The Wife Cake

One of the earlier pregnancy cravings I had was . . .hopia (a local pastry filled with bean paste)!  I have another favorite which is similar to hopia (in my opinion) and is called the "Wife Cake".  Somebody gave us this as "pasalubong" (gift) from Hong Kong.  

The Wife Cake is a flaky Chinese pastry that is made with wintermelon, almond paste and sesame.  I like it because I like the taste of wintermelon and the flaky pastry around it.  It would have been better . . .if I can have coffee with it! Haha!  This and a cup of coffee  would have been a perfect treat! =)

(When I'm pregnant, one thing I find hard to do. . . is give up my coffee! *Booo*)

There is actually an interesting story behind the pastry's name.  The story below was written on the box of the pastry.

Legend has it that back in feudal China, a daughter-in-law offered herself for sale in return for money to cure her ill-health father-in-law.  In a desperate attempt to redeem his spouse, the husband created a gormet cake for sale in the bazaar.  His product did pay off with the proceeds saved.  The copule was able to get together again and lived happily ever after.  His recipe then spread from place to place, winning the name "Wife Cake"

Such a romantic story about love and devotion. . . which makes this simple pastry extra special.  

P.S.
Do you know that there is also a "Husband Cake"?  The difference is just the filling.  And this is the story behind the Husband Cake.

The tale of the Husband Cake begins long ago with a couple of childhood sweethearts. The boy came from a poor family, and so lacked the funding necessary sit for the national examination for government office, the passing of which was seen as the only way for a poor villager to ascend in wealth and class. The girl then created a salty pastry made of sesame and bean curd and sold it in the market in order to earn the money for his examination journey. Since then, people called it Husband Cake. Not only was she able to earn enough for him to take his exam, her efforts imbued the boy with the confidence to score the best marks and win the position of a highranking officer. 

Have a love-filled day everyone! =)