Happy Anniversary !

We had a customer who was doing a big-do for his parents on their wedding anniversary. Inviting relatives & close friends for the party. He wanted to do a simple yet a traditional pastries.

We decided to go ahead with the longevity peach which is in fact, the longevity peach (shou tao) is not a fruit but a Chinese steamed bun in the shape of a peach, with lotus paste filling and coloured a bright festive pink. Traditionally, the shou tao is eaten at birthday celebrations of elderly folks where the buns are piled at least knee high on a tray.

Peaches are well known Chinese symbols of longevity and there is a Taoist story about the Queen Mother of the West who has a magical peach tree which bears peaches granting immortality to those who eat them. The tree however only bears fruit every three thousand years. The peach shaped steamed buns are made to symbolize those magical, immortality granting peaches.