A suncake, or ''taiyang bing'', is a popular
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, ...
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...
originally from the city of
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...
, in central Taiwan. The typical fillings consist of
maltose
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Maltose ( or ), also known as maltobiose or malt sugar, is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with an α(1→4) bond. In the isomer isomaltose, the two glucose molecules are joined with an α(1→6) bond. Maltose is the two- ...
(condensed malt sugar), and they are usually sold in special gift boxes as souvenirs for visitors. Some famous suncake pastry shops always have long lines of people waiting to buy boxed suncakes.
Suncakes are round, and they may vary in size. They are characterized by flaky crusts. Most people eat them with
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
, and some people dissolve them in hot water to make a porridge-like dessert.
Origin
The first suncakes were made by the Lin family in the She-Ko area of
Shengang Township Shengang can refer to the following places:
China
* (申港街道), Jiangyin, Wuxi, Jiangsu
* (申港街道), Pudong, Shanghai
Taiwan
*Shengang, Changhua
Shengang Township () is a rural township in Changhua County, Taiwan.
Geography
Shengang ...
,
Taichung County
Taichung County was a county in central Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Yuanlin Township before 1950 and Fongyuan City after 1950.
History
Taichung County was established on 26 November 1945 on the territory of Taichū P ...
(now part of Taichung City). The Lin family used condensed malt sugar as a filling for cake pastries. Later, pastry maker Wei Qing-hai modified the cakes to their current form.
Though not originally called "suncakes", they were given the name by the owner of "Sun Booth",
one of the most famous pastry shops that sells them. The name was not trademarked, and other pastry shops have used the same name for their own suncakes.
See also
*
Mooncake
A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between f ...
*
Sweetheart cake
A sweetheart cake or wife cake or marriage pie is a traditional Chinese cake with a thin crust of flaky pastry, and made with a filling of winter melon, almond paste, and sesame, and spiced with five spice powder.
"Wife cake" is the translatio ...
*
Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine (, Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄌㄧㄠˋㄌㄧˇ, or , Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄘㄞˋ) has several variations. The earliest known cuisines of Taiwan are that of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Over hundred years of histor ...
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List of Taiwanese desserts and snacks
This is a list of notable Taiwanese desserts and snacks. Some of these dishes are also a part of other cuisines.
Taiwanese desserts and snacks
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See also
* List of desserts
* Taiwanese cuisine
...
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List of pastries
This is a list of pastries, which are small buns made using a stiff dough enriched with fat. Some dishes, such as pies, are made of a pastry casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savory ingredients.
There are fi ...
References
Taiwanese desserts
Pancakes
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