photo: Diamond shaped egg tart
One of the most popular and craved pastries in Singapore is the egg tart. During the frequent hot sunny afternoons, it is common to see Singaporeans snacking on the sweet golden creamy egg custard enclosed in the crunchy crusts accompanied by an icy cold drink. The thriving existence of egg tarts in Singapore may be traced from the roots of Chinese immigrants who brought with them their knowledge of making egg custard pastry learnt from Portuguese and British pastry making crafts. A visit to one of the oldest and well- known egg tart cafes in Singapore – Tong Heng, will bring back many fond childhood memories. Situated near Chinatown, the revamped sit-down café continues to churn up its famed, unique diamond shaped, and velvety tender egg tarts. The individual crusts are hand-made, and allowed to harden and chill overnight. The rich glossy and quivering egg custard is prepared the following day and poured into the hardened crust. In early years of Singapore history, the egg tart known locally as the “dan tart” were routinely sold in dim sum carts pushed around by the dim sum aunties in traditional Chinese restaurants. These days, the golden egg tart may be found in many different versions and one can buy them from a café, bakery shop or from small cake stalls in hawker centres or food courts.
photo: Display of egg tarts at Tong Heng, one of Singapore’s oldest established egg tart bakery