View source for Koah-pau

{{Short description|A Chinese-style pork sandwich originating from Fujian province}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Koah-pau
| image = Steamed Sandwich,taken by LeoAlmighty.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = A traditional gua bao
| alternate_name = ''cuapao''
| country = [[China]]
| region = [[Fujian]]
| creator =
| course = Snack, delicacy, main dish, side dish
| served = Hot
| main_ingredient = [[Lotus leaf bread]], stewed meat, condiments
| minor_ingredient = Red-cooked pork belly, pickled mustard, coriander, ground peanuts
| variations = Fried chicken, fish, eggs, stewed beef, lettuce
| calories =
| other =
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| t = 割包
| s = 刈包
| p = guàbāo
| l = cut bun
| poj = koah-pau
| lang1 = [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]
| lang1_content = [[wikt:kuwapaw|kuwapaw]]
| kanji = 角煮饅頭
| romaji = kakuni manjū
| t2 = 肉夾包
| s2 = 肉夹包
| p2 = ròujiābāo
| l2 = meat between buns
| poj2 =
}}
'''''Koah-pau''''' or '''''gua bao'''''<ref>{{holodict|8213|e=割包}}</ref> or '''''cuapao'''''<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> also known as a '''pork belly bun''',<ref>{{cite web |title=Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) |first=Cathy |last=Erway |date=2 April 2014 |url=http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/taiwanese-pork-belly-bun-recipe.html}}</ref>  '''bao''',<ref>{{cite web |date=6 February 2013 |first=Mandy |last=L.|title=Who Took the "Gua" out of "Bao |url=http://ladyandpups.com/2013/02/06/who-took-the-gua-out-of-bao-eng/}}</ref><ref name="jg">{{cite news |title=Baohaus |first=Julie |last=Glassberg |journal=The New York Times |date= 23 February 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/reviews/24under.html}}</ref> or '''bao bun''',<ref>{{cite web |title=Steamed bao buns |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/steamed-bao-buns |website=BBC Good Food}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Simple Bao Bun Recipe |url=https://sortedfood.com/recipe/baobuns |website=Sorted |access-date=5 February 2019 |archive-date=7 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015751/https://sortedfood.com/recipe/baobuns |url-status=dead }}</ref> is a type of [[Lotus leaf bread|lotus leaf bun]] originating from [[Fujian cuisine|Fujianese cuisine]] in [[China]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=江韶瑩|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUdha-AR2nEC&q=%E8%99%8E%E5%92%AC%E7%8C%AA+%E7%A6%8F%E5%B7%9E|title=臺灣民俗文物辭彙類編|date=2009|publisher=國史館臺灣文獻館|isbn=978-986-02-0399-8|language=zh}}</ref> It is also a popular snack in [[Taiwan]], [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]], [[Philippines]], and [[Nagasaki Chinatown]] in [[Japan]].
It consists of a slice of stewed meat and condiments sandwiched between flat [[steamed bread]] known as [[lotus leaf bread]] ({{zh|t=荷葉餅|p=héyèbǐng|labels=no}}). The lotus leaf bread is typically {{convert|6–8|cm}} 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 cooking|red-cooked]] [[pork belly]], typically dressed with stir-fried [[suan cai]] (pickled mustard greens), [[coriander]], and ground [[peanut]]s.<ref name="jg"/><ref name="mfa">{{cite web |url=http://taiwanfoodculture.net/ct.asp?xItem=48256&ctNode=2688&mp=1502| title=Gwa-Bao (割包 Braised Pork Wrapped in Steamed Buns) |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) |date=2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Erway|first1=Cathy|title=The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island|year=2015|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=9780544303010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J6AdBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67|language=en}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
In [[Hokkien]], the word ''gua/cua'' ({{zh|c=割/刈|poj=koah|links=no}}) means to cut by drawing the knife through an object.<ref name="台日割包">{{cite web |title=台日大詞典：割包 |url=http://ip194097.ntcu.edu.tw/memory/TGB/data/TJTST1/TJTST1_%E9%A0%81%E9%9D%A2_452.png}}</ref> ''Bao/Pao'' (包; {{zh|poj=pau|links=no}}) means "bun", so the name ''bao bun'' is redundant. The word ''bao'' (包) in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] without any qualifiers is generally used to refer to [[baozi]].
