heritage tarts

Foodie Friday 014

 Pineapple Tarts 

[ Malaysian ]

Availability: nationwide

After taking a break from festive-appropriate delicacy, here we are back at it again with . so let's stop all the small talk and get to it right away!

If you are not familiar with how the Malaysian Muslims celebrate the month of Syawal, we will have a moment on the morning of the first day to forgive each other in the family circle and then we go out to visit the closest relatives and then friends. This would continue for the rest of the month but the point of me bringing this up is because whenever we visit these houses, it s like an unwritten rule or just a time-honour tradition to have colourful and diverse kuih raya or raya biscuits or cookies at the ready for the visitors to munch on. They are rather broad yet correct categories for these tasty delicacies but they do have a lot of sub-categories under it, from sweet-based to pastry-based for example, with this particular product lies somewhere in the middle.

Tarts has a rich history dated back to the 1500s and this nanas tarts is a unique variation of it, and it has been a mainstay here in the Peninsula under the forced occupation of the British, having the recipe being perfected from generation to generation. Since everyone have their own particular way in making the tart, every product out there would be slightly different from each other, from the consistency of the pastry around the tart and the taste of the tart itself. The packaging do not matter as much but if they are not careful with the stacking, the ones at the bottom might crumble under the other's weights. You eat this tart for mainly the rich taste of the pineapple in the middle with the surrounding pastry complementing it and balancing the overall taste profile.  

 This product in question is made by my aunt actually and her recipe produces a delightfully sweet yet tangy taste of the pineapple and the mild taste of the pastry helps to counter it by not letting it overpower your taste buds. The one thing that is the major variable here for me is how the structure of the pastry holds itself on its own, from crumbling right in your hands to holding together sturdily and would only break with a crunch under your bite ... thankfully my aunt's is on the latter side, making my task of eating it so much easier rather than had to carefully hold it every time I want to eat one of them. I give her props for having a viable working recipe!

I'm sure if you've been around around the time this festivity occur, you might have your own favourite cookie. This is definitely one of mine, but what is yours?

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a case for the sweet tooth favourite:

+ Positives +

sweet pineapple goodness with fine pastry outer layer.

? Main contention ?

more than most the pastry holds up well but some don't ... it depends on your luck.

- Negatives -

the pastry taste could be too much for some, and the same can be said for the pineapple as well.

! Warning !

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j preferred way of eating f

eating them one by one, carefully of course ...

* sense of touch & taste *

slight crunchiness of the pastry with the softness of the tarts, sweet and tangy with the eggy complement.

 <+> 

can be too high in sugar if eaten indiscriminately. please be mindful.

RM

over RM15 for a barrel with 36 tarts in it. this is really affordable, so be careful when looking for one since the price and packaging will vary.

? Value ?

+ long storage capability + sweet & tasty + bright colour +/- filling - brittle = 80% 

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