View source for Hujiao bing

{{short description|Chinese baked bun}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Hujiao bing
| image = Pepper bun at Raohe Street Night Market 20070622.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Hujiao bing right out of the oven
| alternate_name = Pepper cake, pepper bun
| country = [[China]]
| region = [[Fuzhou]], [[Fujian]]
| creator = 
| course = Snack
| served = 
| main_ingredient = Flaky biscuit-like bread, [[sugar]], [[soy sauce]], [[white pepper]] or [[black pepper]], and [[scallion]]s
| variations = 
| calories = 
| other = 
}}
'''''Hujiao bing''''' or '''pepper bun''' ({{Zh|t=胡椒餅|p=hújiāo bǐng|poj=hô͘-chio-piáⁿ|l=black pepper cake or biscuit|c=|s=}}) is a type of baked bun that originated in city of [[Fuzhou]], the capital of China's [[Fujian]] province. It is a [[street food]] that has become popular in [[Taiwan]] and can be found in [[Night markets in Taiwan|night markets]] or mini food stalls throughout Taiwan. The common ingredients are flour, water, and a leavening agent for the outer dough shell, and a meat protein (usually pork or beef) marinated with [[sugar]], [[soy sauce]], [[white pepper]] or [[black pepper]], and [[scallion]] for the inside filling.<ref>{{cite news | title=2/17 Shilin One-Day Tour | url =http://amseptaiwan.weebly.com/uploads/8/2/1/1/8211468/handbook_.pdf|access-date=10 July 2015}}</ref>

==Origin==
It is not known who invented ''hujiaobing''. The dish can be found in Fujian and in Taiwan. Taiwanese vendors list the item as "Fuzhou Pepper Bun" ({{zh|福州胡椒餅|labels=no}}) and credit the creation of the bun to immigrants from Fuzhou. Many of the oldest pepper bun vendors were established by those of with ancestry from Fuzhou.

==Preparation==
[[File:Hujiaobing with filling.jpg|thumb|Inside of a cooked ''hujiao bing'']]
[[File:Heating Pepper Pie.JPG|thumb|''Hujiao bing'' baked in an oven]]
The outer dough shell is prepared with flour, water, and a leavening agent such as yeast or baking powder. Lard, butter or oil is sometime added to the dough to make the bun extra crunchy and flaky like a [[croissant]] when cooked. The outer shell dough is then individually rolled to a thin circular shape, similar to a dumpling wrapping.

The main ingredients of the filling are meat which is usually pork. The meat is either ground or sliced thinly. Some vendors use ground and sliced meat to give the bun a bite to it, but ground meat is usually used since it produces more juice when cooked. The meat is usually marinated with a heaping of white or black pepper powder, soy sauce, sugar and cooking wine. Some vendors also add [[five-spice powder]] or curry powder to the meat marinade.

The marinated meat is spread on the thin dough. A handful of cut green scallions is then placed on top of the meat and sealed up with the dough. The scallions must be added in a separate step - never mixed into the meat filling - to produce a clear scallion taste to the bun. Unlike other buns, the sealed end is on the bottom. The top of the bun is then brushed with water and finished with a sprinkling of white sesame seeds.

The buns are then baked in a cylindrical, high-heat, clay oven that is similar to a [[Tandoor|tandoori oven]]. Burning charcoal is put at the bottom to heat the oven. The buns are then stacked vertically along the side of the oven, from bottom to top. To remove the finished buns, a flat object such as a blunt knife or spatula is used to scrape the bun off of the side of the oven. A colander is then used to catch the buns to prevent them from falling into the charcoal pit at the bottom of the oven.<ref>{{cite news | title=非凡大探索_窯烤美味_炭香胡椒餅 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNSI831n-a8|access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref>

The cooked bun has a crunchy, thin dough, almost cracker like. When bitten into, meat juices pour out. Due to the way that the bun is wrapped, the green scallions are at the center of the bun with the meat wrapped around them, instead of at the bottom.

==Popularity==
[[File:福州世祖胡椒餅 重慶店 20200217.jpg|thumb|''Hujiao bing'' store in Taiwan]]
''Hujiao bing'' first started gaining popularity outside of Taiwan when it was featured on tourist programs such as [[Anthony Bourdain]]'s ''[[The Layover (TV series)|The Layover]]''.<ref>{{cite news | title=48 Hours in Taipei Travel Guide | url =http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/the-layover/travel-guides/48-hours-in-taipei-travel-guide|access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref> Also Hong Kong's TVB channel foodie show ''[[Neighborhood Gourmet (TV series)|Neighborhood Gourmet]]'' season 3. The item soon became a tourist must try when visiting Taiwan. Tourists who visited Taiwan and had tasted the bun would blog about it. The wait to buy a ''hujiao bing'' is notoriously long during peak hours at any vendor, the average wait is usually 30 minutes minimum. Customers also always buy in batches due to the long wait in line. When the vendor sells out and runs out of ingredients they usually close shop for the day instead of restocking their ingredients to make more buns.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Chinese bread}}
{{Dumplings}}
{{Portal bar|Food|China}}
{{Taiwanese cuisine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hujiao Bing}}
[[Category:Chinese breads]]
[[Category:Fujian cuisine]]
[[Category:Taiwanese dumplings]]
[[Category:Stuffed dishes]]
[[Category:Chinese dumplings]]
[[Category:Street food in Taiwan]]