[Taiwan Food Chronicle] - 002 - Tainan Puffed Cake | 椪餅 | phòng-piánn

I came to believe that most times we need to be away from where we from to realise the beauty of our heritage and culture. The food we grew up eating is always the best proof of that. 

Following my first post on Taiwan puffed pastry, Mung Bean Pastry, I am writing another fellow puffed traditional pastry with interesting way to enjoy. 

Tainan puffed cake (phòng-piánn 椪餅) is a round, golden pastry that looks solid but is hollow inside, like a little edible dome. It is a very Tainan thing that is still only available and made in the historical city. As it bakes, the brown or castor sugar filling melts and the dough puffs up, leaving a thin layer of caramelized sugar clinging to the inside of the shell. The classic way to eat it is the old-fashioned Tainan way: tap a small hole in the top, crack an egg inside, and fry the whole thing in sesame oil until the egg cooks into the sweet, crispy shell. For generations, this was a go-to dish for new mothers during zuo yuezi (坐月子), the traditional month of postpartum rest, because brown sugar, sesame oil, and eggs were all believed to warm the body and help with recovery. 

Many long-running local bakeries still make them by hand, so a puffed cake is less a trendy snack than a small taste of family memory and the city's history.

Because the puffed cake is so unique and is traditionally eaten in such a specific way, I can't help feeling a little insider pride as a Tainan local whenever I see tourists nibbling on one plain, like an ordinary snack.

My aunt always made them crispy with dried Longgan which is traditionally considered as nutritious. What would you add for yours?