An egg tart is a type of pastry that consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. It is a popular dessert in Chinese cuisine and is believed to have been derived from the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. The egg tart started being sold in the early 20th century in Guangzhou (Canton), Guangdong province, inspired by the European custard tarts. Nowadays, there are two main varieties of egg tart in China. The one that appeared around 1927 in Guangzhou’s Zhen Guang Restaurant is close to the egg tarts popular in Guangzhou and Hong Kong today. The other variety is from Macau and is a Macanese take on the pastel de nata, as Macau was then a Portuguese colony.

Hong Kong egg tarts are typically smaller and served in twos or threes, in contrast to the original Guangzhou egg tarts which were larger and could be served as a single item. The custard filling may be flavored with chocolate, green tea, or birds nest, and the outer shell may be made with pastry. The technique of egg tart production was formally included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong in June 2014.

There are different recipes for making egg tarts, but they generally involve making a pastry shell and filling it with a mixture of eggs, sugar, milk, and sometimes other ingredients like cinnamon. The puff pastry should be made the night before, so it has time to chill fully before pressing it into the molds. The filling is then poured into the pastry shell and baked until golden.

In summary, an egg tart is a pastry that consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. It is a popular dessert in Chinese cuisine and has its roots in the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. There are different varieties of egg tarts in China, and they can be flavored with different ingredients. Making egg tarts involves making a pastry shell and filling it with a mixture of eggs, sugar, milk, and sometimes other ingredients like cinnamon.