Mouthing Off | Pies around the world, from hearty British and Australian ones to a measly Hong Kong tart


Iโ€™ve been enjoying a travel show called Adam & Pohโ€™s Great Australian Bites, which follows celebrity chefs Adam Liaw and Poh Ling Yeow as they eat their way around Australia.

A recurring question they pose to themselves and guests on the show is whether the humble meat pie could be considered Australiaโ€™s national dish.

With this topic in mind, my partner recently told me she had just found one of the best chicken pies in Hong Kong, and that I needed to try it for myself. I immediately imagined a hearty Aussie or English-style savoury pot pie with flaky pastry, large enough to be a meal.

I was taken to a new cha chaan teng, or traditional Hong Kong-style cafe, where the chicken โ€œpieโ€ was in the display counter next to pineapple buns, Swiss rolls and other pastries.
A Hong Kong chicken pie at a city cafe, much smaller than its English and Australian counterparts. Photo: eatlike852
A Hong Kong chicken pie at a city cafe, much smaller than its English and Australian counterparts. Photo: eatlike852
It turns out the so-called pie was a Hong Kong-style tart just slightly larger than a typical egg tart, with crumbly, sweet pastry.

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