Traditional snack food in Tamsui (Part 4 Winter melon meat pie)

This delicious winter melon meat pie by 三協成餅舖 SanXieChen Bakeries has retain its popularity for over 70 years:

No 81 Chung Cheng Road

It is actually a wedding cake, Taiwanese style, customarily distributed in batches to friends and families of the bride and groom. Interestingly, it has a British origin. From a great post on the 三協成餅舖 website:

"古早淡水人有一句名諺「娶某不娶八里坌」，這句話提醒年輕人，八里人嫁女兒的風俗是要送喜餅給全村村民的，所以娶他們的女兒要自量其力；而李水清先生就從這句諺語中看到廣大的喜餅市場。為了攻佔喜餅市場，李水清先生首先透過前台大婦產科主任－歐陽培銓先生，認識了英國領事館的主廚－涂彩和先生，然後向他學做英國水果派（派皮較鬆脆）以為改進傳統水晶餅外皮軟趴趴的缺點。而其女婿－林銅洲先生也因為在英國領事館任職商務秘書，從而進口英國老牌子Bush Boake Allen香料，以為改進水晶餅內餡的香味（當時台灣還沒有奶粉、奶精等原料）自此中西合併，改良後的冬瓜肉餅一炮而紅，成為「三協成」維持七十年不墜的招牌餅。"

Translation: "There was a proverb in old Tamsui that went "Never marry a girl from Bali", a warning to the prospective groom on the heavy financial burden since expensive wedding cakes would be required to distribute to ALL the bride's fellow villagers (i.e., easily the whole Bali). The founder of SanXieChen Mr Li Shui-ching, realizing a vast potential market, had, through the introduction of NTU Ob-Gyn chairman Dr AuYang Pei-chuan, got to know and learn from the chief chef of the British Consulate Mr Tu Chai-he on how to make a better pie crust than the old soggy ones. And through his son-in-law, Mr Lin Tung-chou who was Commerce Secretary at the Consulate, Mr Li had imported the famed English Bush Boake Allen spices to improve the flavor of the fillings. Combining East and West, the winter melon meat pie became an instant hit which made SanXieChen Bakeries a well-known brand name since that had lasted for the past 70 years."

At some point in the 50s, winter melon in the cake was replaced with chocolate. For those who disliked the overly sweet, sugar-cured winter melon bits (left, bite-size chunks), Hallelujah! Too bad it was discontinued after a short while. Current owner Mr 李志仁 is too young to remember chocolate meat pie. We'll try to convince him for a revival. Incidentally, Mr Li's aunt was one of the Japanese immigrants who stayed behind in 1946 when everyone else was sent back to Japan. As kids, we were often puzzled by her heavily accented Taiwanese.