One of the best-regarded Macau competitors was set up by Andrew’s ex-wife Margaret Wong. The business now churns out 21,000 handmade egg tarts per day from three bakeries in Macau, and it also boasts two franchises in Japan and Manila.Ī string of rivals have cropped up in the last three decades in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. It’s just word of mouth,” added Eileen, who took over the business after her brother’s death in 2006.

“That’s how it grew before the days of ‘likes’ online. And the best thing about making them at home is being able to enjoy the tarts warm from the oven, as fresh as it gets.

The creamier, flakier, richer versions were a roaring success. Maybe an egg tart doesnt appeal to everyone but it is really precious to me. “To differentiate it from what they recognized in dim sum, a dan tat they call it a po tat,” meaning Portuguese egg tart, Eileen said. The creation initially raised a few eyebrows among Andrew’s Portuguese friends in Macau, but the local Chinese community became hooked.Ĭourtesy of the British, Cantonese cuisine already had a version of an egg tart, made with shortcrust pastry and a more jelly-like filling. With no original recipe for pastel de nata to use, Andrew experimented with a heavier British custard filling, based on a family recipe, and Portuguese pastry techniques.

Chinese egg tart name