Youtiao

Youtiao, you char kway, or yau ja gwai , sometimes known in English as Chinese cruller or fried bread stick, is a long, golden-brown, strip of dough in Chinese cuisine and other and Southeast Asian cuisines and is usually eaten for breakfast. Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or soy milk.

Origins

The Cantonese name ''yàuhjagwái'' literally means "oil-fried ghost" and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against official , who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in . It is said that the food, originally taking the form of two deep-fried human-shaped dough but later evolved two doughs joining in the middle, represents Qin Hui and his wife, both having a hand in collaborating with the enemy to bring about the great general's demise. Thus the youtiao is deep fried and eaten as if done to the traitorous couple. In keeping with the legend, youtiao are often made as two foot-long rolls of dough joined along the middle, with one roll representing the husband and the other the wife.

Names

China

Although generally known as ''yóutiáo'' throughout China, it is also known as ''guǒzi'' in . In -speaking areas it is known as ''yàuhjagwái'' which literally means "oil-fried devil".

The word ''yàuhjagwái'' is said by some to be a corruption of ''yàuhja Kúi'' . There are said to be several possible explanations involving this etymology:

* 檜 and 鬼 were pronounced similarly in the Chinese of the time, and the corruption occurred when the dish is spread to southern provinces, where the pronunciation differs.
* Qin Hui's actions caused a deep-rooted hatred that persisted despite his death. The dish's name changed ''yàuhjagwái'', with the word "ghost" referring to spirits of Qin and his wife.
* the population were afraid to openly declare their contempt towards the corrupt official when he was still in power; nevertheless, the food's name became a tool in expressing contempt.
* the Mandarin name ''yóuzhá Huì'' was subsequently shortened to ''yóuhuì'' and evolved into ''yóutiáo'', because of the shape.

However, a more likely explanation is that the name is a corruption of the Minnan name 油炸粿 , where 粿 means cake or pastry, hence "oil-fried cake/pastry".

Burma

The youtiao is also a popular breakfast food in Burma where it is called ''e kya kway''.

Laos

In Laos, the youtiao is generally called ''pah thawng ko'' and is commonly eaten with coffee at breakfast in place of a baguette . It is also eaten as an accompaniment to chicken noodle soup.

Malaysia and Singapore

In Singapore and Malaysia, it is known in English as you char kway, you char kuay, or u char kway, transliterations of its local name . It is rendered in as ''cakoi''.

Philippines

In the Philippines, the youtiao is called ''bitsu'' although this name can also refer to sweetened, fried dough balls similar to the ''bunuelo'', also called ''cascaron''.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, the food is known by the Minnan name 油炸粿 or by the Mandarin ''yóutiáo''.

Thailand

In Thailand, youtiao is generally called ''patongkoh'' due to a confusion with a different kind of dessert. ''Patongkoh'' is a Thai corruption of either Minnan ''beh teung guai'' or of ''baahktònggòu'' . However, both possible original names are different desserts, not to be confused with the real . It was previously sold together with youtiao by who normally walked around and shouted both names out loud. However, Thai customers often mistakenly thought that the more popular youtiao was ''"patongkoh"''. Eventually, the real ''patongkoh'' disappeared from the market because of its unpopularity. Ironically, the disappearance of real ''"patongkoh"'' leaves youtiao being called under the former's name, but the latter's real name is generally unknown amongst the Thais. But the original white sugar sponge cake can still be easily found in Trang Province in Southern Thailand under its original name.

Vietnam

In Vietnamese cuisine, it is known through a corruption of the pronunciation of the Cantonese name, as ''d?u cháo qu?'' or ''giò cháo qu?y''.

Other countries

In Australia it is sometimes called chopstick cake by some Cambodian Chinese immigrants because of its resemblance to a pair of chopsticks.

Culinary applications and variants

At breakfast, ''youtiao'' can be stuffed inside ''shāobǐng'' to make a sandwich known as shāobǐng yóutiáo . Youtiao wrapped in a rice noodle roll is known as ''zháliǎng''. Youtiao is also an important ingredient of the food ''Cífàn tuán'' in Shanghai cuisine.

''Tánggāo'' , or "sugar cake", is a sweet, fried food item similar in appearance to youtiao but shorter in length.

Similar Chinese foods

*Ox-tongue pastry
*Shuangbaotai

Similar other foods

*Tenkasu
*Churro
*Cruller
*Beignet

Xiaolongbao

Xiǎolóngbāo (literally "little basket bun"; also known as soup dumpling is a type of ''baozi'' from Eastern China, including Shanghai and Wuxi. These buns are traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets, hence the name.

