Hopia (Chinese: 好饼; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hó-piáⁿ; literally "good pastry") is a popular Filipino bean filled pastry originally introduced by Fujianese immigrants in urban centres of the Philippines around the start of the American civil occupation. It is a widely-available inexpensive treat and a favoured gift for friends and relatives.
Among the nation's largest hopia-makers are 永美珍 Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli and Polland Hopia & Bakery.
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Sorting by dough used, there are 2 main types:
The flaky type of hopia uses Chinese puff pastry.
The cake-dough type uses a soft cookie-dough similar in texture & taste to the wrapper-dough for fig newtons.
Sorting by filling, there are 4 main types:
The most popular flaky hopia is Hopiang mungo. As its name implies, it is filled with sweet split mungo (English: "mung bean") paste. Dough-wise, hopiang mungo can be made flaky or cake-dough type.
Hopiang baboy (English: "Pork hopia") is filled with a bread-crumb paste studded with candied winter melon, flavoured with green onions, and enriched with candied pork backfat (hence its name). By dough type, hopiang baboy can be made flaky or cake-dough type.
Though ube (English: "purple-yam paste") was traditionally served (mainly) at Christmas time, its unique colour and great flavour has caused hopiang ube (English: "ube hopia") to also become a clear favorite among Filipinos, thus, necessitating its availability the whole year round. The it was first brought to life by Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli[1] This, too, can be baked flaky or cake-dough type.
Hopiang Hapon (English: "Japanese Hopia"), is a cake-dough type type hopia usually filled with sweet azuki bean paste and when formed into round cakes look similar to small moon cakes served for the Chinese Autumn Festival. They are also be formed into cubes & cooked on a griddle 1 side at a time, instead of being baked in an oven. Hopiang Hapon also bears a close resemblance to the more recently introduced Japanese kuri manjū both in its filling and its wrapper-dough, which probably supplied this hopia’s "Hapon" (Tagalog: "Japanese") designation.
There are several flavors that came out in the market after the introduction of Ube, came the different flavors such as Pandan, Mochaccino, and even combinations of flavors.