Cultural Fusion and Assimilation

At Harper’s Bread House, there are numerous food options that are examples of cultural fusion and assimilation. The bakery sells onigiri, which is a white rice ball formed into triangular shapes wrapped in nori or seaweed and it has origins from Japanese cuisine. Some examples of onigiri fillings that are not sold in traditional Chinese bakeries but are sold at Harper’s Bread House are the bacon egg and cheese, spam, and kimchi fried rice. 

Traditional Asian pastries are mostly steamed (mantou, huajuan, baozi, etc) but since the modern oven came to the East, many old recipes have been “reinvented”  like baked goods. One example is the egg custard tart, which were created in Hong Kong bakeries during British colonial times and were inspired by European custard tarts. Some pastries that are found in Chinese bakeries that are nearly identical to their Western influences include cream buns, Napoleons, and Swiss rolls. Additionally, as a result of the British cultural influence on Hong Kong, these bakeries commonly sell pastries such as custards, sponge cakes, and flaky pastries.

Researched by Derek Dong, Nicole Chen, and Alex Ma