Baozi

History and etymology

Types

Outside of China

• In Buryatia and Mongolia, variants of the recipe, often with beef or lamb, are known as buuz and buuza.
• Given the long history of the Chinese diaspora in Malaysia before the British colonial times, the Malays have adopted these buns as their own with halal fillings particularly with curry similar to curry puffs; some variants have a quail egg in the middle, in addition. Other variations include sweet fillings of coconut jam or red bean paste. These pau can be found sold in stalls by the roadside, at night markets, highway rest stops, and pasar Ramadan.
• Similarly, in Indonesia the dish has 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, 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.
• Due to influence from Indonesia, supermarkets in the Netherlands commonly have in stock what the Dutch call bapao or sometimes bakpao. One can easily find frozen or sometimes in the bigger supermarkets cooled bapao/''bakpao wrapped in plastic, ready-made to be heated inside a microwave. The most prevalent filling is chicken, although there are also pork, beef, and vegetarian variants widely available. This food is categorized as a quick snack or a fast-food item. Freshly baked forms of this steamed bun are not a staple food item in the Netherlands outside of the Chinese community living there.
• In the Philippines, the local version of baozi is called siopao brought by Chinese immigrants prior to Spanish colonialism. Varieties of Filipino siopao fillings include barbecued pork, meatballs, flaked tuna, and sometimes chocolate and cheese.
• A similar concept is also present in Thailand, called salapao.
• Baozi is also very popular in Japan where it is known as chūkaman. Nikuman 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 about August or September, through the winter months until roughly the beginning of April, chūkaman are available at convenience stores, where they are kept hot.
• 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 or hoppang.
• In Cambodia, num pao, is a popular street food.
• Bánh bao is the Vietnamese version of the Cantonese tai bao that was brought over by Chinese immigrants.
• The Myanmar version is called pauk-si and 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"''. They are typically filled with Chinese sausage, poultry, black mushroom, and soy egg, among others.