Gua bao

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Gua bao
Steamed Sandwich,taken by LeoAlmighty.jpg
A traditional gua bao
CourseSnack, delicacy, main dish, side dish
Place of originFujian, China
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsSteamed bread, stewed meat, condiments
Ingredients generally usedRed-cooked pork belly, pickled mustard, coriander, ground peanuts
VariationsFried chicken, fish, eggs, stewed beef, lettuce

Gua bao (Chinese: 割包 or 刈包; pinyin: guàbāo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: koah-pau; lit. 'cut bread'),[1] also known as pork belly buns,[2] ambiguously, bao,[3][4] or erroneously as the bao bun[5][6] ("bao" means "bun" so the translated name "bun bun" is redundant, and "bao" in the Chinese language without any qualifiers is generally used to refer to baozi) is a type of lotus leaf bun (simplified Chinese: 荷叶包; traditional Chinese: 荷葉包; pinyin: héyèbāo) originating from Fujian cuisine.[7] It is also a popular street food in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Nagasaki Chinatown in Japan.

It consists of a slice of stewed meat and condiments sandwiched between flat steamed bread known as lotus leaf bread. The lotus leaf bun is typically 6–8 centimetres (2.4–3.1 in) in size, semi-circular and flat in form, with a horizontal fold that, when opened, gives the appearance that it has been sliced. The traditional filling for gua bao is a slice of red-cooked pork belly, typically dressed with stir-fried suan cai (pickled mustard greens), coriander, and ground peanuts.[4][8][9]

History[]

In Asia[]

The gua bao originated from the coastal regions of Fujian province in China. It is said to have come from either the cities of Quanzhou or Fuzhou. In Quanzhou, gua bao is known as rou jia bao (meat between buns) or hu yao shi (tiger bites lion).[10][11] The custom of Hui'an people in Quanzhou is to eat these pork belly buns to celebrate the marrying off of a daughter.[12] In Jinjiang, a county of Quanzhou, there is a related vegetarian dish known as hu yao cao 虎咬草 (tiger bites grass) that replaces the pork with a solidified peanut paste and the lotus leaf bread with a bread that is baked in a clay oven similar to a tandoor.[13][14]

In Taiwan, gua bao were said to be introduced to the island by Fuzhounese immigrants.[15][16] The food is known colloquially in parts of Taiwan as hó͘-kā-ti (虎咬豬; 'tiger bites pig') in Taiwanese Hokkien due to the mouth-like form of the bun and the contents of the filling.[8]

In Singapore and Malaysia, the dish is popular among the Hokkien community, where it is known as kong bak pau (扣肉包 khòng-bah-pau).[17][18]

In Hong Kong, they are known as cha bao (叉包) which means "fork buns" as the sandwiches are usually pierced by a toothpick or bamboo skewer to keep the fillings in place.

In Japan they are called kakuni manju (角煮饅頭)[19][deprecated source]and are sold as a Chinese snack food. They are a specialty of Nagasaki Chinatown,[20] having been sold in Japan for centuries due to the large number of Fuzhounese immigrants and historic relations between Fuzhou and Nagasaki represented by the construction of Sofukuji Temple.[21][22] Recognizing the Fuzhounese community and historical connection, Nagasaki and Fuzhou established ties as sister cities in 1980.[23] Another iconic Nagasaki dish of Fujianese origin is champon.

In the West[]

Gua bao became popular in the early 2000s in the West through chef David Chang's Momofuku restaurants (c. 2004) although he says that he was unaware that the gua bao dish already existed.[24] His Momofuku recipe was born out of a desire to use leftover pork from his ramen, and he was inspired by his dining experiences in Beijing and Manhattan Chinatown's Oriental Garden where the Peking duck was served on lotus leaf bread rather than the traditional spring pancake. He called his creation pork belly buns.[25] The name "gua bao" was used and popularised by chef Eddie Huang when he opened his BaoHaus restaurant (c. 2009).[26][27] Many other restaurants serving gua bao have opened up since then, but they often refer to the dish by the ambiguous name "bao" or the erroneous name "bao bun".

