Crispy square pastry is a traditional Chiayi shortbread made by repeatedly folding and baking dough into a square, multi-layered cookie. One bite and it crumbles into a mouthful of layers — flour fragrance, oil fragrance, and a gentle sweetness dissolving together; it once graced a state banquet table, and it remains the most common item packed into a suitcase when visitors leave Chiayi.
The Chiayi City Government's official page lists crispy square pastry as a representative Chiayi pastry. According to public records, it was invented in 1956 by Dang Chang-fa, who named it for its square shape and golden color; in 2002, it was selected as the designated pastry for a state banquet hosted in Chiayi by then-president Chen Shui-bian.
What Is Crispy Square Pastry
Crispy square pastry is Chiayi's most representative traditional shortbread: pastry dough is repeatedly folded and baked into a square, multi-layered cookie. Its defining quality is the clearly distinct crispiness of each layer — one bite and it shatters, full of flour fragrance, mildly sweet, equally good on its own or with tea. As Chiayi's signature take-home gift, it is one of the city's most recognizable pastries.
The key to crispy square pastry lies in the folding and baking — enough layers, the right heat, and the result is that light, thin, shattering crunch that breaks apart layer by layer. It keeps well and travels easily; combined with its strong connection to Chiayi, it has become the first-choice souvenir for visitors and a pastry of genuine weight in Chiayi's food culture.
How to Eat It the Local Way
Local Knowledge
Verified Information (Sponsored Content Filtered Out)
- The Chiayi City Government officially lists crispy square pastry as a Chiayi representative pastry — a fee-free public recommendation.
- According to public records, crispy square pastry was selected in 2002 as a designated pastry for Chen Shui-bian's Chiayi state banquet.
- The anchor shop Endian (Grace) Crispy Square Pastry claims to be the originator, founded in 1956, and has received official recognition; Lao Yang is the largest-scale producer.
Visiting Tips
- The anchor shop Endian Crispy Square Pastry is in the East District along Zhongshan Road; Lao Yang Crispy Square Pastry is a well-known Chiayi alternative worth including.
- Note: Fuyi Xuan's flagship product is actually egg rolls, not crispy square pastry — make sure you are buying the right item.
- Coordinates are approximate field-survey values. Verify the exact address and operating hours on-site.
Information compiled from Chiayi City Government tourism resources and public reviews, with sponsored content filtered out. Photos pending on-site photography.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is crispy square pastry an officially recognized Chiayi specialty?
Yes, the Chiayi City Government's official page lists it as a representative Chiayi pastry, a fee-free public recommendation.
Who invented crispy square pastry?
According to public records, it was invented in 1956 by Dang Chang-fa, who named it for its square shape and golden color.
Has crispy square pastry been served at a state banquet?
Yes, it was selected in 2002 as the designated pastry for a state banquet hosted in Chiayi by then-president Chen Shui-bian.
Sources
- 方塊酥 — 嘉義市政府官方頁面，確認方塊酥為嘉義代表點心、2002年國宴指定點心
- 嘉義方塊酥創始者！淬鍊一甲子，堆疊出243層的國宴級點心 — 報導確認創辦人黨長發1956年(民國45年)發明方塊酥及國宴細節