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Youtiao
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| Traditional Chinese: | 油條 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese: | 油条 | ||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin: | yóutiáo | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning: | oil strip | ||||||||||||
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| Yau ja gwai | |||||||||||||
| Chinese: | 油炸鬼 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning: | oil-fried devil | ||||||||||||
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Youtiao1, you char kway2, or yau ja gwai3 , sometimes known in English as Chinese cruller4 or fried bread stick, is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine and other East and Southeast Asian cuisines and is usually eaten for breakfast. Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or soy milk.
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Origins
The Cantonese name yàuhjagwái literally means "oil-fried ghost" and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against Song Dynasty official Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the food, originally in the shape of two human-shaped pieces of dough but later evolved into two pieces joined in the middle, represents Qin Hui and his wife, both having a hand in collaborating with the enemy to bring about the great general's demise. Thus the youtiao is deep fried and eaten as if done to the traitorous couple. In keeping with the legend, youtiao are often made as two foot-long rolls of dough joined along the middle, with one roll representing the husband and the other the wife.5
Names
China
Although generally known as yóutiáo throughout China, the dish is also known as guǒzi (果子) in northern China. In Cantonese-speaking areas it is known as yàuhjagwái (油炸鬼) which means "oil-fried devil".
The word yàuhjagwái is said by some to be a corruption of yàuhja Kúi (油炸檜, Mandarin pronunciation: yóuzhá Huì; lit. oil-fried Qin Hui). There are said to be several possible explanations involving this etymology:
- 檜 and 鬼 were pronounced similarly in the Chinese of the time, and the corruption occurred when the dish is spread to southern provinces, where the pronunciation differs.
- Qin Hui's actions caused a deep-rooted hatred that persisted despite his death. The dish's name changed yàuhjagwái, with the word "ghost" (鬼, meaning mogwai) referring to spirits of Qin and his wife.
- the population were afraid to openly declare their contempt towards the corrupt official when he was still in power; nevertheless, the food's name became a tool in expressing contempt.
- the Mandarin name yóuzhá Huì was subsequently shortened to yóuhuì and evolved into yóutiáo, because of the shape.
However, a more likely explanation is that the name is a corruption of the Minnan name 油炸粿 (iû-chiā-kóe)6, where 粿 (kóe) means cake or pastry, hence "oil-fried cake/pastry".7
Myanmar
The youtiao is also a popular breakfast food in Myanmar (Burma) where it is called e kya kway. It is usually eaten with steamed yellow beans (with salt and oil). It is also usually dipped into coffee or tea. E kya kway is also eaten with rice porridge, or cut into small rings and used as a condiment for mohinga. Tea culture is very prevalant in Myanmar, and every shop will serve e kya kway for breakfast.
Some shops stuff meat into the youtiao and deep fry it over again. It is called e kya kway asar thoot - stuffed e kya kway.
Laos
In Laos, the youtiao is generally called pah thawng ko (cf. Thai patongkoh) and is commonly eaten with coffee at breakfast in place of a baguette (khao jii).8 It is also eaten as an accompaniment to chicken noodle soup.citation needed
Malaysia and Singapore
In Singapore and Malaysia, it is known in English as you char kway, you char kuay, or u char kway, transliterations of its local Hokkien (Minnan) name (油炸粿 iû-chiā-kóe). It is rendered in Malay as cakoi, a corruption of the Minnan term, "char kway". The Malay version comes with various fillings, which are either sweey, such as red bean paste or savoury, such as sardines fried in tomato sauce. The plain version is usually eaten with a coconut cream condiment called "kaya". Cakoi is usually sold in morning street markets or "pasar malam" night markets.
Philippines
In the Philippines, the youtiao is called bitsu (pl. bitsu-bitsu) although this name can also refer to sweetened, fried dough balls similar to the bunuelo, also called cascaron.
Taiwan
In Taiwan, the food is known by the Taiwan Minnan (Hokkien) name 油炸粿 (iû-chiā-kóe or iû-chiā-ké)6 or by the Mandarin yóutiáo.
Thailand
In Thailand, youtiao is generally called patongkoh (Thai: ปาท่องโก๋) due to a confusion with a different kind of dessert. Patongkoh is a Thai corruption of either Teochew Minnan beh teung guai (白糖粿; Mandarin: bái tángguǒ) or Cantonese of baahktònggòu (白糖糕; Mandarin: bái tánggāo). However, both possible original names are different desserts, not to be confused with the real white sugar sponge cake (白糖糕). It was previously sold together with youtiao by street vendors who normally walked around and shouted both names out loud. However, Thai customers often mistakenly thought that the more popular youtiao was "patongkoh". Eventually, the real patongkoh disappeared from the market because of its unpopularity. Ironically, the disappearance of real "patongkoh" leaves youtiao being called under the former's name, but the latter's real name is generally unknown amongst the Thais. But the original white sugar sponge cake can still be easily found in Trang Province in Southern Thailand under its original name.
Vietnam
In Vietnamese cuisine, it is known through a corruption of the pronunciation of the Cantonese name, as dầu cháo quỷ or giò cháo quẩy.
Other countries
In Australia it is sometimes called chopstick cake by some Cambodian Chinese immigrants because of its resemblance to a pair of chopsticks.
Culinary applications and variants
At breakfast, youtiao can be stuffed inside shāobǐng (燒餅; lit. roasted flatbread) to make a sandwich known as shāobǐng yóutiáo (燒餅油條). Youtiao wrapped in a rice noodle roll is known as zháliǎng. Youtiao is also an important ingredient of the food Cífàn tuán in Shanghai cuisine.
Tánggāo (糖糕), or "sugar cake", is a sweet, fried food item similar in appearance to youtiao but shorter in length.
See also
Similar Chinese foods
Other similar foods
Notes and references
- ^ From Mandarin Chinese 油條 (yóutiáo). Variants include you tiao
- ^ From Minnan (Hokkien) 油炸粿 (iû-chiā-kóe/ké). Variants include you char kuay and u char kway
- ^ From Cantonese 油炸鬼 (yàuhjagwái). Variants include yau cha kwai
- ^ "Chinese Breakfast" at About.com. Accessed 1 May 2008.
- ^ West Lake, a Collection of Folktales (ISBN 9620400542) page 181.
- ^ a b 許極燉. 《常用漢字台語詞典》. 台北市: 自立晚報社文化出版部, 1992. (A Taiwanese dictionary with frequently used Chinese characters. Taipei: Independence Evening Post, 1992.) (Chinese)
- ^ There is a similar precedent in the dish known as char koay teow written on Cantonese menus as "炒貴刁" (ja gwaidìu) where the characters 貴刁 (gwaidìu) are an otherwise meaningless transliteration of the Minnan 粿條 (kóe-tiâu) meaning flat rice noodles (literally "(rice) cake strips"). See Char koay teow: Etymology for more information.
- ^ "Laos: Food and Drink." at CPAMedia. Accessed 30 May 2008.
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- This page was last modified on 30 October 2008, at 21:00.
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