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Fa gao (simplified Chinese: 发糕; traditional Chinese: 發糕; pinyin: fāgāo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hoat-koé), also called fat pan (發粄) by the Hakka,[1] prosperity cake,[2][3] fortune cake,[4] Cantonese sponge cake,[5] is a Chinese steamed, cupcake-like pastry.[6] Because it is often characterized by a split top when cooked, it is often referred as Chinese smiling steamed cake or blooming flowers.[6] It is commonly consumed on the Chinese new year.[7] It is also eaten on other festivals, wedding, and funerals by the Hakka people.[8]
 | |
| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | China |
| Main ingredients | flour (usually rice flour), leavening (traditionally yeast), sugar |
| Similar dishes | Htanthi mont, Bánh bò, Kue mangkok |
| Fa gao | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 發糕 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 发糕 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 發粿 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 發粄 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
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The name of cake, fagao, is a homonym for "cake which expands" and "prosperity cake" as "fa" means both "prosperity" and "expand" and "gao" means "cake".[7]
The Hakka call the "top split" of the fa ban "xiao", which means smiling. It is said to be a sign of a coming fortune: the bigger the "top split", the better.[8]
The cake is made of flour (usually rice flour), leavening (traditionally yeast, but can be chemical leavening),[7] sugar or another sweetener; it is then steamed (instead of baked) on high heat until the top splits into a characteristic "split top" of four segments, or sometimes 3 sections.[6] The batter is typically left to rest for fermentation prior to being steam-cooked.
These cakes, when used to encourage prosperity in the new year, are often dyed bright colours.[citation needed] The most common colours traditionally are white and pink, but it can also be turned brown by adding palm sugar.[6]
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Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans use fa gao as offerings during ancestral worship.[5][4]
Thailand
In Thailand, this type of cake is called Khanom thuai fu (Thai: ขนมถ้วยฟู, pronounced [kʰā.nǒm tʰûaj fuː˧]), which translates to "fluffy snack in a cup". It is one of nine auspicious Thai desserts, because its name has an auspicious meaning, conveying prosperity or progress.[9]
Mauritius
In Mauritius, the fa gao is known as "poutou chinois" (lit. 'Chinese puttu') or "poutou rouge" (lit. 'red puttu' in French).[10][11] It is called "pot pan" (發粄/发粄; fa ban) by the Mauritians of Hakka descent.[12] Fa gao in Mauritius is typically pink in colour,[13][14] and it is eaten on Chinese New Year.[10][11] However, it is actually sold and eaten all year long.
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Incense stick and fa gao.
Mauritian Poutou Chinois.
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