==History==
===In Asia===
[[File:Bao Buns (28180915740).jpg|thumb|left|Gua bao with [[bell pepper]] and [[water chestnut]]]]
The gua bao originated from the coastal regions of [[Fujian|Fujian province]] in [[China]]. It is said to have come from either the cities of [[Quanzhou]] or [[Fuzhou]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Street Food Goes International: Taiwan's Gua Bao |url=https://nspp.mofa.gov.tw/nsppe/nspp.mofa.gov.tw/nsppe/news.php?post=222004 |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=New Southbound Policy |language=en}}</ref> In Quanzhou, gua bao is known as ''rou jia bao'' ({{zh|s=肉夹包|l=meat between buns|labels=no}}) or ''hu yao shi'' ({{zh|s=虎咬狮|l=tiger bites lion|labels=no}}).<ref>{{Cite web|title=福建名小吃｜泉州人都爱吃的传统古早味儿，你吃过哪几样呢？|url=https://xw.qq.com/partner/hwbrowser/20210531A06S4B/20210531A06S4B00?ADTAG=hwb&pgv_ref=hwb&appid=hwbrowser&ctype=news|access-date=1 July 2021|website=xw.qq.com|archive-date=22 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222195011/https://xw.qq.com/partner/hwbrowser/20210531A06S4B/20210531A06S4B00?ADTAG=hwb&pgv_ref=hwb&appid=hwbrowser&ctype=news|url-status=dead}}</ref> The custom of [[Hui'an County|Hui'an]] people in Quanzhou is to eat these pork belly buns to celebrate the marrying off of a daughter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=What Is Taiwanese Gua Bao?|url=https://guide.michelin.com/tw/en/article/features/gua-bao-michelin-guide-taiwan|access-date=19 April 2021|website=MICHELIN Guide|language=en-TW}}</ref> In [[Jinjiang, Fujian|Jinjiang]], a county of Quanzhou, there is a related vegetarian dish known as ''hu yao cao'' ({{zh|c=虎咬草|l=tiger bites grass|labels=no}}) 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=虎咬草-吃在晋江-晋江魅力-印象晋江-晋江市人民政府|url=http://www.jinjiang.gov.cn/yxjj/mljj/czjj/202012/t20201212_2477740.htm|access-date=2 July 2021|website=www.jinjiang.gov.cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=网易|date=25 May 2019|title=【老闽南】闽南人独爱的这款"咸烧饼"你吃过吗？|url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/EG1H15EL0514DMQ9.html|access-date=2 July 2021|website=www.163.com|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182452/https://www.163.com/dy/article/EG1H15EL0514DMQ9.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In [[Taiwan]], gua bao are believed to have been introduced to the island by [[Fuzhou]]nese immigrants. Fuzhou rice [[vinasse]] meat is wrapped in it, and ingredients are chopped and soaked in meat gravy to eat.<ref>{{Cite book|last=江|first=韶瑩|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUdha-AR2nEC&q=%E8%99%8E%E5%92%AC%E7%8C%AA+%E7%A6%8F%E5%B7%9E|script-title=zh:臺灣民俗文物辭彙類編|date=2009|publisher=國史館臺灣文獻館|isbn=978-986-02-0399-8|language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cts.com.tw/cts/society/200710/200710150232614.html|title=老字號割包店 肉香Q嫩不油膩-華視新聞-華視新聞網|website=news.cts.com.tw}}</ref> The food is known colloquially in parts of [[Taiwan]] as {{Lang|nan|hó͘-kā-ti}} ({{zh|c=虎咬豬|l=tiger bites pig|labels=no}}) in [[Taiwanese Hokkien]] due to the mouth-like form of the bun and the contents of the filling.<ref name="mfa" /> Gua bao was a food that merchants consumed during ritual festivals when [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan was under Japanese rule]].  According to the research of Yu-Jen Chen, pork was expensive and not easy to acquire at that time, and flour was also scarce. As a result, the gua bao only became a popular street food among the public in Taiwan in the 1970s. Gua bao is now a popular Taiwanese street snack food and often offered with four-herbal soup ({{zh|c=四神湯|poj=sù-sîn-thng|labels=no}}) at [[Night markets in Taiwan|night markets]].<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=af3ad61c-0a0c-42e8-8789-fce26aa9277a&langId=3&CatId=10&postname=A%20Street%20Food%20Goes%20International-Taiwan’s%20Gua%20Bao |title= A Street Food Goes International Taiwan's Gua Bao |author= Cathy Teng |date= July 2022 |publisher= Taiwan Panorama |language=English }}</ref>
[[File:Taiwanese Gua Bao @ Bao & Bing, London.jpg|thumb|In a [[bamboo steamer]]]]
