''Yuenyeung'' (, often transliterated according to the

Cantonese language Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

pronunciation ''yuenyeung'', ''yinyeung'', or ''yinyong''; yuanyang in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

), coffee with tea, is a popular beverage in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. The drink is made from a mixture of coffee and tea. According of Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the mixture is three parts

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

and seven parts

Hong Kong-style milk tea Hong Kong-style milk tea is a tea drink made from Ceylon tea, black tea and milk (usually evaporated milk and condensed milk). It is usually part of lunch in Hong Kong tea culture. Hongkongers consume approximately a total of 900 million gl ...

. It can be served hot or cold. However, the way in which it is made can vary by vendor and region. It was originally served at '' dai pai dongs'' (open air food vendors) and ''

cha chaan teng ''Cha chaan teng'' (; "tea restaurant"), often called a Hong Kong-style cafe or diner in English, is a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong. Cha chaan teng are commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Guangdong. Due to the ...

s'' (café), but is now available in various types of restaurants.

Etymology

The name ''yuenyeung'', which refers to

mandarin duck The mandarin duck (''Aix galericulata'') is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is medium-sized, at long with a wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus ''Aix'' ...

s (''yuanyang''), is a symbol of conjugal love in Chinese culture, as the birds usually appear in pairs and the male and female look very different. This same connotation of a "pair" of two unlike items is used to name this drink.

Origin

A Hong Kong dai pai dong-style restaurant called Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園) claims both yuenyeung and silk-stocking milk tea were invented in 1952 by its owner, a Mr. Lam. Its claim for the former is unverified, but that for the latter is on the record in the official minutes of a LegCo council meeting plausibility.

Adoption

During the summer of 2010, Starbucks stores in Hong Kong and Macau promoted a

frappuccino Frappuccino is a line of blended iced coffee drinks sold by Starbucks. It consists of coffee or crème base, blended with ice and ingredients such as flavored syrups and usually topped with whipped cream and or spices. Frappuccinos are also sold ...

version of the drink. It was sold as the "Yuen Yeung Frappuccino Blended Cream".

Children's yuenyeung

There is a caffeine-free variant of yuenyeung, called children's yuenyeung (兒童鴛鴦). It is made of

Horlicks Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food", soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label. In the early 20th century, it was s ...

and

Ovaltine Ovaltine (also known by its original name Ovomaltine) is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract (except in the blue packaging in the United States), sugar (except in Switzerland), and whey. Some flavors also have cocoa. Ovalt ...

, both of which are common in cha chaan tengs in Hong Kong.

References

External links