns, I have personally found a unity within the Boston area. These bakeries, though one of many shops littering Boston, represent an incredible part of Cantonese culture, and each pastry only brings people to become more culturally aware little by little. Even though these buns were all the same pastry, these buns showed a variety of different ways they can be made and enjoyed. Whether it be more Chinese influenced, Western-appealing, or simply Cantonese, in the end, these buns are all from Hong Kong origins and represent the Cantonese culture breaking out of bonds and demanding visibility.
🍍For Fun!🍍
As a little ending, I thought about rating the pineapple buns from each bakery I visited. I'd highly recommend you try the pineapple buns whenever you can! They're absolutely delicious no matter which you try :)
Cafe Corner - Taiwanese Style Bun
Ho Yuen Bakery
Taiwan Bakery
Hing Shing Pastry
Cafe Corner - HK Original Style Bun
Bao Bao Bakery
Reflection:
In my essay, I hoped to convey the message that pineapple buns represent the longing for freedom and identity of the Cantonese culture. For years, Hong Kong has always been under another rule, traded between Britain and China like playing cards. However, through food, Hong Kong has been able to make a name for itself, creating fusion Asian, Western foods as well as detouring from the norm. In realizing that food is a staple for Cantonese culture, I sought for a specific type of food that represented my culture well. The search didn't take me very long as the pineapple buns were the first iconic item to show up. I was lucky as well because Boston has a Chinatown that would allow me to better explore the pineapple buns and Cantonese culture in food.
Thus, I believe a photo essay was the best way to communicate this idea, though honestly, this idea was hard to think about in any way other than a written essay. However, in thinking some more, I chose a photo essay. Through this type of media, I could show the various locations where Cantonese pastries and pineapple buns are offered, which would, in turn, show how global Cantonese culture through food was. I also figured that each pineapple bun would be different at each bakery, showing the diversity and different takes other cultures have on the pineapple buns. These variations once again show the outreach buns have, thus making a name for Hong Kong and Cantonese culture.
In turn, with being able to travel to these bakeries and try their famous Cantonese pastries, I felt like I also became closer to a part of my own culture and family history. Seeing the conditions and hard-work put into making the pastries by hand, I've formed a deeper appreciation for the Cantonese culture and the food the symbolizes it so much. I now recognized Cantonese culture as it's own separate entity rather than constantly comparing it British or Chinese influences, which I hope everyone can do as well. :)