Locally in Shanghai and surroundings, they are more often known as ''xiaolong mantou'' . ''Mantou'' means both filled and unfilled buns in southern China, but only means unfilled buns in northern China. To avoid confusion, the name ''xiaolongbao'' is usually used in other areas.

Ingredients

Chinese buns can be divided into two types depending on the level of leavening of the flour skin. Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout the country, and are what is usually referred to as baozi. Steamed buns made with unraised flour are more commonly seen in . The Xiaolongbao belongs to the latter category. This means that its skin is smooth and somewhat translucent, rather than being white and fluffy. The similarity of this appearance to that of jiaozi has meant that the xiaolongbao is sometimes classified as a dumpling outside China. It is, however, different from both steamed and boiled jiaozi in texture and method of production.

Unlike other unraised flour buns, and baozi generally, the xiaolongbao has more filling than dough. It is also small in size, typically about 4 cm in diameter.

Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with soup and meat, but variations include seafood and vegetarian fillings, as well as other possibilities. The soup inside is created by placing some meat gelatin inside the dumpling before steaming. The steam heat melts the gelatin into soup. In modern times, refrigeration makes it easy to wrap up using chilled gelatine which otherwise might be liquid at room temperature during hot weather.

As is traditional for buns of various sizes in the Jiangnan region, these steamed buns feature a skin that is gathered up into fine folds at the top, prior to steaming.

Serving

Traditionally, the Xiaolongbao is a '''' or snack item. The bun is served hot. It is dipped in with ginger slivers, and is traditionally served with a light, clear soup.

The Xiaolongbao has also become popular as a dish in a main meal. In regions and the West, it is also commonly served as a yum cha item.

Frozen ''xiaolongbao'' are now mass produced and a common type of frozen food sold in China and outside. They can be steamed and served on a bamboo basket.

Origins in Shanghai

The Shanghai version of the ''xiaolongbao'' were originally from a town called Nanxiang, a suburb of Shanghai in the Jiading District. The inventor of ''xiaolongbao'' originally sold them in his first store in Nanxiang next to the town's famous park, Guqi Garden. From there on it has expanded into downtown Shanghai and outwards. Two specialist Xiaolongbao restaurants are traditionally regarded as the most authentic. One is the Nanxiang Bun Shop , which derives from the original store in Nanxiang but now located in the City God Temple precinct, is famed for its crab meat-filled buns. Nanxiang Bun Shop has at least 105 years of history and has divisions opened in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The other is Gulong Restaurant, at the original site next to Guqi Garden in Nanxiang.

Wuxi variety

''Xiaolongbao'' in Wuxi tend to be sweeter and have a thinner dough skin, and are juicier than the Shanghai variety.

White sugar sponge cake

White sugar sponge cake is a type of . It is one of the most standard pastries in Hong Kong. Though overseas, it is much more rare in Chinatown bakery shops.

It is made from rice flour, white sugar, water, yeast, and baking powder.

While it is called a "cake," it is never served as a circular round cake. It is usually purchased as an individual triangular piece. The cake is spongy and soft, and sometimes has a slightly sour taste due to the fermentation of the batter before cooking. If left exposed to the air, it hardens quickly. It is usually kept under some cover to be kept moist. The cake is essentially sugar baked into a pastry formation.

A version of the cake, called ''bánh bò'', differs from the Chinese version in that it often uses coconut milk as an ingredient, and does not have the sourness that often typifies the Chinese version.

Swiss roll

Swiss roll is a type of sponge cake baked in a very shallow rectangular baking tray, and then filled, rolled up, and served in circular slices.

The origins of the term ''"Swiss"'' roll are unclear, since the cake does not have its origins in Switzerland, nor is it widely consumed there. It’s a German, Hungarian and probably Austrian type of cake. The shape of the Swiss roll has inspired usage of the term as a descriptive term in other fields, such as .

Regional

Finland

In Finland it's called ''k??retorttu'' , and known in English as Sweet roll.

Hungary

In Hungary the Swiss rolls are called Lekváros tekercs.

