Skip to Main Content

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

Hong Kong’s pineapple bun just might owe its origin to Japan and Mexico.

Aired 03/20/2024

See all videos with Audio DescriptionAD

Beyond The Menu

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

Episode 1 | 9m 59sVideo has Audio Description, Closed Captions

Hong Kong’s pineapple bun just might owe its origin to Japan and Mexico.

You can’t tell the full story of Hong Kong without the iconic pineapple bun, yet who created it remains a mystery. Some say it all began in the 1920s with an ​​Armenian pastry chef working at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Others say it originated with a Chinese-Mexican family deported from Mexico in the 1930s. Watch the video for a delicious, cross-continental journey to get to the bottom of it.

Aired 03/20/2024

See all videos with Audio DescriptionAD

Beyond The Menu is a local public television program presented by KQED

Beyond The Menu

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

Episode 1 | 9m 59sVideo has Audio Description, Closed Captions

You can’t tell the full story of Hong Kong without the iconic pineapple bun, yet who created it remains a mystery. Some say it all began in the 1920s with an ​​Armenian pastry chef working at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Others say it originated with a Chinese-Mexican family deported from Mexico in the 1930s. Watch the video for a delicious, cross-continental journey to get to the bottom of it.

Aired 03/20/2024

See all videos with Audio DescriptionAD

How to Watch Beyond The Menu

Beyond The Menu is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.

Beyond The Menu is a local public television program presented by KQED

Sign in with Email

or

Continue with GoogleContinue with FacebookContinue with Apple

By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Are you sure you want to remove null from My List?