Cakes of the World

Vince Yim, OP Traveling Chef

GERMANY

A. befits the Cake issue of The
Other Press, I really hoped to travel
abroad in search of the best cakes
and pastries the world has to offer.
Unfortunately, my wishes were beyond
what the OP can afford, and there aren’t
many good bakeries nearby to Douglas
College (although the cheesecake in
the New West Quay is to die for). So
I researched five of the world’s most
classic cakes, and here is a sampling of
what each cake means to the people of
its country.

Mooncake - China

A traditional pastry typically available

for the Mid-Autumn festival. This day

usually falls on the 15 day of the eighth

lunar month on the Chinese calendar,

and often coincides with a full moon
(usually some time around September).

The festival itself is a commemoration of

a bountiful harvest.

The mooncake itself is a small pastry,
typically 10 cm in diameter and 4 to 5 cm
thick, but this is offset by the sweetness
and richness. The actual pastry of flour
and sugar makes up a thin shell-like crust,
which is in turn filled with a ground paste
consisting of lotus seed or azuki beans.
To symbolize the full moon, one or more
salted duck egg yolks are added. To most
non-Chinese, the duck yolks may not be

 

 

the most palatable item, but they help
offset the level of sweetness. Also, with
the cost of salted duck eggs, the price
goes up accordingly.

The cakes themselves are aesthetically
pleasing, and created when they are
pressed into a mold. This ensures that
all mooncakes are uniform in size and
shape, and also allows the bakers to
add embossed artwork to the cakes
themselves. These include Chinese
characters as well as pictures and the
name of the bakery.

While you don’t see a lot of fat
Chinese people around, this is a very rich
desert, as it is often is cooked with a large
amount of lard and sugar. More recently,
the Chinese have adopted more health
conscious cooking techniques, offering
versions which have increased fiber
content and less sugar and fat.

Tiramisu — Italy

Taken from the Italian word for
“pick-me-up,” as in elevating one’s mood
or energy level, as opposed to a term
with a more sexual connotation, tiramisu
is a desert which contains coffee and
espresso, along with ladyfingers, cream,
mascarpone cheese, and custard. The
ladyfingers themselves are soaked with
rum and espresso. A combination of
bitter and sweet tastes, it is a favourite on
any dessert menu.

There are few different theories about
its origin, one of which ties Tiramisu
to Zuppa Inglese, or “English Soup.” The
truffle-like Zuppa Inglese was originally
developed in Tuscany, and shares some
similarities with Tiramisu, namely the
soaking of ladyfingers in rum and
liqueur, and layering it custard.

Given its strong caffeine and sugar
content, it is theorized that the desert
was developed as a means of providing
energy, hence, the name. Whether women
sent this to their husbands to give them
energy while fighting on the battlefield
during the WWI to remind the soldiers
of their love and ensure a safe return
home, or to give energy for late night
sessions in Renaissance era Venice, either
allowed Tiramisu to live up to its name.

Others suggest that it was developed
in the town of Treviso. It is said to have
originated in a restaurant named Le
Beccherie in the 1970s, which still exists
to this day. The owners, Alba and Ado
Campeol, express regret for not patenting
their cake, mostly to clear up confusion
as to its origin.

And then there is the slightly less
romantic notion — that it was seen as
a cost effective way to use up leftover
coffee and stale pastry. Either way, the
dessert is a perfect complement to any
meal.

   
 
  

 

Taiyaki — Japan

Thankfully, taiyaki is more of a fish-
shaped cake than an actual fish cake.
Literally translated, it means “baked
sea bream,” and is a fish-shaped pastry
filled with red bean paste, although other
variants are known to exist, including
custard, chocolate, and cheese. Despite
its name, it contains no fish products
whatsoever.

The preparation is simple, but requires
specialized equipment, namely a pan that
is shaped like a fish. Two pans are coated
with the taiyaki batter (although pancake
batter can also be used). The filling is
added, the halves are joined, and the
product is baked.

Given taiyaki’s modern method of
preparation, it is difficult to find theories
as to its origins, as it was likely developed
in an industrialized Japan. It has existed
since at least the 1970s when a song
entitled “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” (“Swim!
Taiyaki’”) was a top-selling single. The
lyrics itself tell the story of a taiyaki that
escapes from a Japanese snack vendor’s
stand and ends up in a sea, only to be
caught and eaten.

A similar pastry, bungeobbang, is
available in Korea.

Continued on Pg 18

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