I first tried egg tarts in 1998, thanks to Stephen Chow’s King of Beggars . At that time, Hangzhou was still a small, lesser-known tourist city. I had never even heard of egg tarts. I wanted to try them but had to wait until 2003, when KFC launched the Portuguese egg tart. By then, I was older, and my love for sweets had faded. So, I missed out on the craze.
The Origins of Egg Tarts and Tarts in General
The term “egg tart” comes from the word tart, which is derived from the French word tarte. Tarts are pastries filled with ingredients like custard, fruit, or cream. They come in various shapes and sizes—round, square, thin, thick, or whatever you prefer. Some tarts can even resemble pizza.
While tarts and pies look similar, there’s a key difference: pies are fully enclosed, often filled with savory ingredients. Tarts are half-enclosed and designed to showcase their fillings. This makes them feel more refined and “bourgeois.” 
The Evolution of the Tart: From Savory to Sweet
As we know, European royalty took dining seriously. Tarts, with their open design, were perfect for displaying their elegant fillings. Over time, they evolved from simple dishes into sophisticated desserts. Tarts branched into two types: one savory, filled with cheese, onions, and spices, became the French quiche; the other, sweet and egg-based, turned into the English-style egg tart. This transformation was driven by the British Empire’s global trade, which brought sugar to many parts of the world.
Tarts also saw a change in their crust. The old, simple crust was replaced by a richer, more luxurious puff pastry.
The Portuguese Egg Tart: A Taste of Royalty and Sugar
Now, let’s dive into the Portuguese egg tart (or pastel de nata). The history of this tart is connected to royal kitchens. It is believed that the recipe came from the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. The monks used egg whites to starch their clothes, leaving behind a surplus of egg yolks. These yolks were used to make the tarts.
In 1820, a liberal revolution in Portugal changed everything. It turned Portugal into a constitutional monarchy and reduced the church’s power. With fewer eggs available, the monks sold the recipe to a sugar refinery. This refinery opened a tart shop in 1837, called Pastéis de Belém, which is still open today.
One unique feature of the Portuguese egg tart is its caramelized top. This was a signature innovation introduced by the sugar refinery.
The Egg Tart’s Journey to Macau and Beyond
Despite its origins in Portugal, the rise of egg tarts in Macau, Hong Kong, and mainland China has little to do with Portugal. Instead, it was an Englishman named Andrew Stow who played a key role. In 1979, Stow moved to Macau to expand his pharmaceutical business. In 1989, he opened a bakery selling European bread. After visiting Portugal and tasting the original egg tart, he began making his own version. His bakery became very popular, and the egg tart craze spread from Macau to Hong Kong and mainland China.
Here’s an interesting twist: while Stow’s business grew, he married a Chinese woman, Margaret Wong. After their divorce, Margaret opened her own egg tart shop, called Margaret’s Café e Nata, competing with Stow’s bakery. The egg tart story took on a new dimension with this rivalry!