Hong Kong

The origin of this pastry is likely from the U.K., since Hong Kong was a in the 19th century. The cake is never packaged as it is sold fresh daily in . Overall, this cake has been sold next to other Chinese pastries well before the popularizing of western-style bakeries such as . There are a couple of popular variations.
* The first is the Egg Roll version . The roll is made of an egg recipe, and a light whip cream filling is standard.
* The second is the Chocolate Egg Roll version . The roll is made of egg in combination with chocolate flavoring. It also has a whip cream filling.
* Some bakeries offer their own variations, such as combo layer made of egg and chocolate swirl. Other variations include strawberry, coffee, and .

Overseas Chinatowns

Most U.S. Chinatown bakeries sell the basic Hong Kong Egg Roll version. It essentially looks and taste identical to the one sold in Hong Kong.

India

In India Swiss rolls are called Jam Rolls.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, the Swiss Roll Cake is called "Bolu Gulung". Most bakeries sell Swiss Rolls daily, and they are filled with butter cream, cheese or fruit jam. It is also very common for the Swiss Rolls to be sold by the slice, but some shop sold by slice and roll.

Japan

Japan has green tea powder versions, such as matcha.

Philippines

Philippines uses and mango.

Malaysia

Varieties produced in Malaysia include coconut, , blueberry, strawberry, and vanilla

Spain

In Spain it is called ''brazo de gitano'' and is a popular tea time snack.

Sweden

In Sweden it's called ''rullt?rta'' . It is a popular accompaniment among older people when drinking coffee. The filling often consists of butter cream and strawberry jam. A chocolate version, made of potato flour instead of wheat flour, is also available and filled with with butter cream, and is called ''Dr?mrullt?rta'' .

Switzerland

The swiss roll is not widely eaten in Switzerland, where they are called Biscuitrolle, Roulade or g?teau roulé

United Kingdom

In the U.K the "collapsed swiss roll" is a popular variety of this sponge dessert. Cream and jam are often used to fill the roll, and berries are often embedded into the sponge cake to add weight to the layers, hence collapsing the roll shape.

United States

The most common method of making a swiss roll is to use a basic sponge cake recipe. A chocolate swiss roll is made in the same way, but cocoa powder is substituted for some of the flour, and the cake is filled either with whipped cream or with buttercream, sometimes flavoured with vanilla, chocolate, or a chocolate-flavoured liqueur. A chocolate swiss roll is sometimes called a chocolate log.

Brazil

Rocambole is the name given to swiss roll, and p?o-de-ló to sponge cake.

Sweetheart cake

A sweetheart cake or wife cake is a traditional Chinese pastry made with winter melon and almond paste.

There are many classes held in Hong Kong for making sweetheart cakes. The sweetheart cake, though it has such a long history, is still popular among many in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Many people in Hong Kong, as well as professional chefs, are reportedly modifying this pastry to make it more "modern" and better-tasting.

Legendary Origin

There are two legends that attempt to explain the origins of the Sweetheart cake. One tells the tale of a couple that lived a very poor life in imperial China. They loved each other and lived in a small village.

Suddenly, a mysterious disease spread. The husband's father became very sick. The couple spent all of their money in order to treat the man's father, but he was still sick. The wife sold herself as a slave in exchange for money to buy medicine for her father-in-law.

Once the husband learned about what his wife did, he made a cake filled with winter melon and with a crispy crust. His cake became so popular that he was able to earn enough money to buy his wife back.

There is another version where the man was eating at someone's house and recognized his wife's pastry and was reunited.

Sou (pastry)

Sou is a type of dried flaky Chinese pastry found in a number of Chinese cuisine.

Dim sum

In Dim sum restaurants, Char siu sou is the most common version available. Other varieties may include century egg and lotus seed paste. These are commonly found in Hong Kong or Singapore in Asia. They may occasionally be found in some overseas Chinatowns.

Shanghai cuisine

In Shanghai cuisine a number of dried varieties are available. Such as peanut sou ，green bean sou or walnut sou . People often buy them for sourvenirs in boxed forms.

Gallery

Shuangbaotai

Shuangbaotai or horse hooves is a sweet Taiwanese with a cavernous hole and chewy dough on the inside and a crisp crust on the outside. It is made by twisting two small pieces of dough together and frying them, causing them to separate slightly while remaining connected. It is similar in taste and texture to a -style beignet from the United States.

In Taiwan, shuangbaotai are a type of ''xiaochi'' typically sold by hawkers at street stalls or in night markets but not in regular restaurants or bakeries.

Names

The name of this food, 雙胞胎 , meaning "twins," is derived form the fact that the dish is two pastries twisted slightly together as if conjoined twins. The Minnan name is 馬花糋 , meaning roughly "horse-hoof cake", also in reference to its shape or 雙生仔 meaning twins.

