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.
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