Communist bandit pastry
| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Taiwan |
| Region or state | Chiayi County |
| Main ingredients | Wheat flour, pork, cabbage, carrot, egg, peanut, sesame |
| Variations | Savory, sweet |
Communist bandit pastries (Chinese: 共匪餅; pinyin: Gòngfěi bǐng) are a type of Taiwanese pastry sold in Chiayi City, Taiwan. The snack is named after the term "communist bandit" (Chinese: 共匪), an anti-communist epithet that was widely used in Taiwan during the martial law era to refer to people from China under communist rule.[1]
History
The pastries were created by a family-run food stand in Chiayi’s West District. The idea originated with the aunt-in-law of the shop owner, who was born in China and moved to Taiwan after marriage. Missing the snacks from her home country, she began preparing pastries she grew up eating. Her nephew experimented with fillings and developed the current recipe.[2]
The name was chosen because during Taiwan’s martial law period, the term "communist bandit" was frequently used as a pejorative. The shop owner explained that his relatives jokingly referred to his aunt as a "communist bandit" or "Chinese sister", leading to the name "Chinese Sister Communist Bandit Pastries".[3]
Description
Communist Bandit Pastries are offered in both savory and sweet varieties.[4]
- The savory version resembles an ingot in shape, and is filled with seasonal vegetables such as cabbage and carrot, mixed with mung bean vermicelli and the vendor's signature pork stuffing, along with a fried egg. The thick pastry shell is pan-fried until crisp.[5]
- The sweet version is rounder in shape, with a thinner crust, and is filled with ground peanuts and sesame seeds.[6]
Controversy
On 22 September 2020, the Hong Kong broadcaster TVB aired a Taiwan-produced travel program on its J2 channel that introduced Chiayi night market foods, including Communist bandit pastries. The program used the term repeatedly in both narration and subtitles, without political context.[7]
The broadcast drew criticism on the Hong Kong social media forum LIHKG, with some netizens joking that TVB, typically regarded as pro-Beijing, was "starting to rebel". TVB later issued an apology, stating that the name carried insulting connotations, and removed the episode from its online streaming platform to avoid misunderstanding.[8]
Commentators suggested that the decision reflected concerns over the 2020 Hong Kong national security law, which had recently been implemented.[9]
Popular culture
The name of the pastries spread on international forums after a Reddit user posted photos of the Chiayi stand in December 2019. Some commenters joked about a rival store in China named "Capitalist Bandit Pancakes", while others noted the irony that a shop named after communism was privately owned.[3]
See also
References
- ^ 陳成良 (2020-09-28). "介紹台灣「共匪餅」踩紅線 親共港媒急撤影片". Liberty Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "嘉義人氣下午點心 扎實內餡又涮嘴的共匪餅！". ETtoday (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ a b Everington, Keoni (January 5, 2021). "Photo of the Day: Communist Bandit Pastries spotted in Taiwan". Taiwan News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ "蔣介石影響台灣食文化 專家：共匪餅有鹹甜兩滋味". The Epoch Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ 陳成良 (2020-10-14). "香港央視介紹「嘉義大陸妹共匪餅」 遭網批：觸犯國安法！". SET News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ 劉又瑋 (2022-01-17). "製程全公開！「共匪餅」嘉義飄香逾20年 中國闆娘大器談命名由來". Formosa Television (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ 陳凱俊 (2020-09-24). "香港TVB播《愛玩客》介紹「共匪餅」 遭酸「造反了」緊急下架". Mirror Media (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ^ 小威妹 (2020-09-23). "嘉義共匪餅引熱議 外皮煙韌鹹甜餡都有 7大台灣街頭餅食推介｜好食玩飛". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ 凌杉. "火了！親共港媒節目介紹"共匪餅" 被揭後火速下架". Sound of Hope (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2020-09-26.