Shengjian mantou

Shengjian mantou , are a type of small, pan-fried baozi which is a specialty of Shanghai. It is usually filled with pork and gelatin that melts into soup when cooked. ''Shengjian mantou'' has been one of the most common breakfast items in Shanghai for the last century. As a ubiquitous breakfast item, it has a significant place in Shanghainese culture.

Naming

In , a filled bun is usually called "baozi" or "bao", while an unfilled bun is usually called a "mantou". However, in , the older word "mantou" refers to both filled and unfilled buns. Hence, the ''shengjian mantou'' is called a "mantou" despite being a filled bun. The same is true of the '''', which is called "''xiaolongbao''" elsewhere.

The name ''shengjian mantou'' is often abbreviated to ''shengjian''.

Ingredients

''Shengjian'' is made from semi- dough, wrapped around pork and gelatin fillings. The "knot" of the bun, where the dough is folded together, faces downwards. Chopped green onion and sesame are sprinkled on the buns during the cooking process.

The name of the bun comes from its method of cooking. The buns are lined up in an oiled, shallow, flat pan. Typical commercial pans are more than a metre in diameter. Water is sprayed on the buns during cooking to ensure the top is properly cooked. After frying, the bottom of the bun becomes crunchy, and the gelatin melts into soup. This combination gives the ''shengjian'' its unique flavour. Because the buns are tightly lined up in the pan, they become somewhat cube-shaped after cooking.

The traditional ''shengjian'' has pork fillings. Common variations include chicken, pork mixed with prawns, and pork mixed with crab meat.

Serving

''Shengjian'' is traditionally sold in lots of four . It is usually eaten at breakfast, and can be accompanied by poultry blood soup or beef soup. The buns themselves can be dipped in or Worcestershire Sauce. Because of the method of cooking, especially the relatively hard bottom, the buns are quite durable, and are therefore easily portable. They are often packed in paper bags for take-away consumption.

Some shops or restaurants sell the item throughout the day as a '''' or snack. It is rarely found as a dish in a main meal.

Cantonese cuisine

A similar, but less well known dim sum in Cantonese cuisine is the ''shengjian bao'', which usually uses mixed pork and vegetables for fillings.

Shaobing

Shaobing or huoshao is a baked, layered flatbread with sesame on top, in Chinese cuisine. They are usually made in two flavors: savoury or sweet. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, shaobing are served with hot pot in winter.

Shaobing is also used as a bread with youtiao , a puffy fried dough, to make a sandwich called shāobǐng yóutiáo . This is usually eaten with hot soy milk for breakfast and is highly popular in northern mainland China and Taiwan.

Sausage bun

Sausage bun is a type of Chinese pastry. It is essentially the equivalent of the American hot dog. It is found in Hong Kong as well as many Chinese bakeries overseas. It uses westernized sausages instead of Chinese sausages, which are usually used as a cooking ingredient.

Sachima

Sachima is a found in many Chinese-speaking regions. Each regional cuisine has its own slightly different variation of this food, though the appearance of all versions is essentially the same.

Manchu

In , ''sachima'' is a sweet snack. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and rock sugar or rock candy. It is now popular in mainland China among children and adults.

Cantonese

The pastry version of ''sachima'' is very sweet. It is also made of essentially the same ingredients as the other varieties of ''sachima''. It is often sprinkled with dried coconut. The Cantonese variety of ''sachima'' ranges from chewy to hard in texture. Most Chinatowns offer the Cantonese style of the pastry. It is commonly found in Hong Kong.

Fujian

Many of the Fujian distribution companies manufacture packaged versions of Sachima. This version has sesame and is made of wheat flour, vegetable oil, , milk, granular sugar, and malt sugar. The taste is comparatively plain compared to the more sweetened Cantonese version.

Pineapple bun

A pineapple bun is a kind of sweet pastry popular in Hong Kong, Macau, some other areas in , and in Chinese communities in North America. It is known in as ''bo lo baau'', in which "''bo lo''" means "pineapple", and "''''" refers to a kind of bun-like item in Chinese cuisine. It is commonly found in , and is mentioned quite frequently on TV, radio and films in Hong Kong.

The pastry

The top of the pineapple bun is made of a dough similar to that used to make sugar cookie, which consists of sugar, , flour, and lard. As such, it is crunchy and is quite sweet compared to the bread underneath. The bread dough underneath is the same used in Chinese style Western breads, which is a softer and sweeter dough compared to Western breads. It is a popular pastry for breakfast or afternoon tea.

