View source for Mantou

{{Short description|Steamed bread bun popular in Northern China}}
{{Distinguish|Manti (food)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}} 
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Mantou
| image            = โต๊ะจีนหมั่นโถว.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = Classic white ''mantou''
| alternate_name   = Chinese steamed bun, Chinese steamed bread
| country          = [[China]]
| region           = [[East Asia]]
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = [[Bread]], ''[[dim sum]]''
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = [[Wheat flour]], [[water]], [[leavening agent]]s
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
| module           = {{Infobox Chinese
| child = yes
|t=饅頭
|s=馒头
|p=mántou
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|AUD|Zh-mántou.ogg|m|an|2|.|t|ou|5}}
|j=maan<sup>4</sup> tau<sup>4</sup>
|poj=bán-thô or bán-thâu
|t2=麵頭
|s2=面头
|p2=miàntóu
|poj2=mī-thâu
|lmz=meu<sup>上</sup> doe<sup>平</sup>
}}
}}

'''''Mantou''''' ({{lang-zh|t=饅頭|s=馒头|first=t}}), often referred to as a '''Chinese steamed bun''', is a white and soft type of [[steamed bread]] or [[bun]] popular in northern [[China]].<ref name=Graves>{{cite news|last1=Graves|first1=Helen|title=Chinese food and drink: Pork belly mantou – recipe| url= https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/02/pork-belly-mantou-recipe|access-date=28 January 2015| work= TheGuardian.com| publisher= Guardian News & Media LLC| date=2 October 2013}}</ref> Folk etymology connects the name ''mantou'' to a tale about [[Zhuge Liang]].<ref name=Graves />

== Description ==
''Mantou'' are typically eaten as a [[staple food]] in northern parts of China where [[wheat]], rather than [[rice]], is grown. They are made with milled [[wheat flour]], water and [[leavening agent]]s. In size and texture, they range from {{convert|4|cm|in|sp=us}}, soft and fluffy in the most elegant restaurants, to over {{convert|15|cm|in|sp=us}}, firm and dense for a worker’s lunch. As [[white flour]], being more heavily processed, was once more expensive, white ''mantou'' were something of a luxury in preindustrial China.

Traditionally, ''mantou'', ''[[Bing (Chinese flat bread)|bing]]'', and wheat [[noodle]]s were the staple [[carbohydrate]]s of the northern Chinese diet, analogous to rice, which forms the mainstay of the southern Chinese diet. They are also known in the south but are often served as street food or in restaurants, rather than as a staple or home cooking. Restaurant ''mantou'' are often smaller and more delicate and can be further manipulated, for example, by [[deep frying]] and dipping in sweetened [[condensed milk]]. Colors or flavors may be added with other ingredients from [[brown sugar]] to [[food coloring]] in mantou making. For special occasions, ''mantou'' are sometimes kneaded into various shapes in [[Shanxi]], [[Shaanxi]], and [[Shandong]].

Precooked mantou are commonly sold in the frozen section of [[Asian supermarket]]s, ready for preparation by [[steaming]] or heating in the [[microwave oven]].

A similar food, but with a savory or sweet filling inside, is ''[[baozi]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hsiung|first1=Deh-Ta|title=The Chinese Kitchen: A Book of Essential Ingredients with Over 200 Easy and Authentic Recipes|date=2002|publisher=MacMillan|location=New York, New York|isbn=978-0-312-28894-5|page=33<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> ''Mantou'' is the older word, and in some regions—such as the [[Jiangnan region]] of China, and Korea—''mantou'' (or the equivalent local pronunciation of the word) can describe both the filled and unfilled buns. In Japan, the equivalent local reading of the Chinese word (''[[manjū]]'') refers only to filled buns.

