Portuguese egg tarts, sold in Singapore, are known in England as Maids of Honour. If I remember rightly, which I rarely do, the original recipe was said to be the secret of "The Original Maids of Honour shop" near Kew Gardens, south of the Thames, near Hampton Court, the summer palace. The tarts were supposedly made by the maids of honour of Portuguese Queen Catherine of Braganza. I may have got the story wrong, but, as the saying goes, 'why let the truth get in the way of a good story'.
Wiki has other ideas:
Maids of Honour tart (also known as Maids of Honour cake and Richmond Maids of Honor) is a traditional English baked tart consisting of a puff pastry shell filled with cheese curds. A variation is to add jam or almonds and nutmeg. Traditionally the tart was a puff pastry filled with sweetened milk curds.
The tart is said to date back to King Henry VIII when he witnessed some of the Queen's Maids of honour eating some cakes and demanded to taste one. He found them delicious and named them after the maids. There are ideas that go even further, citing that the maid who made the tarts was imprisoned and had to produce them solely for the King. However, there is another theory that they were named after Anne Boleyn, a maid of honour at the time, who made the cakes for Henry VIII.
A tea room in Kew, south-west London, "The Original Maids of Honour", dates back to the 18th century and was set up specifically to sell these tarts.
In Singapore, a friend brought as custard tarts for tea. He said:
"These Portuguese tarts were made in Macau, an island which used to be Portuguese. (It is now Chinese.) Some Macau Chinese people came to Singapore, bringing the recipe with them.
"Now Polar is one of the most popular pastry bakeries in Singapore. They have many outlets and their cakes sell out fast."
The cakes you buy come in protective cardboard boxes with a distinctive shiny green outside. You carry off your purchases wrapped in a striped green and white 'plastic' bag bearing the word Polar. Polar, which is a reminder of polar bears might seen odd in the hot tropics.
Polar is a halal bakery, handy if you are keeping halal or have halal visitors.
Useful Websites
UK
https://web.archive.org/web/20140202174505/http://www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk/about/history/
SINGAPORE
https://www.halaltrip.com/downloadable-halal-travel-guides/
BIOGRAPHY
Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5
The Author of several books including Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.
Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com
dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President
Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time
Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;
Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;
Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.
More details from Toastmasters International find a club.
Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.
Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.
Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.
Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.
Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.
Language and speech workshops in Singapore.
Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.
Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.
Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.
Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.
Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.
Quick Quotations
Who Said What When
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