Although the pastry is known as "''pineapple'' bun", the traditional version contains no pineapple. The name "pineapple bun" actually originated from the fact that its sugary top crust is cooked to a golden-brown color, and because its checkered top resembles the of a pineapple. It is high in calorific value , it has been declared one of the top 10 most harmful snack foods in Hong Kong.

It is very similar to the Japanese ''melonpan'' in its manner of cooking and in the fact that it is named according to its appearance.

Buttered variant

Many Hong Kong restaurants, such as ''cha chaan tengs'' and ''dai pai dongs'', offer an item called a "buttered pineapple bun", which is a pineapple bun with a piece of butter stuffed inside. They are known in Cantonese as bo lo yau , in which "''bo lo ''" means "pineapple," and "'yau'" refers to butter. Variants of this include using custard in place of butter.

Typically, the pastry would be brought hot from the oven to the diner's table, and served halved with a large slab of butter in between them. This item is sometimes criticised for containing too much fat and cholesterol.

Other common variants

The pineapple bun may come in miniature sizes , and/or it may be used as a bread-roll to sandwich for example luncheon meat , or it may be pre-stuffed with red bean paste , custard cream , barbecued pork , or a sweet filling of shredded coconut as in that in a cocktail bun. Amusingly, it is possible to order a ''pineapple pineapple bun'', actually stuffed with pineapple , although this is very likely the product of misinterpretation of the name by non-native bakers.

Popular culture

*McDull, the main character in the Hong Kong cartoon film ''McDull, Prince de la Bun'' is often seen with a pineapple bun, since the Chinese name of the file is ''菠蘿油王子''.
*In 2005, "Pineapple Bun" was nominated as a potential typhoon name but was rejected. The director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Lam Chiu Ying, as one of the judges for the naming process, commented: "If we say XX country is being ravaged by Pineapple Bun, that would be too hilarious."

Peanut butter bun

Peanut butter bun is a kind of Chinese pastry found in Hong Kong as well as Chinatown bakery shops overseas. The bun has layers of peanut butter fillings, sometimes with light sprinkles of sugar mixed with the peanut butter to add extra flavor. Unlike the other buns, the shape can vary depending on the store selling it.

Paper wrapped cake

Paper wrapped cake is a type of Chinese pastry. It is one of the most standard pastries served in Hong Kong. It can also be found in most Chinatown bakery shops overseas. In essence, it is a chiffon cake baked in a paper cup.

Ox-tongue pastry

Ox-tongue pastry is a Chinese that is elliptical in shape and resembles an ox tongue. The texture of this food is chewy and the fine on the inside and somewhat crunchy on the surface. Ox-tongue pastry is lightly sweetened, and eaten as part of breakfast with soy milk.

Reference

* 曾大平, , ''民間小吃製作圖解'', 萬里機構 ISBN 9621423767

Mooncake

Mooncakes are Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

Traditional

Most mooncakes consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet and slightly oily filling. The mooncake may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon. The saltiness of the yolk balances well with the sweet filling in the mooncake. Rarely, mooncakes are steamed or fried.

Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for "longevity" or "harmony" as well as the name of the bakery and filling in the moon cake. Imprints of a moon, a , flowers, vines, or a rabbit may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Mooncakes are expensive and considered a delicacy, and production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Despite the difficulties in making mooncakes, they are very delicious and should be fully enjoyed. Most mooncakes are bought at s and . The price of mooncakes range from $10 to $50 .

Fillings

Many types of fillings can be found in traditional mooncakes according to the region's culture:
*Lotus seed paste : Considered by some to be the original and most luxurious mooncake filling, lotus paste filling is found in all types of mooncakes. Due to the high price of lotus paste, white kidney bean paste is sometimes used as a filler.
*Sweet bean paste : A number of pastes are common fillings found in Chinese desserts. Although red bean paste, made from azuki beans, is the most common worldwide, there are regional and original preferences for bean paste made from Mung bean as well as known throughout history.
*Jujube paste : A sweet paste made from the ripe fruits of the jujube plant. The paste is dark red in colour, a little fruity/smoky in flavour and slightly sour in taste. Depending on the quality of the paste, jujube paste may be confused with red bean paste, which is sometimes used as a filler.
*Five kernel : A filling consisting of 5 types of nuts and seeds, coarsely chopped and held together with maltose syrup. Commonly used nuts and seeds include: walnuts, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, sesame, or almonds. In addition, the mixture will usually contain candied winter melon, jinhua ham, or pieces of rock sugar as additional flavouring.
*Yam Paste : A sweet paste made from Yam, a tuber from certain parts of Asia. The colour of the paste in the mooncake is purple and is most commonly used in Teochew crusty mooncakes.