==Etymology and history==
[[File:金银馒头.jpg|thumb|right|Deep-fried ''mantou'', or "gold and silver ''mantou''", is a popular Chinese dessert served with sweetened [[condensed milk]]]]

Mantou may have originated in the [[Qin State]] of the [[Zhou dynasty]] during the reign of [[King Zhaoxiang]] (307 BCE – 250 BCE).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/A00030020/276251.html |title=Mán tóu dí lì shǐ |script-title=zh:馒头的历史 |language=zh |trans-title=History of Mantou |date=2006-05-24 |script-website=zh:中国国学网 |author=Jina |quote="《事物绀珠》说，相传"秦昭王作蒸饼"。" |access-date=April 25, 2018 |archive-date=September 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902102240/http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/A00030020/276251.html }}</ref>  Mantou as well as other wheat derived foodstuffs such as noodles, [[Shaobing]] and [[Baozi]] became popular during the [[Han dynasty]] (206 BCE – 206 CE) and collectively were known as {{lang-zh|labels=no|t=餅|p=bǐng}}; mantou was distinguished as {{lang-zh|labels=no|t=蒸餅|p=zhēngbǐng}} or {{lang-zh|labels=no|t=籠餅|p=lóngbǐng}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/A00030020/276251.html |title=Mán tóu dí lì shǐ |script-title=zh:馒头的历史 |language=zh |trans-title=History of Mantou |date=2006-05-24 |script-website=zh:中国国学网 |author=Jina |quote="自汉代开始有了磨之后，人们吃面食就方便多了，并逐渐在北方普及，继而传到南方。中国古代的面食品种，通称为"饼"。据《名义考》，古代凡以麦面为食，皆谓之"饼"。以火炕，称"炉饼"，即今之"烧饼"，以水沦，称"汤饼"(或煮饼)，即今之切面、面条：蒸而食者，称"蒸饼"(或笼饼)，即今之馒头、包子：绳而食者，称"环饼"(或寒具)，即今之馓子。" |access-date=April 25, 2018 |archive-date=September 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902102240/http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/A00030020/276251.html }}</ref> During the [[Western Jin dynasty]] (265–316 CE), [[Shu Xi]] ({{lang|zh|束皙}}) wrote about steamed cakes ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=蒸餅|p=zhēngbǐng}}) in his "Ode to boiled cakes" ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=湯餅賦|p=tāngbǐngfù}}), written around 300 CE. He first called them ''mantou'' ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=曼頭|p=màntóu}}). In this book, it was advised to eat this in a banquet during the approach of spring.<ref>{{Blockquote|{{lang-zh|labels=no|t=三春之初，陰陽交際，寒氣既消，〈《北堂書鈔》卷一百四十四「消」作「除」。〉溫不至熱。}}|{{lang|zh|束皙}}|[[:zh:s:湯餅賦|湯餅賦]] on Wikisource}}</ref>

The Mongols are thought to have taken the filled (''[[baozi]]'') style of ''mantou'' to many countries of Central and East Asia about the beginning of the [[Yuan dynasty]] in the 13th century. The name ''mantou'' is cognate to ''[[Manti (dumpling)|manty]]'' and ''[[Manti (dumpling)|mantı]]''; these are filled [[dumplings]] in [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Malouf|first1=Greg and Lucy|title=Turquoise: A Chef's Travels in Turkey| date= 2008| publisher= Chronicle Books|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-8118-6603-3|page=244 <!--access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> [[Uzbek cuisine|Uzbek]],<ref>{{cite book| last1= Rishi|first1=Inderjeet|title=Super Snacks: 100 Favorite Snacks from Five Continents|date=2012|publisher=Trafford Publishing| isbn= 978-1-4669-6355-9|page=173<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}} (''mantu'')<ref>{{cite book| last1= Brown| first1= Lindsay| first2=Paul |last2= Clammer| first3= Rodney |last3= Cocks|title=Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway| date= 2008| publisher= Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-542-0|page=198<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> cuisines.

==Folklore==
A popular Chinese legend relates that the name ''mantou'' actually originated from the [[homophone|homophonous]] word 蠻頭 ''mántóu'', which literally means "barbarian's head".

The legend was set in the [[Three Kingdoms period]] (220–280 CE) when [[Zhuge Liang]], the [[Chancellor (China)|chancellor]] of the state of [[Shu Han]], led the Shu army on [[Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign|a campaign]] against [[Nanman]] forces in the southern lands of Shu, which correspond to roughly present-day [[Yunnan]], China, and northern [[Myanmar]].

