Beijing Eight Pastries (Jing Ba Jian)
A boxed set of eight traditional Beijing pastries with fillings such as red bean, jujube, rose, hawthorn and sweet osmanthus, mostly bought as gifts.
How to eat it
They are drier and less sweet than Western pastries and are meant to go with tea. Most keep for a couple of weeks unopened, which is why they work as a gift to carry home.
The story behind the dish
The set descends from the pastries presented at the Qing court, where each of the eight shapes and fillings carried an auspicious meaning: prosperity, long life, harmony and so on. Bakeries outside the palace copied the format for the general public, and a box of eight became the standard gift to bring when visiting relatives at the Lunar New Year. The exact eight vary between shops, which is part of the fun of comparing them.
For reference
Every kitchen does it its own way. What follows is the typical version — ingredients, heat and price shift from city to city and from one restaurant to the next, so take it as a guide rather than a fixed recipe.
If you have an allergy or something you can't eat, check with the staff before you order.