''Shaokao'' (), also

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

as shao kao, is the Chinese translation of "

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

". Chinese variants of the practice constitute a significant aspect of

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many ot ...

. In China, it is predominantly found on busy Chinese streets and

night market 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 ...

s as a

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

sold in

food stall A food kiosk or food booth (also food stand, temporary food service facility) is generally a temporary structure used to prepare and sell food to the general public, usually where large groups of people are situated outdoors in a park, at a parade ...

s and is a type of ''

xiaochi ''Xiaochi'' () is an important category of Chinese street food, commonly found in Chinese populated communities around the world. ''Xiaochi'' are substantial snacks, which can be eaten together or with more substantial dishes like the Spanish tapa ...

''. In China and elsewhere, such as in the United States, diners sometimes also order

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

as an accompaniment. Shaokao typically consists of heavily spiced, barbecued foods on

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roastin ...

s. It is available in almost all of the cities in China, and is a prominent dish 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 ...

, China, where some restaurants set up food stalls outdoors to purvey the product. Concerns about

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...

generated from shaokao vendors associated with increased

smog Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and '' fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then inte ...

levels in Beijing have prompted restrictions.

Kaochuan or yangrouchuan

The main part of shaokao are "Yangrouchuan" or "kaochuan". (yangrouchaun is 羊肉串, this refers to lamb skewers only) Yangrouchuan typically consists of heavily spiced, barbecued foods on

s. In China, mutton skewers (Chinese pinyin: kǎochuàn; Uighur: كاۋاپ, kawap), or grilled skewers, skewers, have a long history, from April to July 2012, Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. When the fourth archaeological excavation was carried out in the Lehan cemetery, meat skewers were found in the M17 tomb. In the archaeological finds of the

Liao Dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

, it was found that an unearthed mural on the Aohan Banner in Inner

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

was painted with three Khitan people in the coffin, sitting around the hot pot and eating skewers and clams. But in modern times, the popularity of skewers spread from Xinjiang to various places around 1980. In China,

s often sell other types of grilled foods at the same time, so skewers are often referred to as grills, and kebabs are often used as a synonym for skewers as the most common skewer. The behavior of eating skewers is called eating barbecues, skewers, and the like. Due to the different eating habits of different localities and ethnic groups, the style of skewers varies from region to region.

History

The origin of the

kebabs Kebab (, ; ar, كباب, link=no, Latn, ar, kabāb, ; tr, kebap, link=no, ) or kabob (North American) is a type of cooked meat dish that originates from cuisines of the Middle East. Many variants of the category are popular around the wor ...

or shaokao is generally considered to be related to the nomadic people, but when it appears and flourishes, the text is unknown. As early as 1800 years ago, there was a kebab in China. The "Portrait of the Han Dynasty" has a stone carving image of the kebab. The

Mawangdui Mawangdui () is an archaeological site located in Changsha, China. The site consists of two saddle-shaped hills and contained the tombs of three people from the Changsha Kingdom during the western Han dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD): the Chancellor Li ...

No. 1 Han Tomb also unearthed a

fan. In the 1980s, archaeologists discovered two stone carvings of kebabs in a

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...

of the late

Eastern Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, which was unearthed in Wulibao Village, Linyi City, Lunan. The study found the two paintings. The characters are Han Chinese, and the skewers they grilled are beef and mutton. These two kitchen drawings reflect the folk customs of Lunan in 1800 years. Both of these stone sculptures have the image of kebabs. In addition to that, both of them have special tools for using two forks. They are placed on the diners and grilled, and the fans are bonfired like the kebabs of Xinjiang today. The characters in both paintings are Han Chinese. Therefore, these two kitchen drawings reflect the folk customs of the

South Han Lunan South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

. This shows that the statement that the kebabs originated in

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

can be denied. Most people only believe that the Xinjiang kebabs are authentic. However, according to the situation above, the folk food of the Eastern Han Lunan is the source of the kebab. In the early