Crusts

Traditional mooncake vary widely depending on the region where the mooncake is produced. While most regions produce traditional mooncakes with many types of fillings, they usually only make their mooncake from one type of crust or another. Although vegetarian mooncakes may use vegetable oil, many mooncakes use lard in their recipes for a better taste. There are three types of mooncake crust used in Chinese cuisine:
*Chewy: This crust has a reddish-brown tone and glossy sheen. It is the most common type of crust used on -style mooncakes. It is also the most commonly seen type of mooncake in North America and many western countries. Chewy mooncake crusts are made using a combination of thick sugar syrup, lye water, flour, and oil, thus giving this crust its rich taste and a chewy yet tender texture. Chewiness can be increased further by adding maltose syrup to the mixture.
**The dough is also baked into fish or piglet shapes and sold at mooncake bakeries as a chewy snack. They often come individually packaged in small plastic baskets, to symbolize fish being caught or piglets being bound for sale.
*Flaky: Flaky crusts are most indicative of Suzhou-style mooncakes. The dough is made by rolling together alternating layers of oily dough and flour that has been in oil. This crust has a very similar texture to the likes of puff pastry.
*Tender: Mooncakes from certain provinces of China and Taiwan are often made to be tender rather than flaky or chewy. The texture of this type of mooncake crust is similar to the likes of the shortcrust pastry used in Western pie crusts or tart shells. Tender crusts are made mainly of a homogenous mix of sugar, oil, flour, and water. This type of crust is also commonly used in other type of Chinese pastries, such as the egg tart.

Regional variations

There are many regional variants of the mooncake. Types of traditional mooncakes include:

* -style mooncake: The Cantonese style mooncake is the most commonly seen throughout China and overseas. Originating from Guangdong province, the Cantonese style mooncake has up to 200 variations . The ingredients used for the fillings are various: lotus seed paste, melon seed paste, ham, chicken, duck, roast pork, mushrooms, egg yolks, etc. More elaborate versions contain four egg yolks, representing the four of the moon.

* Suzhou-style mooncake:: This style began more than a thousand years ago, and is known for its layers of flaky dough and generous allotment of sugar and lard. Within this regional type, there are more than a dozen variations. It is also smaller than most other regional varieties. Suzhou-style mooncakes feature both sweet and savoury types, the latter served hot and usually filled with pork mince.

* Beijing-style mooncake: This style has two variations. One is called "''di qiang''," which was influenced by the Suzhou-style mooncake. It has a light foamy dough as opposed to a flaky one. The other variation is called "''fan mao''" and has a flaky white dough. The two most popular fillings are the mountain and wisteria blossom flavour. The Beijing-style mooncake is often meticulously decorated.

*Chaoshan -style mooncake: This is another flaky crust variety, but is larger in size than the Suzhou variety. It is close in diameter to the Cantonese style, but thinner in thickness. A variety of fillings are used, but the aroma of lard after roasting is emphasised.

* Ningbo-style mooncake: This style is also inspired by the Suzhou-style. It is prevalent in Zhejiang province and has a compact covering. The fillings are either seaweed or ham; it is also known for its and salty flavour.

* Yunnan-style mooncake: Also known as "''t'o''" to the residents, its distinctive feature is the combination of various flours for the dough and includes rice flour, wheat flour, buckwheat flour, and more. Most of the variations within this style are sweet.

Modern

Modern mooncakes differ mainly from traditional types most vividly in the type of fillings that are offered. For instance, mooncakes containing taro paste and pineapple, which were considered novelty items at their time of invention have in recent years become commonplace items. In addition, ingredients such as coffee, chocolate, nuts , fruits , vegetables , ham, and even lychees have been added to give a modern twist to the traditional recipes.

