Shaobing

For other uses, see Shao bing (disambiguation).

Shaobing (pinyin: shāobǐng; Wade–Giles: shao-ping), also called huoshao, is a type of baked, unleavened, layered flatbread in northern Chinese cuisine. Shaobing can be made with or without stuffing, and with or without sesame on top. Shaobing contains a variety of stuffings that can be grouped into two main flavors: savory or sweet. Some common stuffings include red bean paste, black sesame paste, stir-fried mung beans with egg and tofu, braised beef, smoked meat,^[1] or beef or pork with spices.^[2]

Shaobing

Typical shaobing. The round shaobing on the right are sweet and filled with sugar and the long shaobing on the left are savory and salted.
Alternative names	Huoshao
Type	Flatbread
Course	Breakfast
Place of origin	China
Media: Shaobing

Shaobing
Traditional Chinese	燒餅
Simplified Chinese	烧饼
Literal meaning	roasted pastry
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin shāobǐng Wade–Giles shao1-ping3 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping siu1 beng2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ sio-piáⁿ
Huoshao
Traditional Chinese	火燒
Simplified Chinese	火烧
Literal meaning	fire roasted
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin huǒshāo Wade–Giles huo3-shao1 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping fo2 siu1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ hóe-sio/hé-sio

Shaobing is not very well known in southern China,^{[citation needed]} unlike other northern dishes like mantou, baozi, and youtiao. Most Shaobing are popular in the northern part of China. Different types of shaobing are often associated with certain cities and towns.

Shaobing is a common breakfast item. Filled shaobing are usually eaten with soy milk and tea, while unfilled ones are usually eaten with steamed eggs or a breakfast meat dish. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, shaobing are served with hot pot (huǒguō) in winter or soy milk.

History

Sesame shaobing

Chinese legends claim that the roasted, flat shaobing was brought back from the Xiyu (the Western Regions, a name for far-western China and Central Asia) by the Han dynasty General Ban Chao, and that it was originally known as hubing (胡餅, lit. 'barbarian pastry'). The shaobing is believed to be descended from the hubing.^[3] Shaobing is believed to be related to the Persian and Central Asian naan and the Near Eastern pita.^[4][5][6] Foreign westerners made and sold sesame cakes in China during the Tang dynasty.^[7]

Types

Magao, or Changzhou sesame cake

Huangqiao Shaobing

Main article: Huangqiao Sesame Cake

Huangqiao Shaobing (黄桥烧饼; Huángqiáo Shāobǐng) is one kind of Shaobing. It is made of flour, oil, sesame and other raw materials. It is golden in color and crispy on the outside. Traditionally, it is divided into sweet taste and salty taste. Generally, the sweet taste one is round and the salty taste one is long and oval.

Zhoucun Shaobing

Zhoucun Shaobing (周村烧饼), is a kind of Shaobing. It is a traditional snack in Zibo, Shandong province, China, created by Guo Yunlong based on a horseshoe-shaped thick pancake. Its shape is round and thin as paper. The front is covered with sesame seed, the back is full of crisp holes. It is famous because of its special crisp and ability to conserve for a long time.

Magao

Main article: Changzhou Sesame Cake

Magao (常州大麻糕; Chángzhōu Dàmágāo), or sesame cake, is popular in the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu province. Changzhou sesame cakes are flat and oval-shaped. The traditional flavors are sweet, salty and spicy. It has golden thin crisp skin. To make Changzhou sesame cake, the chef needs to select the finest pigs suet, white flour, hulled sesame seeds, white sugar, refined salt, etc. other refined raw materials; then bake in a traditional barrel furnace.^[8]

Donkey burger

Main article: Donkey burger

Donkey burgers, or donkey sandwiches are a type of shaobing that is cut open and filled with meat, and are mostly eaten in Hebei province.

• 
  Huangqiao shaobing
• 
  Shaobing with red bean paste
• 
  Donkey burger
• 
  Shaobing with pork
• 
  Baking in clay oven
• 
  Baohu, or shaobing stuffed with mutton
• 
  Baohu

See also

• List of Chinese dishes
• Shaobing Song
• Pogača

References

1. Kraig, Bruce, ed. (2013). Street Food Around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-59884-955-4. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
2. Church, Marguerite Chien (2002). Adopted, the Chinese Way. Infinity Publishing. p. 127. ISBN 0-7414-1224-1. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
3. Huang, H. T. (2000). Fermentations and Food Science, Volume 6. Cambridge University Press. p. 474. ISBN 0521652707. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
4. Anderson (1988), p. 143, 144, 218. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFAnderson1988 (help)
5. Simoons, Frederick J. (1990). Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry. CRC Press. p. 89. ISBN 084938804X.
6. Charles Holcombe (January 2001). The Genesis of East Asia: 221 B.C. - A.D. 907. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 129–. ISBN 978-0-8248-2465-5.
7. Schafer, Edward H. (1963). The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of Tʻang Exotics (illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). University of California Press. p. 29.
8. "全国著名烧饼大全". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.