In [[Singapore]] and [[Malaysia]], the dish is popular among the [[Hokkien people|Hokkien]] community, where it is known as ''kong bak pau'' ({{zh|c=扣肉包|poj=khòng-bah-pau|labels=no}}).<ref>{{Cite web|last=hermes|date=13 May 2018|title=Love of pork belly and buns|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/love-of-pork-belly-and-buns|access-date=30 June 2021|website=The Straits Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://themeatmen.sg/kong-bak-pau-braised-pork-buns/|title = Kong Bak Pau (Braised Pork Buns) – 扣肉包|date = 15 September 2015}}</ref>
In the [[Philippines]], it is served in [[Filipino Chinese cuisine|Chinese Filipino restaurants]] throughout the country, where it is known as ''cuapao'' ({{zh|c=割包|poj=koah-pau|labels=no}}).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Macaalay |first=Raymund |date=29 July 2020 |title=Cuapao |url=https://www.angsarap.net/2020/07/29/cuapao/ |website=Ang Sarap}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Fernandez |first1=Doreen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GV9LAAAAMAAJ&q=kuapao |title=LASA: A Guide to 100 Restaurants |last2=Alegre |first2=Edilberto N. |publisher=Urban Food Foundation |year=1989 |location=Manila |pages=100, 188, 190}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCXbAAAAMAAJ&q=cuapao |title=Official Gazette |publisher=Philippines. Bureau of Patents, Trademarks, and Technology Transfer, Philippines. Intellectual Property Office, Department of Trade and Industry |year=1988 |volume=1 |issue=8–10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iMJwAAAAMAAJ&q=cuapao |title=Philippine Humanities Review |publisher=College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines |year=1985 |volume=2 |issue=1}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Polistico |first=Edgie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=STSWDwAAQBAJ&dq=cuapao&pg=PT197 |title=Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary |publisher=Anvil Publishing, Inc. |year=2017 |isbn=9786214200870}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=kuwapaw |url=https://diksiyonaryo.ph/search/kuwapaw |website=Pambansang Diksiyonaryo {{!}} Diksiyonaryo.ph |publisher=[[Commission on the Filipino Language|Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino]]}}</ref>
In Hong Kong, they are known as ''cha bao'' ({{lang|zh|叉包}}) which means "fork buns" as the sandwiches are usually pierced by a toothpick or bamboo skewer to keep the fillings in place.
In [[Japan]] they are called [[kakuni]] [[Mantou#Variations in meaning outside northern China|manju]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nrch.culture.tw/twpedia.aspx?id=11780|title=刈包|website=ettoday.net/}}</ref>{{deprecated inline|certain=yes|date=May 2020}} and are sold as a Chinese snack food. They are a specialty of [[Nagasaki Chinatown]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wow-j.com/en/Allguides/nagasaki/sightseeing/01284_en/|title=A Guide to Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown: Enjoy Local Specialties as You Walk!|website=wow-j.com}}</ref> 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 [[Sōfuku-ji (Nagasaki)|Sofukuji Temple]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japan-kyushu-tourist.com/blog-00006341/|title=The first Chinese style temple in Nagasaki|website=japan-kyushu-tourist.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://travel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/spot/02301-1301460/|title=Sofukuji Temple (崇福寺)|website=travel.navitime.com}}</ref> Recognizing the Fuzhounese community and historical connection, Nagasaki and Fuzhou established ties as [[sister city|sister cities]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp.e.jc.hp.transer.com/kokusai/910000/p004937.html|title=Interchange Fuzhou City between cities
|website=city.nagasaki.lg.jp.e.jc.hp.transer.com}}</ref>
===In the West===
[[File:Taiwanese Hamburgers from Belly Bao, Sydney.jpg|thumb|Gua bao from [[Sydney]]]]