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, the beef was cut into cubes, soaked with chopped green onion, salt and tartar sauce for a while. In the late

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and early

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

dynasties, the

Mongolian people The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

cooked the large pieces of beef and mutton for a while, then cooked them with cow dung. Later, after continuous improvement and development, the barbecue technology became more and more perfect. In the twenty-five years of Qing Daoguang (AD 1845), the poet Yang Jingting praised in the Department Department: "The harsh winter barbecue tastes great. The front of the wine cellar is awkward. Fire moxibustion is best for tenderness and tenderness. This barbecue has almost reached a fascinating situation.

Preparation in specific places

Shaokao is prepared with meats, fish and seafood, and vegetables on bamboo

s that are flame grilled on a barbecue after being heavily

seasoned Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, salts, and/or sugar, intended to enhance a particular flavour. General meaning Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". H ...

with various spices, including both

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

five-spice powder Five-spice powder () is a spice mixture of five or more spices used predominantly in almost all branches of Chinese cuisine. It is also used in Hawaiian cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine. The five flavors of the spices (sweet, bitter, sour, sal ...

. The skewers can be cooked to order.

Barbecue chicken Barbecue chicken consists of chicken parts or entire chickens that are barbecued, grilled or smoked. There are many global and regional preparation techniques and cooking styles. Barbecue chicken is often seasoned or coated in a spice rub, bar ...

legs and

spare ribs Spare ribs (also side ribs or spareribs) are a variety of ribs cut from the lower portion of a pig, specifically the belly and breastbone, behind the shoulder, and include 11 to 13 long bones. There is a covering of meat on top of the bones and ...

are also some of the dishes in shaokao cuisine.

In Sichuan

The five mainstream types of Chinese Shao Kao in

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

Province 1. Yi Bin Group – Ba Ba Shao Features: They do not clean the ingredients in advance and they usually roast the ingredients when they are in the very fresh condition. They usually add spices when they are roasting the ingredients but some people also prefer to put the ingredients into a bucket which is full of barbecue sauces. For the fire, it must be strong and the food can be toasted well soon. The food which is roasted by the high flame of the fire will be very easy to chew. It's not the end until now, the restaurant always prepares the dipping sauce for the barbecue. They mix soybean powder, chili powder, coriander leaves and also a little bit preserved Szechuan pickle together which makes the roasted meat or vegetables more delicious. Specialty: Cocktail sausages, the pig nose-bar, Beef Sashimi 2. Asbestos group Features: This group of Chinese barbecue can be derived from the early 1980s, the tool for cooking this kind of food is a tin pot with several small holes which can reach the ingredients. All of the ingredients should be sliced thinly and be brushed with oil. This kind of way of cooking barbecue is in order to keep the original flavor of the ingredients. They do not use that much of spices and they never use cumin power. There are two dipping sauces: sweet and sour sauce; a mixture of chili powder, peanut powder, soybean powder, and sesame powder. Specialty: fish slices, cicada pupa, rice cold jelly. 3. Xi Chang Group Features: Grilled fish and shrimp:

XiChang Xichang, formerly known as Jiandu, Jianchang and Ningyuan(fu), is a city in and the seat of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of Sichuan, China. In 2012 it had a population of 481,796. History The Qiongdu were the local peop ...