Fillings

Snowy mooncakes first appeared on the market in the early 1980's. These non-baked, chilled mooncakes were initially filled with traditional fillings such as lotus seed, red bean, or mung bean paste. However, the launch of a truffle snow-skin mooncake in 1994 by Raffles Hotel in Singapore, triggered a wave of modern mooncakes. H?agen-Dazs quickly followed on from this innovation, and were one of the first to create an ice-cream mooncake, with a choice of either the "traditional," snow-skin, or white, milk, and dark chocolate crusts. Moon Cakes have lately become Americanized very much in the United States. Instead of a filling of egg yolk, you can have them filled with marshmallows or chocolate.

Following this bit of lateral thinking, it was obvious these non-baked mooncakes could be filled with pretty much anything that could be made into a paste. An explosion of new flavours appeared and spanned the range from:
* cream cheese
* ginseng
*
*
* tiramisu
* green tea
*
* durian
* ice cream
* chocolate
* coffee
* peanut

White kidney bean paste or plain ice-cream are usually used as a base of flavours such as green tea, coffee, or ginseng, which are not thick enough or cannot be usually in large enough quantities to be a filling on their own.

Crusts

Modern varieties of mooncakes are also different from their traditional counterparts in that their crusts typically do not require baking. However, they require refrigerating. There are two main varieties of modern mooncake crusts:
*Glutinous rice: A crust with texture similar to that of a mochi. These moon cakes are know colloquially as "''snow-skin mooncakes''" or "''ice-skin mooncakes''" .
*Jelly: A crust made of gelling mixtures such as agar, gelatin, or konjac and flavoured with a wide variety of fruit flavourings.

Healthy mooncakes

To adapt to today’s health-conscious lifestyle, many bakeries offer miniature mooncakes and fat-free mooncakes. Some are made of yogurt, , and fat-free ice-cream. Even high-fibre low-sugar mooncakes have made their appearance. To be competitive, bakers boast about how little sugar and oil they use in their mooncakes. Customers can pick and choose the size and filling that suits their taste and diet. For added hygiene, each cake is often wrapped in airtight plastic, accompanied by a tiny food preserver packet. The new version is well-accepted among young people in China.

Use in other countries or regions

Taiwan

The most traditional mooncake from Taiwan is filled with yam. Today, Taiwanese mooncakes have been influenced heavily by Japanese and European pastries, many mooncakes are made with finer and healthier ingredients. As a result, Taiwanese moon cakes are wide in variety that include low fat, lard free and ice cream versions. Popular modern flavors include green tea, chocolate and many others.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, local mooncakes are different from other varieties. They are circular like a moon, white, and rather thin. Fillings may include chocolate, cheese, milk, durian, and jackfruit. It is called "kue bulan".

Japan

In Japan, mooncakes are sold year-round, mainly in Japan's Chinatowns, pronounced in Japanese as "geppei". Azuki paste is the most popular filling for these mooncakes, but other sorts of beans as well as chestnut are also used. Unlike some types of Chinese mooncakes, mooncakes in Japan almost never contain an egg yolk in the centre.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, mooncakes are known as ''bánh trung thu'' and may contain a variety of fillings, such as savory roasted chicken, shark fins, mung beans, coconut or durian.

Cultural role

Mid-Autumn Festival

The festival is intricately linked to the , the ical Moon Goddess of Immortality. There is also a folk tale about facilitated by messages smuggled in moon cakes.

Because of its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, mooncakes remain popular even in recent years; although with certain modifications. Part of the reason is that people are becoming more health-conscious. Traditional mooncakes are made with lard, and a lot of sugar. Another reason for its popularity is that the traditional mooncake has undergone much successful diversification. In fact, it has become so popular that many mooncakes are bought by businessmen who give them to their clients as presents. For many, mooncakes form a central part of the Mid-Autumn festival experience such that it is now commonly known as 'Mooncake Festival'.

Ming revolution

Mooncakes were used as a medium by the revolutionaries in their espionage effort to secretly distribute letters in order to overthrow the rulers of China in the Yuan dynasty. The idea is said to be conceived by Zhu Yuanzhang and his advisor , who circulated a rumor that a deadly plague was spreading and the only way to prevent it was to eat the special mooncakes. This prompted the quick distribution of the mooncakes, which were used to hide a secret message coordinating the Han Chinese revolt on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

Another method of hiding the message was printed in the surface of mooncakes as a simple puzzle or mosaic. In order to read the encrypted message, each of the 4 mooncakes packaged together must be cut into 4 parts each. The 16 pieces of mooncake, must then be pieced together in such a fashion that the secret messages can be read. The pieces of mooncake are then eaten to destroy the message.