After subduing the Nanman king [[Meng Huo]], Zhuge Liang led the army back to Shu, but met a swift-flowing river which defied all attempts to cross it. A barbarian lord informed him that the river was raging due to the spirits of the enemies (bamboo army) he killed using fire previously. In olden days, the barbarians would sacrifice 50 men and throw their heads into the river to appease the river deity and allow them to cross. As Zhuge Liang did not want to cause any more of his men to lose their lives, he ordered his men to slaughter the livestock the army brought along, and fill their meat into buns shaped roughly like human heads (round with a flat base). The buns were then thrown into the river. After a successful crossing, he named the bun "barbarian's head" (''mántóu'', 蠻頭, which evolved into the modern 饅頭).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bates|first1=Roy|title=29 Chinese Mysteries| date= 2008| publisher= Lulu.com|isbn=978-0-557-00619-9|pages=103–104 <!--access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}} Another version of the story relates back to Zhuge Liang's southern campaign when he instructed that his soldiers who had fallen sick from [[diarrhea]] and other illnesses in the swampy region be fed with steamed buns with meat or sweet fillings.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Keekok|title=Warp and Weft, Chinese Language and Culture|date=2008|publisher=Strategic Book Publishing|isbn=978-1-60693-247-6|page=86 <!--access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref>

==Variations of mantou==

;Northern Chinese mantou
* Ingredients: Typically made with wheat flour, water, and yeast. They may include a bit of sugar for sweetness.
* Texture: Northern mantou is generally denser and chewier. The dough is often kneaded thoroughly to develop gluten, resulting in a firmer texture.
* Shape and size: Usually larger and rounder. They can be plain or filled with various ingredients.
* Serving: Often served as a staple side dish with meals, especially in northern regions like Beijing and Shanxi.
;Southern Chinese mantou
* Ingredients: Also made with wheat flour, but may use different types of flour or add rice flour for a slightly different texture. Sugar is often more prominent in the dough.
* Texture: Southern mantou tends to be softer and fluffier, with a lighter and more delicate texture due to variations in the kneading process and fermentation.
* Shape and size: Often smaller and can be shaped into different forms. They may also be filled, but plain versions are common as well.
* Serving: Commonly served as a snack or breakfast item, and can be found in various forms, including sweet versions with fillings like red bean paste.

Northern Chinese mantou is denser and more substantial, while Southern Chinese mantou is lighter and fluffier, reflecting regional culinary preferences and local ingredients.

==Variations in meaning outside Northern China==
[[File:Peach steamed bun,Narita-city,Japan.JPG|thumb|These peach ''mantous'' found at a Chinese restaurant in Japan contain [[red bean paste]] as fillings.]]
Prior to the [[Song dynasty]] (960–1279), the word ''mantou'' meant both filled and unfilled buns.<ref>cf Zhuge Liang tale; also {{cite web |url=http://books.sina.com/bg/sinablog/women/20110808/035335073.html |title=Shǐ huà " mán tóu " hé " bāo zǐ " yóu lái |script-title=zh:史話"饅頭"和"包子"由來 |language=zh}}</ref> The term ''[[baozi]]'' arose in the Song dynasty to indicate filled buns only.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://books.sina.com/bg/sinablog/women/20110808/035335073.html |title=Shǐ huà " mán tóu " hé " bāo zǐ " yóu lái |script-title=zh:史話"饅頭"和"包子"由來 |language=zh}}</ref> As a result, ''mantou'' gradually came to indicate only unfilled buns in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] and some [[varieties of Chinese]].

