Tai Tung Bakery

Pop into any local-style bakery or cha chaan teng (a local-style diner) in Hong Kong, and you’re likely to encounter a fist-sized bun with a scored top. This is the pineapple bun, named not for any tropical ingredient, but rather for that surface, which is thought to resemble that of the eponymous fruit. 

These days, the pineapple bun is found at Chinese bakeries across the world, but it got its start in Hong Kong. It was possibly first made by Chinese immigrants returning from Mexico during the 1940s, who were said to have been inspired by that country’s concha, although nobody knows the true story. 

In 2014, Hong Kong’s government listed the pineapple bun as an example of the territory’s “living cultural heritage.” Indeed, the calorie-dense buns are so popular that in 2018, Hong Kong’s Consumer Council felt compelled to put out a document warning eaters of the health risks associated with consuming them.

Tai Tung, located in almost rural-feeling Yuen Long, in far northern Hong Kong, has been baking pineapple buns since 1943, most likely making it the oldest producer in the territory. The bakery is also known for its mooncakes, popular during Chinese New Year, as well as for its wife cake, a flaky-crusted confection filled with candied winter melon. Sadly, in 2022, Tai Tung’s iconic neon sign was removed as it violated safety regulations set out by Hong Kong’s Buildings Department—but at least the buns are as good as ever.

The bakery claims to bake around 1,000 per day, in a process that takes 24 hours. The buns emerge from the oven with a soft, airy, almost cotton candy-like crumb and that recognizable crispy, sugar topping. Tai Tung does a variant stuffed with red bean paste and paradoxically (or logically?), a version with pineapple paste and a few slices of pineapple inside.