(), or simply , 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 made from wheat flour and steamed. They are a variation of mantou from Northern China.
Baozi are popular throughout China and have even made their way into the cuisines of many other countries through the Chinese diaspora.
History and etymology
Baozi were originally called mantou, and may be related to the Central Asian dumpling manti.
The Legend
There was a legend about a man named Zhuge Liang who was a military leader in China. For the barbarians to let him use this bridge, he had to sacrifice 50 of his soldiers and throw their heads into the river. Instead, in a clever deception, he fooled the barbarians by tossing 50 baos that looked like human heads into the river.
Types
{|class="wikitable"
! width=15% | English name
! width=15% | Chinese name (with romanisation)
! width="15%" | Other names
! width="55%" | Description
|-
|Meicai pork belly bao bun || <br /> || || Steamed buns, folded like tacos, are stuffed with slices of braised pork belly flavored with dried mustard greens.
|-
| Cha siu bao, charsiu bau || <br /> /<br />|| in Hawaii manapua, in the Philippines siopao|| Filled with char siu (barbecued pork).
|-
| Goubuli|| <br />|| || A brand of baozi considered characteristic of Tianjin.
|-
| Xiaolongbao|| <br />|| || A small, meat-filled baozi from Shanghai containing an aspic that reverts to a juicy broth when cooked. Because it is succulent and prepared with thin, partially leavened dough, it more closely resembles a jiaozi than a baozi.
|-
| Shuijianbao || <br /> || || Very similar to xiaolongbao, but pan-fried instead of steamed.
|-
| Shengjian mantou || <br />|| || A small, meat-filled, fried baozi from Shanghai.
|-
| Tangbao || <br /> || || A large soup-filled baozi from Yangzhou drunk through a straw;<br /> in other areas of China, it is small in size with a rich soup.
|-
| Doushabao|| <br /> || Hokkien: tāu-se-pau || Filled with sweet bean paste.
|-
| Lotus seed bun || <br /> || || Filled with sweetened lotus seed paste.
|-
| Kaya-baozi || <br />|| Malay: pau kaya || Filled with kaya, a jam made from coconut, eggs, and sometimes pandan in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
|-
| Naihuangbao|| <br /> || || Filled with sweet yellow custard.
|-
| Siopao|| <br />|| Filipino/Tagalog: siyopaw || Steamed, filled with either chicken, pork, shrimp or salted egg.
|-
| Zhimabao|| <br />|| || Steamed, filled with a black sesame paste.
|-
| Yacaibao || <br />|| || Steamed, filled with a type of pickle, spices and possibly other vegetables or meat, common in Sichuan, China.
|-
| Bah-pau'm|| <br />||
| Filled with minced pork, or alternatively chocolate, strawberry, cheese, mung bean, red bean, minced beef, or diced chicken.
|-
| Da bao || <br />|| || Large buns filled with pork, eggs and other ingredients.
|-
| Crisp stuffed bun || <br />poshubao || || A lard-layered bun with pork, lard, bamboo shoot, and soy sauce, or with the filling of Yunnan ham and white sugar or brown sugar. Crisp stuffed buns were created by a chef from Yuxi almost a hundred years ago.
|-
| Tandoori baozi || <br />Kao baozi || Uyghur: <br><br />Samsa || A Uyghur specialty, cooked in a tandoor instead of being steamed. Usually filled with lamb, potatoes, and spices.
|-
|Gua bao
|,
|
|Made by folding over flat steamed dough, with a wide variety of fillings. Originated as Fujianese street food.
|}
Outside of China
thumb|right|Broken-open bakpau showing minced meat filling, served with sweet chili sauce
thumb|[[Cambodian Chinese cuisine|Cambodian Chinese num pao]]
In many Chinese cultures, these buns are a popular food, and widely available.
- In Malaysia, given the long history of the Chinese diaspora in Malaysia before the British colonial times, the Malays have adopted these buns (called pau in Malay) as their own with halal fillings particularly with curry (potato, chicken, or beef) similar to curry puffs; some variants have a quail egg in the middle, in addition. Other variations include sweet fillings of coconut jam (kaya) or red bean paste. These pau can be found sold in stalls by the roadside, at night markets, highway rest stops, and pasar Ramadan (Ramadan food bazaars).
- In Indonesia, the dish has also been adopted into Indonesian cuisine through the integration of Chinese culture. It has been adopted through the Hokkien language name of bakpau or bakpao. In addition to meat fillings, local variants include: chocolate, sweet potato, and marmalade fillings. Bakpau is found in Indonesia as a take away food sold by cart street hawkers. Bakpau in Indonesia is usually sold in dabao size (lit.: "big pau"), around 10 cm in diameter. To accommodate the dietary restrictions of Indonesia's Muslim majority, the original pork filling has been replaced with minced beef, diced chicken, or even sweet mung bean paste and red bean paste. Pau with non-meat fillings are still called bakpau by Indonesians, despite the lack of meat. It is usually served with sweet chili sauce.
- In the Netherlands, due to the influence from Indonesia, supermarkets typically stock what the Dutch refer to as bapao—or occasionally, bakpao. It is easy to find frozen bapao or bakpao—or, in larger supermarkets, refrigerated versions—wrapped in plastic and ready to be heated in the microwave. The most common filling is chicken, although pork, beef, and vegetarian variants are also widely available. This food is classified as a quick snack or a fast-food item. Freshly baked versions of this steamed bun do not constitute a staple food in the Netherlands, except within the country’s resident Chinese community.
- In the Philippines, the local version of baozi called siopao was brought by Chinese immigrants (Sangleys) prior to Spanish colonialism. Varieties of Filipino siopao fillings include barbecued pork, meatballs, flaked tuna, and sometimes chocolate and cheese.
- In Thailand, a similar bun is called salapao ().
- In Japan, baozi is very popular and known as ' (). Nikuman (; derived from , ) is the Japanese name for Chinese baozi with meat fillings. Chūkaman are steamed and often sold as street food. During festivals, they are frequently sold and eaten. From approximately August or September, throughout the winter months, and until roughly early April, chūkaman are available in convenience stores, where they are kept warm.
- In Korea, there are two varieties of dumplings similar to baozi. One variety, a longtime staple at Korean-style Chinese restaurants, is known simply as jjinmandu, or "steamed mandu", which is typically savory and comes with meat, vegetable, and noodle fillings. Another variation is a warm snack food consisting of a completely round bun usually filled with smooth, sweetened red bean paste but also commonly sold stuffed with vegetables and meat, pizza toppings, pumpkin, or buldak. This is known as jjinppang (steamed bread or bun) or hoppang (a convenience-food version of the former).
- In Cambodia, num pao (), is a popular street food.
- In Vietnam, Bánh bao is the Vietnamese version of the Cantonese tai bao that was brought over by Chinese immigrants. It is usually filled with pork, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, and sausage.
- In Myanmar, pauk-si () is a popular snack available in almost every traditional tea shop.
- In Mauritius, many dishes are influenced by Sino-Mauritians; this includes baozi, simply referred to as "pao" (sometimes written as "pow" or "paw"). They are typically filled with Chinese sausage, poultry, black mushroom, and soy egg, among others.
See also
- List of buns
- List of steamed foods
- Manapua
- Bao (film)