The ''gua bao'' (), also known as pork belly bun, ambiguously as bao,
or erroneously as bao bun, is a type of
lotus leaf bun () originating from
Fujian cuisine
Fujian cuisine or Fujianese cuisine, also known as Min cuisine, is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the cooking style of China's Fujian Province, most notably from the provincial capital, Fuzhou. "Fujian cuisine" in this articl ...
. It is a popular snack in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and is commonly sold at night markets and restaurants. It is also a popular street food in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and
Nagasaki Chinatown
Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown (Japanese: 長崎新地中華街, Simplified Chinese: 长崎新地中华街) is an area located in Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan. Today this area is a shopping strip covering many blocks.
Most of the Chinese members of N ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
It consists of a slice of stewed meat and condiments sandwiched between flat
steamed bread
Steamed bread is a kind of bread, typically made from wheat, that is prepared by steaming instead of baking. Steamed bread is produced and consumed all around the world. In Chinese cuisine, ''mantou'' is a staple food of northern China, where up ...
known as lotus leaf bread (). The lotus leaf bread is typically 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
Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless and fatty cut of meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in Hispanic, Chinese, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai and Filipino cuisine.
Regional dishes
France
In Alsatian ...
, typically dressed with stir-fried
suan cai
''Suancai'' (also called ''suan tsai'' and Chinese sauerkraut; ) is a traditional Chinese pickled Chinese cabbage (napa cabbage) or Chinese mustard, used for a variety of purposes. Suancai is a unique form of paocai, due to the ingredients used a ...
(pickled mustard greens),
, and ground
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...
s.
Etymology
''Gua'' () means to cut by drawing the knife around in the
Taiwanese language
Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/ Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about 7 ...
.
''Bao'' means "bun", so the name ''bao bun'' is redundant, and ''bao'' in the Chinese language without any qualifiers is generally used to refer to
baozi
Baozi (), Pao-tsih or bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings ( meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of ''mant ...
.
History
In Asia
The gua bao originated from the coastal regions of
Fujian province
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. It is said to have come from either the cities of
Quanzhou
Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...
or
Fuzhou
Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...
. In Quanzhou, gua bao is known as ''rou jia bao'' () or ''hu yao shi'' (). The custom of
Hui'an
() is a county under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Quanzhou, Fujian, People's Republic of China. It is situated in the middle of the Fujian coast, between Quanzhou and Meizhou Bay. The county has a population of 921,794, as o ...
people in Quanzhou is to eat these pork belly buns to celebrate the marrying off of a daughter.
In
Jinjiang, a county of Quanzhou, there is a related vegetarian dish known as ''hu yao cao'' () 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.
In
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, gua bao were reputed to be introduced to the island by
Fuzhou
Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...
nese immigrants. Fuzhou rice
vinasse Vinasse is a By-product, byproduct of the sucrose, sugar or ethanol industry. Sugarcane or sugar beet is processed to produce crystalline sugar, pulp and molasses. The latter are further processed by Ethanol fermentation, fermentation to ethanol, as ...
meat is wrapped in it, and ingredients are chopped and soaked in meat gravy to eat. The food is known colloquially in parts of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
as () in
Taiwanese Hokkien
Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about 70% ...
due to the mouth-like form of the bun and the contents of the filling.
Gua bao was a food that merchants had on ritual festivals in
Taiwan under Japanese rule
The island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu Islands, became a dependency of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese War. The sh ...
. According to the research of Yu-Jen Chen, pork was expensive and not easy to get at that time, and flour was also lacking. As a result, it became a popular street food among the public until the 1970s. Gua bao nowadays has been a famous Taiwanese street snack food often offered with four-herbal soup () sold at
night markets
Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. They are typically open-air markets popular in East Asia, Sou ...
.
In
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, the dish is popular among the
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
community, where it is known as ''kong bak pau'' ().
In the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, it is served in
Chinese Filipino restaurants throughout the country, where it is more popularly known as ''cuapao'' (
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
/).
In Hong Kong, they are known as ''cha bao'' () which means "fork buns" as the sandwiches are usually pierced by a toothpick or bamboo skewer to keep the fillings in place.
In
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
they are called
kakuni
is a Japanese braised pork dish which literally means "square simmered".
