A simple culinary purchase by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his Shanghai visit has unexpectedly catapulted a local pastry into global recognition. While touring the historic Yuyuan Garden, Starmer acquired a box of hudiesu—a butterfly-shaped confection—from renowned restaurant Lu Bo Lang, sparking immediate international interest in the traditional Shanghai treat.
The Prime Minister’s 48-yuan ($6.90) purchase of eight palm-sized pastries generated substantial social media buzz across multiple countries. This incidental endorsement produced dramatic commercial results: daily sales at Lu Bo Lang surged from approximately 100 boxes to 300 boxes almost overnight, according to restaurant staff.
Shanghai residents expressed bemusement at the sudden international attention, as hudiesu has long been regarded as one of the city’s premier culinary gifts. The pastry represents a unique fusion of Chinese and Western culinary traditions—a crispy, flaky delicacy that perfectly complements coffee or tea. Unlike its northern Chinese counterparts which tend to be smaller and harder, the Shanghai variation is notably buttery, light, and exceptionally flaky.
Veteran pastry chef Lin Jianming attributes the distinctive quality to precise flour-butter ratios. Though the palmier originated in 1930s Europe (where it’s sometimes called “the heart of France”), Shanghai’s interpretation has evolved into a distinctly local specialty.
Wu Jianglei, manager of the prestigious Park Hotel Bakery—whose recipe gained intangible cultural heritage status in Huangpu District in 2021—explained the adaptation process: “We reduced sugar content by 50 percent from traditional French recipes to emphasize butter’s aroma, transforming the texture from hard and crispy to soft and fluffy.”
The Park Hotel Bakery’s version has achieved legendary status among connoisseurs. First introduced when the hotel opened in 1934 as “Ear Cake” and originally served exclusively during afternoon tea, the pastry became publicly available in the 1980s and rapidly gained popularity.
Wu characterizes the treat as “a miniature embodiment of Chinese-Western cultural fusion that symbolizes Shanghai’s openness and inclusiveness.” Obtaining these freshly made delicacies requires significant dedication—lines typically form by 7:30 AM for the 8 AM opening, with waits extending to 2.5 hours during peak afternoon periods. The bakery enforces a six-pack daily purchase limit to manage demand.
Despite the challenges, the bakery sells approximately 7,500 packs daily to both local enthusiasts and international visitors. American tourist Mike Brown attested: “I waited three hours from 2 PM—definitely worth it!” Wu notes the growing international clientele recognizes these pastries as representing significant contemporary cultural and economic phenomena.