Stalls selling egg-shaped pancakes are often found on the streets or in night markets in Taiwan. These pancakes are cooked using molds to create shapes with the pancake batter. They are delicious traditional snacks with affordable prices. Egg-shaped pancakes are made with only four ingredients: flour, sugar, butter and egg. The recipe was created in the 1950s by a grocery store owner who made a batter using eggs which had broken upon delivery. He cooked it in an iron mold on a gas stove. The idea was quite successful because the finished product was delicious.
雞蛋糕是在台灣的路邊和夜市隨處可見的點心,是將麵糊倒入模具加熱煎成。雞蛋糕的原料只有麵粉、糖、奶油和雞蛋,起源於1950年代,據說是一位雜貨店老闆發明的,他把搬運時弄破的雞蛋做成麵糊,倒在加熱的鐵模中,就成了香甜可口的雞蛋糕。
mold (n.) 模具
Photo courtesy of Bookman l 圖片:書林
grocery (n.) 雜貨店
The early molds used to heat the batter were mainly in the shape of eggs, so they were called egg-shaped pancakes. These pancakes were inexpensive due to the simple ingredients and became a popular treat for children after school. Vendors later started modifying the molds to create animal- and cartoon-shaped molds to make them more appealing to children. These cute and sweet pancakes have been a favorite snack enjoyed on the road for generations, becoming a childhood memory for many.
早期用來加熱的模具造型主要是雞蛋形狀,因而稱做雞蛋糕,是孩童的最愛。為了吸引孩童的目光,許多攤販改造模具,除了傳統的橢圓形外,還有動物和卡通造型的雞蛋糕,於是各種可愛造型的雞蛋糕成為了許多台灣人童年美好的回憶。
In recent years, street vendors have been coming up with even more creative ideas for egg-shaped pancakes to raise their appeal to all customers. They have added new flavors like chocolate and cheese to the batter as well as fillings like mochi and tapioca pearls. Some have attracted younger customers by using trendy and eye-catching letter-shaped pancakes with popular phrases or quotes from TV dramas. But overall the most influential has been encouraging customers of all ages to check in on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook so that they can receive discounts on their purchase of these pancakes. These interesting shapes and marketing strategies have attracted people to line up for photos to post and to check in for discounts, causing this nostalgic snack to regain popularity.
近年來,攤販為吸引更多顧客,開發出巧克力、起司等口味的麵糊,還在雞蛋糕中加入麻糬、珍珠等內餡,還做出搶眼新潮的造型──字形雞蛋糕。這些字是流行語或熱播劇的台詞,引起年輕人的共鳴。如果在Instagram 或Facebook等社群網站上打卡,還可以獲得折扣。有趣的造型和行銷策略吸引許多人排隊等著拍照打卡,使得這項古早味點心再次翻紅。
check in (v. ph.) 打卡
nostalgic (adj.) 懷舊的;鄉愁的
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