In the United States, New York City has a significant population of Fuzhounese Americans and gua bao is a popular dish sold at restaurants along with other iconic Fuzhounese dishes such as Fuzhou fish balls and lychee pork.[28]

In the United Kingdom, they are often called hirata buns, named after Masashi Hirata, the executive chef of Ippudo in New York as many ramen restaurants began to adopt the practise of selling gua bao alongside their ramen dishes due to the influence of Momofuku and to meet high demand from customers who mistakenly believed they were a staple of ramen restaurants.[29]

There have been many new trendy "gua bao" which incorporate pan-Asian fusion or non-Chinese stuffings between the lotus leaf buns, such as kimchi or karaage.[30] Although these are technically not gua bao at all as they do not include pork belly, and in China would only be considered different lotus leaf bun sandwiches (he ye bao).

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Entry #8213 (割包)". 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan]. (in Chinese and Hokkien). Ministry of Education, R.O.C. 2011.
  2. ^ Erway, Cathy (April 2, 2014). "Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao)".
  3. ^ L., Mandy (February 6, 2013). "Who Took the "Gua" out of "Bao".
  4. ^ a b Glassberg, Julie (February 23, 2010). "Baohaus". The New York Times.
  5. ^ "Steamed bao buns". BBC Good Food.
  6. ^ "Simple Bao Bun Recipe". Sorted.
  7. ^ 江韶瑩 (2009). 臺灣民俗文物辭彙類編 (in Chinese). 國史館臺灣文獻館. ISBN 978-986-02-0399-8.
  8. ^ a b "Gwa-Bao (割包 Braised Pork Wrapped in Steamed Buns)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). 2011.
  9. ^ Erway, Cathy (2015). The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780544303010.
  10. ^ "福建名小吃｜泉州人都爱吃的传统古早味儿，你吃过哪几样呢？". xw.qq.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  11. ^ "虎咬狮，偏安一隅的美食".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "What Is Taiwanese Gua Bao?". MICHELIN Guide (in en-TW). Retrieved 2021-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  13. ^ "虎咬草-吃在晋江-晋江魅力-印象晋江-晋江市人民政府". www.jinjiang.gov.cn. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  14. ^ 网易 (2019-05-25). "【老闽南】闽南人独爱的这款"咸烧饼"你吃过吗？". www.163.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  15. ^ 江韶瑩 (2009). 臺灣民俗文物辭彙類編 (in Chinese). 國史館臺灣文獻館. ISBN 978-986-02-0399-8.
  16. ^ "老字號割包店 肉香Q嫩不油膩-華視新聞-華視新聞網". news.cts.com.tw.
  17. ^ hermes (2018-05-13). "Love of pork belly and buns". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  18. ^ "Kong Bak Pau (Braised Pork Buns) - 扣肉包". 15 September 2015.
  19. ^ "刈包". ettoday.net/.
  20. ^ "A Guide to Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown: Enjoy Local Specialties as You Walk!". wow-j.com.
  21. ^ "The first Chinese style temple in Nagasaki". japan-kyushu-tourist.com.
  22. ^ "Sofukuji Temple (崇福寺)". travel.navitime.com.
  23. ^ "Interchange Fuzhou City between cities". city.nagasaki.lg.jp.e.jc.hp.transer.com.
  24. ^ The Story Behind the Momofuku Chili Crunch, With Eddie Huang, 20 July 2020, retrieved 2021-06-30
  25. ^ "Momofuku's pork buns". gourmettraveller.com.au/.
  26. ^ Wong, Maggine (August 31, 2018). "The secret of gua bao: The Taiwanese street food taking over the world". CNN.
  27. ^ Nguyen-Okwu, Leslie (6 March 2019). "16 Dishes That Define Taiwanese Food". www.eater.com. Eater. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  28. ^ "A Guide to Eating Regional Chinese Food in NYC". Eater. 25 February 2019.
  29. ^ "Trendspotting: Hirata buns". blogs.timeout.jp.
  30. ^ "CHICKEN KARAAGE & KIMCHI BAO". hakka.com.au.
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