The Art Of The Tart: Macau's 'Jagra De Ovos'

Within the tiny Chinese enclave of Macau are bustling walkways tiled with the same mosaic cobblestones of Lisbon, belying its Portuguese heart. Along these pathways, the aromas and tastes from bakeries, street stalls, and cafés are imbued with the burnt-toffee aroma, sweet custardy taste, and flaky strata of puffy crust seared with a crème brûlée crown, creating Macau's signature sweetmeat: the jagra de ovos, or egg tart, that stems from the traditional Portuguese pastel de nata.

Macanese is the unique Chinese-Portuguese cuisine and culture that evolved more than 450 years ago from a South China Sea colony, spice market, and trading port-of-call to the glittering gambling oasis that is now a destination to more than 28 million tourists last year, according to Macau Government Tourist Office. That fusion inspired a hybrid of traditional Western recipes with Eastern elements to create a craze for egg tarts in the east, and an easy gamble for those looking for a delicious symbol of cultural identity.

Portuguese egg tarts go back to pasteis de Belém, a pastry first sold in 1837, at a convent near Belém Tower in Lisbon. Imitations of this secret recipe of egg tart, dusted with cinnamon, followed Portuguese explorers through out the world, including the kitchens, hotels, and governor's mansions of Macau.

Yet, it took an English immigrant, Andrew Stow, who had opened a tiny Western-style bakery called Lord Stow's Bakery, — due to his nickname — in the quaint village of Coloane on Macau's southernmost island, in 1989, to bring the egg tart to the public. After tasting a Portuguese egg tart with his then wife Margaret Wong, a Macanese native, Stow marketed and adapted his own version of the egg tart in 1990 that appealed to local and regional tastes. Soon, the tourists caught on and a pilgrimage to Lord Stow's unassuming patisserie on a serene square surrounded by tiled roofs, temples, and two-story villas became a popular activity. 

In 1999, the Portuguese officially turned over Macau to a Chinese regime of "One country, two systems." During the transitional era, the residents of Macau, who were predominantly ethnically Chinese started to evolve, affirm, and establish more of their own cultural identities, including the cultural establishment of the mixed Macanese, Portuguese, and Filipino residents — including their food and foodways. Concurrently began the explosive growth of the egg tart as a Macanese cultural icon, eventually selling thousands a day at Lord Stow's bakery alone. A trip to Macau was not complete with an egg tart, not mention a gift package to bring home.

In 1997, Lord Stow expanded his egg tart empire with a branch in Hong Kong. Soon, there were lines around the block and many imitators, and a craze was born. Egg tart bakeries started appearing in Chinatowns in across the world. Today, Lord Stow's has five branches in Macau and outlets in Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan.

"Everybody comes from all over the world for them," says Jay Pascua, a baker at Lord Stow's original bakery in Coloane, where they are still using Stow's secret recipe since his death in 2006. "There are lines out the door, but we make them in fresh batches, so they sometimes they have to wait, but they (are best when) eaten hot," he says.

Marca Dychingco, an employee at the Lord Stow's Bakery and Café in The Grand Canal Shoppes of the Venetian Macau, said that the tarts are unique because they are made by hand with special toasted tops and that the custard is cooked after being poured into the baking cups without added water or thickeners.

After a divorce, Stow's ex-wife Margaret Wong started her own egg tart emporium in 1992, called Margaret's Café e Nata. The Café is hard to find, but it's a worthwhile offshoot that features milk tea and created a great debate as to whose egg tarts are better. Her version tweaked the recipe a bit, with a little less sweetness, caramel, and creaminess. Wong also exported her egg tarts abroad to KFC restaurants in Singapore and elsewhere.

Another contender for great local egg tarts is San Hou Lei Café, on the "food street" strip. San Hou Lei also features milk egg tarts and bird's nest egg tarts, especially good for those who want their tarts without the crème brûlée burnt tops or might want a coconut-topped version.

What makes Macau different from other gambling and tourism destinations is the spark generated from its unique hybrid culture that has resulted in its electric street life and robust Macanese sweet life — especially through their magnificent egg tarts.