Kakuni is a popular regional cuisine (meibutsu) of Kyushu, particularly Nagasaki. This particular dish is most likely originated from the famous Chinese dish Dongpo Po ...
manju () and are sold as a Chinese snack food. They are a specialty of
Nagasaki Chinatown
Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown (Japanese: 長崎新地中華街, Simplified Chinese: 长崎新地中华街) is an area located in Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan. Today this area is a shopping strip covering many blocks.
Most of the Chinese members of N ...
, 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. Recognizing the Fuzhounese community and historical connection, Nagasaki and Fuzhou established ties as
sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
in 1980.
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. 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
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and
Manhattan Chinatown's Oriental Garden where the
Peking duck
Peking duck is a dish from Beijing (Peking) that has been prepared since the Imperial era. The meat is characterized by its thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the d ...
was served on lotus leaf bread rather than the traditional
spring pancake
The spring pancake () is a traditional Chinese food unique to the northern regions. People eat spring pancakes on the day called lichun to celebrate the beginning of the spring.
The spring pancake took its rise from the Jin dynasty and has pro ...
. He called his creation pork belly buns. The name "gua bao" was used and popularised by chef
Eddie Huang
Edwyn Charles Huang (born March 1, 1982) is an American author, chef, restaurateur, food personality, producer, and former attorney. He was a co-owner of BaoHaus, a gua bao restaurant in the East Village of Lower Manhattan. Huang previously h ...
when he opened his BaoHaus restaurant (c. 2009). 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
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
has a significant population of
Fuzhounese Americans
Fuzhounese Americans, also known as Hokchew Americans or Fuzhou Americans or imprecisely Fujianese, are Chinese American people of Fuzhou descent, in particular from the Changle district. Many Chinese restaurant workers in the United States are fr ...
and gua bao is a popular dish sold at restaurants along with other iconic Fuzhounese dishes such as
Fuzhou fish balls and
lychee pork
Lychee pork or lizhi rou (; Eastern Min: liĕk-chiĕ-nṳ̆k) is a well known dish in Fujianese cuisine. It consists of small pieces of deep-fried pork and sliced water chestnuts served in a sweet and sour sauce. Its bright red colour is derived ...
.
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
,
Erchen Chang
Erchen Chang () is a Taiwanese chef, who is a creative director and co-founder at the restaurants Bao, Bao Fitzrovia and Xu in London, England.
Career
Erchen Chang lived in Taiwan until she was 14, and was schooled some distance away from where ...
, Wai Ting and Shing Tat Chung opened BAO in London, further popularizing the snack in the West.
Gua bao are often called hirata buns in the United Kingdom, named after Masashi Hirata, the executive chef of
Ippudo
Ippudo, also known as in Japan, is a Japanese ramen restaurant chain with locations worldwide. Ippudo is well known for its tonkotsu ramen, and has been described as "the most famous tonkotsu ramen shop in the country".
History
Ippudo was star ...
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.
There have been many new trendy "gua bao" which incorporate pan-Asian fusion or non-Chinese fillings between the lotus leaf buns, such as
kimchi
''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including ''gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), sprin ...
or
karaage
is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods—most often chicken, but also other meat and fish—are deep fried in oil. The process involves lightly coating small pieces of the meat or fish with flour, or potato or corn starch, and f ...
.
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
*
List of sandwiches
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of snack foods
This is a list of snack foods in alphabetical order by type and name. A snack is a small portion of food eaten between meals. They may be simple, prepackaged items, raw fruits or vegetables or more complicated dishes but they are traditionally co ...
*
Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine (, Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄌㄧㄠˋㄌㄧˇ, or , Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄘㄞˋ) has several variations. The earliest known cuisines of Taiwan are that of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Over hundred years of histor ...
*
Night markets in Taiwan
Taiwanese night markets ( zh, t=夜市, p=yèshì) are street markets in Taiwan that operate in urban or suburban areas between sunset and sunrise. A few, such as Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market (or Snake Alley), utilize purpose-built marketplac ...
*
Roujiamo
Roujiamo or rougamo () is a street food originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province and widely consumed all over China. In the United States, it is sometimes called a Chinese hamburger.
Overview
The meat is most commonly pork, stewed for ...
, a similar food from Shaanxi Province
References
{{Taiwanese cuisine
Fujian cuisine
Taiwanese pork dishes
Sandwiches