Gua bao became popular in the early 2000s in the West through chef [[David Chang|David Chang's]] [[Momofuku (restaurants)|Momofuku]] restaurants (c. 2004) although he says that he was unaware that the gua bao dish already existed.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Story Behind the Momofuku Chili Crunch, With Eddie Huang|date=20 July 2020|url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SY2BjsJ0TmqA12e4e3PME|language=en|access-date=30 June 2021}}</ref> 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]] and [[Chinatown, Manhattan|Manhattan Chinatown's]] Oriental Garden where the [[Peking duck]] was served on [[lotus leaf bread]] rather than the traditional [[spring pancake]]. He called his creation '''pork belly buns'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/chefs-recipes/momofukus-pork-buns-7594|title=Momofuku's pork buns|website=gourmettraveller.com.au/|date=20 May 2010 }}</ref> The name "gua bao" was used and popularised by chef [[Eddie Huang]] when he opened his BaoHaus restaurant (c. 2009).<ref>{{cite journal |first=Maggine|last=Wong |date=31 August 2018 |title=The secret of gua bao: The Taiwanese street food taking over the world |journal=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/gua-bao-taiwan/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nguyen-Okwu |first1=Leslie |title=16 Dishes That Define Taiwanese Food |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/3/6/18241036/what-is-taiwanese-food-traditional-cuisine |website=www.eater.com |date=6 March 2019 |publisher=Eater |access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> 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".
[[File:Pork Belly Steamed Buns - Duroc pork belly, cilantro, scallions, radish, boiled egg, Chinese black vinaigrette, hoisin BBQ sauce.jpg|thumb|Gua bao from [[Las Vegas]]]]
In the [[United States]], [[New York City]] has a significant population of [[Fuzhounese Americans]] and gua bao is a popular dish sold at restaurants along with other iconic Fuzhounese dishes such as [[Fish ball#Mainland China|Fuzhou fish balls]] and [[lychee pork]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A Guide to Eating Regional Chinese Food in NYC |url=https://ny.eater.com/2019/2/25/18220515/best-regional-chinese-food-guide-nyc |website=Eater|date=25 February 2019 }}</ref>
In the [[United Kingdom]], [[Erchen Chang]], Wai Ting and Shing Tat Chung opened BAO in London, further popularizing the snack in the West.<ref name=":0" /> Gua bao are often called '''hirata buns''' in the United Kingdom, named after Masashi Hirata, the executive chef of [[Ippudo]] 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 that the gua bao was a Japanese food item.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.timeout.jp/en/2013/09/12/trendspotting-hirata-buns/|title=Trendspotting: Hirata buns|website=blogs.timeout.jp}}</ref>
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]] or [[karaage]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hakka.com.au/food-service-recipe-chicken-karaage--kimchi-bao.html|title=CHICKEN KARAAGE & KIMCHI BAO|website=hakka.com.au}}</ref> 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).
==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="150px" heights="150px">
File:Tiger-striped Guabao with Dongpo pork at Sanhoyan restaurant in Da'an.jpg|With [[Dongpo pork]]
File:Gua-bao by the Yuan Fang Guabao at Huaxi Street 2023-04-28 01.jpg|With Dongpo pork and ''[[suan cai]]''
File:Gua-bao by the Yuan Fang Guabao at Huaxi Street 2023-04-28 02.jpg|Steamed [[lotus leaf bread]]
File:Taiwanese hamburger at Bao Netil Market.jpg|With peanut powder
File:10.10 總統偕同副總統出席「中華民國109年國慶酒會」 (50444384663).jpg
File:GeBao.JPG
File:Fish Gua Bao 2023.jpg|With fish
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[List of sandwiches]]
* [[List of snack foods]]
* [[Fujian cuisine]]
* [[Taiwanese cuisine]]
* [[Hamburger]]
* [[Roujiamo]], a similar food from Shaanxi Province
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{sandwhich}}
{{Fujian cuisine}}
{{Taiwanese cuisine}}
[[Category:Fujian cuisine]]
[[Category:Taiwanese pork dishes]]
[[Category:Sandwiches]]
[[Category:Street food in Taiwan]]