Wife cakes
Roughly the size of a coaster, these flaky Cantonese pastries are filled with a paste made of winter melon and sugar. Sometimes called winter melon cakes, they are better known as wife cakes.
There are several stories about the pastry, and they all attribute its creation, or at least its inspiration, to a married woman.
One of the most commonly told stories is about a woman whose father-in-law fell ill. The family was extremely poor, and to help pay the huge medical bills, the woman sold herself to the landlord. It is unclear when this story is set, but it would have been at a time when it was common for people, especially women, to be sold as slaves or wives - as late as the 19th century.
Her husband continued to work hard to support his family. He was determined to make enough money to pay the landlord and bring his wife home. Being a good cook, he decided to create a snack to sell on the street. He used the cheapest ingredients he could find - winter melon, sugar, lard and flour - and made sweet pastries with a winter melon filling. He then set up a stall and began to sell them. Their golden hue instantly attracted passers-by, and the light, clean flavours of the winter melon were a hit. Soon, he was selling out every day, and he eventually made enough money to bring his wife back.
Another version tells of a chef from Lian Xiang Lou, an old teahouse in Guangzhou. One day, he took home some snacks from work as a treat for his wife. To his surprise, she was unimpressed, saying she'd had better at home, in Chaozhou, where they incorporate winter melon. She made some for him, but they were in plump dumpling-like shapes, and the chef thought they were too sweet. He then modified her recipe, making the flatter ones we know today.