Marry girl cake

Marry girl cake is a traditional Chinese pastry. It is considered one of the more ceremonial cakes used as gifts in the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, hence the name. It can be found in Hong Kong and in some overseas Chinatowns. Due to cultural change over time, this cake is today considered simply a pastry, having lost most of its original significance.

Production

The cake is essentially a lightly sweetened sponge cake, and, depending on the variety, may take any number of shapes or appearances. It is considered large compared to the size of most pastries. The internal base of the cake may consist of lotus seed paste.

Mantou

Mantou sometimes known as Chinese steamed bun, is a kind of bun originating from China. It is typically eaten as a staple in Northern parts of China where wheat rather than rice is grown. Made with milled wheat flour, water and leavening agents, they are similar in nutrition and eating qualities to the white bread of the West. In size and texture, they range from 4 cm, soft and fluffy in the most elegant restaurants, to over 15 cm, firm and dense for the working man's lunch.

Traditionally, ''mantou'', '''', and wheat noodles were the staple carbohydrates of the Northern Chinese diet, analogous to the rice which forms the mainstay of the Southern Chinese diet. Mantou are also known in the south, but are often served as street food or a restaurant dish, rather than as a staple or home cooking. Restaurant mantou are often smaller and more delicate and can be further manipulated, for example by deep-frying and dipping in sweetened condensed milk.

They are often sold pre-cooked in the frozen section of Asian supermarkets, ready for preparation by steaming or heating in the microwave oven.

A similar food, but with a filling inside, is baozi. In some regions, mainly in Southern China, ''mantou'' can be used to indicate both the filled and unfilled buns.

Etymology

There is a popular story in China that the name Mantou actually originated from the identically-pronounced word ''mántóu'' meaning "barbarian's head".

This story originates from the Three Kingdoms Period, when the strategist Zhuge Liang led the Army in . After subduing the barbarian king Meng Huo, Zhuge Liang led the army back to Shu, but met a swift-flowing river which defied all attempts to cross it. A barbarian lord informed him that, in olden days, the barbarians would sacrifice 50 men and throw their heads into the river to appease the river spirit and allow them to cross; Zhuge Liang, however, did not want to cause any more bloodshed, and instead killed the cows and horses the army brought along and filled their meat into buns shaped roughly like human heads - round with a flat base - to be made and then thrown into the river. After a successful crossing he named the buns "barbarian's head" , which evolved into the present day ''mántóu'' .

Variations in meaning outside Northern China

Prior to the Song Dynasty, the word ''mantou'' meant both filled and unfilled buns. The term ''baozi'' arose in the Song Dynasty to indicate filled buns only. As a result, ''mantou'' gradually came to indicate only unfilled buns in and other varieties of spoken Chinese. In , mantuu are basically the same as the Chinese mantou.

However, in many areas ''mantou'' still retains its meaning of filled buns. In the Jiangnan region, ''mantou'' usually means both filled and unfilled buns .

The name ''mantou'' is cognate to ; these are filled dumplings in , , Central Asian, and Pakistani cuisines. In Japan, usually indicates filled buns, which traditionally contain bean paste or minced meat-vegetable mixture . Filled mantou are called siopao in . In Korea, means jiaozi .

How to make Banana Mantou

Ingredients
* 3 Eggs
* 125 g Sugar
* 300 g Mashed Bananas
* 225 g Flour
* 2 tsp Baking Powder
* 1 tsp Baking Soda
* 100 g Oil
* 1/8 tsp Banana Essence

Steps:
Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda, set aside.
Whisk together eggs and sugar till fluffy.
Mix in bananas and banana essence, beat till combine.
Fold in flour mixture and oil.
Pour batter into muffin cups.
Steam for 15 to 20mins till cooked.

Mandarin roll

Mandarin rolls or Steamed Mandarin rolls are a kind of steamed bun originating from China. The rolls are cooked by steaming. It is another one of the staples of Chinese cuisine similarly to white bread in western cuisine. Because mandarin rolls are slightly sweet, they can be eaten plain. Sometimes it is eaten with . The rolls are made of wheat flour, water, sugar, soy bean oil, vegetable shortening, milk powder, salt, yeast and baking soda.

Lotus seed bun

Lotus seed bun is a Chinese pastry found in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China. It is sometimes available in overseas Chinatowns. It can be classified as a dim sum, though not exclusively so.

Preparation

Because the bun has a variety of different appearances, the dough especially, can be different depending on where it is made. The dough is generally made of similar substances like the ones used in char siu baau.