city is located very near to the Qiong Hai and the fishery resources are very abundant. Therefore, fish, shrimps and shells are a distinct scene in the area of Xi Chang Group's barbecue. Brazier Barbecue: The Yi nationality is one of the main inhabitants who live in Xi Chang city and they have the habit to keep a Huo Tang Bar. They always roast the little pig, native chicken which are marinated in advance on the Huo Tang Bar when they celebrate their important festivals. That was the original form of Brazier Barbecue. Now it is developed to another form - Da Qian Barbecue. The big pieces of meat are skewered and put on the border part of the fire bar. Wang-Wang Barbecue: There are no skewers and the steel net is prepared for customers. The customers can roast meat or vegetables by themselves. Specialty: Roasted suckling pig, drunken prawns, and baked fish. 4. Le Shan Group Features: Why Le Shan Barbecue is very delicious? It is because of its variation. In order to maintain the special flavor of the food, different ingredients need to be coped with different spices. There are two ways to cook it. The first method is that they roast the raw ingredients which are skewered on the fire directly and put oil and any other spices during the roasting process. The second way is that they fry the ingredients first which can make the food more delicious and then roast them. Specialty: Baked streaky pork, baked duck tongue, and baked dunk rice. 5. E Mei Group Features: It has the same origin as Le Shan Group. One of its uniqueness is that the ingredients are toasted with honey. The second feature is that the barbecue is covered with a layer of oil sauce. Comparing to the Le Shan Group, E Mei Group is more focusing on the replete sauce and the flavor is not that strong. The taboos of E Mei Group barbecue are salty, spicy, and dry. The ingredients are skewered with sauces before they are roasted and the cook will not put anything when ingredients are baking on the fire. Finally, the cook will brush a layer of oil when it's been cooked well. Specialty: Roasted pork

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

slices, baked little potato, E Mei Snow.

In Beijing

Most people in

enjoy their lamb skewers or Kao Chuan in roadside grill joints. To make these lamb

s, it would be required to have lamb shoulder chops, cumin seeds, dried chili flakes, salt, oil, and soaked bamboo skewers. The bamboo skewers are soaked in order to prevent them from burning. Lamb shoulder chops are chosen because of their marbled meat, this will give the Kao Chuan or lamb skewers their special taste. Then, cumin seeds, chili flakes, and salt are ground. Separate the ground ingredients into two parts, first part for the lamb skewers when they are grilling, second part to be sprinkled on the cooked lamb skewers.

In Xinjiang

is one of the main places to make kaochuan in China. Sheep is the important meat for the diet of local people. Sheep in Xinjiang eat in natural grasslands and grow up in the mountains, the sheep is not likely to get sick. Sheep drink spring water comes out from cleft which is sweet and without pollution. In addition, the lamb selected from the skewers of roast lamb is about 2 years old. The lamb's meat quality is more tender with more moisture content. Ingredients: Lamb leg 300g, cooking wine 5g, salt 5g, pepper 5g, soy sauce 5g, vegetable oil appropriate, cumin 5g, chilli powder 5g, white sesame 5g Cooking steps: 1. Fascia-remove the leg of lamb, wash it and cut it into medium-sized pieces 2. Put into the crisper box, add wine, salt, soy sauce and pepper, mix them evenly, marinate for more than half an hour, pour in appropriate amount of oil before making 3. Mix well, try to coat each piece of meat with a thin layer of oil, and dress the mutton on the bamboo skewer 4. Preheat the air frypan to 200c and fry the lamb kebabs for 5 to 10 minutes.

Prominence

Shaokao can be found in almost all of the cities in China. They are often located along streets that have a strip of

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

s. In China, some shaokao food stalls also purvey other goods such as produce that are displayed hanging on sticks. In China and the United States, some restaurants specialize in shaokao dishes.

In Beijing

, shaokao is a very common and popular food, and some restaurants in Beijing set-up shaokao barbecues outside of the restaurants to purvey them to people walking on the streets. Shaokao stands are sometimes operated by migrant workers in Beijing. Shaokao stand operators are sometimes reported to the police in Beijing by neighbors who complain about the smoke and aroma that gets into homes, as well as about concerns about food poisoning that can occur from improper meat handling and cooking. In 2013, outdoor barbecue stands were banned due to heavy smog conditions. Chinese authorities have stated that shaokao operations and Chunjie fireworks are a significant cause of smog in Beijing.

Kaochuan or yangrouchuan

History

Preparation in specific places

In Sichuan

In Beijing

In Xinjiang

Prominence

In Beijing

See also

References

Further reading