Date of Issue: 30 August 2012
"Hong Kong Delicacies"
Renowned as the "Culinary Capital of Asia", Hong Kong offers distinctive local delicacies that are relished by both food lovers at home and visitors from abroad. Hongkong Post issues a set of four stamps to showcase some of the city’s all-time local favourites, with a view to promoting our unique and colourful food culture around the world.
1.40 Hong Kong Dollars - Egg Tart and Milk Tea
Egg tart and milk tea are the two signature items of Hong Kong-style tea restaurants. Egg tarts have two main types of outer casing: short crust pastry and puff pastry. An oven-fresh egg tart consists of an outer crispy pastry crust that is filled with egg custard and baked. A perfect complement with an egg tart, milk tea is made of black tea that is strained through a distinctive cloth bag. The tea when further mixed with evaporated milk and sugar is a cup of rich and velvety smooth milk tea.
2.40 Hong Kong Dollars - Wonton Noodles
Wonton noodles, commonly known as "sai yung" (referring to a small bowl of wonton noodles), originated in Guangzhou but came to Hong Kong in the 1950s. It has become a local delicacy that can be found in almost every corner in the city. The delicate noodles are cooked al dente. The dumplings are thinly wrapped and have a generous filling of several fresh shrimps and half lean pork meat. Served in a delectable broth, they create an unforgettable taste sensation.
3.00 Hong Kong Dollars - Roast Goose
Roast goose is a signature item of many siu mei (Hong Kong style roast meat) shops. Attracting thousands of celebrities and visitors, both locally and abroad, this gourmet specialty is among the most famous roast meat dishes available in Chinese restaurants. Barbecued over a charcoal fire, the goose is deliciously crispy with no fat underneath, while the meat remains tender and succulent. Every bite is a flavourful treat.
5.00 Hong Kong Dollars - Fresh Seafood
Surrounded by sea, Hong Kong has several prime seafood locations for waterfront dining. Seafood restaurants offer a wide variety of fresh catch across the world, where huge tanks of live fish and bubbling containers of prawns, crabs, scallops, oysters and other seafood vie for attention. Skilled chefs, coupled with different cooking techniques like steaming, stir-frying and deep-frying as well as unique recipes, will make diners salivating over the distinctive flavours of their fishy dishes.
The set of four stamps features different mouth-watering delicacies. The backdrop on the right of the stamps respectively shows a typical mosaic tiled wall of a traditional Hong Kong-style tea restaurant ($1.40), a noodle shop’s kitchen window ($2.40), a signboard outside a roast meat shop ($3), and a seafood restaurant’s neon sign ($5). Four large Chinese characters, "茶" (tea), "麵" (noodles), "燒" (roast) and "鮮" (fresh), complement the pictures to highlight the theme of Hong Kong delicacies. Images of Chinese and Western tableware in the background of the souvenir sheet also echo the theme.