In many areas, however, ''mantou'' still retains its meaning of filled buns. In the [[Jiangnan]] region where [[Wu Chinese]] is spoken, it usually means both filled and unfilled buns. In [[Shanxi]], where [[Jin Chinese]] is spoken, unfilled buns are often called ''momo'' (饃饃), simply the characters for "steamed bun". The name ''[[Momo (food)|momo]]'' spread to [[Tibet]] and [[Nepal]] and usually now refers to filled buns or dumplings.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gordon|first1=Stewart|title=When Asia Was the World: Traveling Merchants, Scholars, Warriors, and Monks Who Created the "Riches of the "East"|date=2009|publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn= 978-0-306-81739-7| page= 13| edition= Reprint <!--access-date= 28 January 2015-->}}</ref>

The name ''mantou'' is cognate to ''[[Manti (dumpling)|manty]]'' and ''[[Manti (dumpling)|Manti]]''; these are filled dumplings in [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Malouf|first1=Greg and Lucy|title=Turquoise: A Chef's Travels in Turkey| date= 2008| publisher= Chronicle Books|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-8118-6603-3|page=244 <!--access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> [[Persian cuisine|Persian]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Civitello|first1=Linda|title=Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People| date= 2007| publisher= John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-471-74172-5|page=89 <!--access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> [[Uzbek cuisine|Uzbek]],<ref>{{cite book| last1= Rishi|first1=Inderjeet|title=Super Snacks: 100 Favorite Snacks from Five Continents|date=2012|publisher=Trafford Publishing| isbn= 978-1-4669-6355-9|page=173<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}} and [[Pakistani cuisine|Pakistani]] (''mantu'', originated from Turko-Mongol immigrants)<ref>{{cite book| last1= Brown| first1= Lindsay| first2=Paul |last2= Clammer| first3= Rodney |last3= Cocks|title=Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway| date= 2008| publisher= Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-542-0|page=198<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> cuisines. In Japan, [[Manju (food)|''manjū'']] (饅頭) usually indicates filled buns, which traditionally contain bean paste or minced meat-vegetable mixture ([[nikuman]] 肉まん "meat ''manjū''").<ref>{{cite book|title=The East, Volumes 30–31|date=1994|publisher=East Publications|location=Tokyo |page= 9<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> Filled ''mantou'' are called ''[[siyopaw]]'' in [[Standard Philippine language|Philippine]],<ref>{{cite book| last1= Eggs|first1= Malcolm |first2=Seb |last2= Emina|title=The Breakfast Bible| url= https://archive.org/details/breakfastbible0000emin| url-access= registration|date=2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing| isbn= 978-1-4088-3990-4<!--| page= 141-->}}</ref> ultimately derived from Chinese ''shāobāo'' ([[wikt:燒|燒]][[wikt:包|包]]). In Thailand they serve ''salapao'' (ซาลาเปา), a filled ''mantou''.<ref>{{cite book| last1= Sukphisit| first1= Suthon|title=The vanishing face of Thailand: folk arts and folk culture|date=1997|publisher=Post Books| isbn= 978-974-202-027-9| page= 155}}</ref> In Korea, ''[[mandu (food)|mandu]]'' ({{Korean|hangul=만두|hanja=饅頭}})<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wong|first1=Lee Anne| title= Dumplings All Day Wong: A Cookbook of Asian Delights From a Top Chef|date=2014|publisher=Macmillan|location=New York, New York |isbn= 978-1-62414-059-4| page= 51<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> can refer to both ''baozi'' (飽子) or ''[[jiaozi]]'' (餃子). In [[Mongolian cuisine]], the ''[[buuz]]'' and ''manty'' or ''mantu'' are steamed dumplings,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bloom|first1=Greg|first2=Paul|last2=Clammer|first3=Michael|last3=Kohn|title=Central Asia|date=2010|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74179-148-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781741791488/page/86 86<!--&#124;accessdate=28 January 2015-->]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781741791488/page/86}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mezhenina|first=Tatiana|title=Close-up buryat, mongolian or chinese traditional buuz, buuza,..|url=https://www.123rf.com/photo_88469417_close-up-buryat-mongolian-or-chinese-traditional-buuz-buuza-baozi-asian-steamed-food-made-of-dough-a.html|access-date=2021-01-12|website=123RF|language=en|quote=Stock Photo – Close-up buryat, mongolian or chinese traditional buuz, buuza, baozi. Asian steamed food made of dough and meat.}}</ref> a steamed variation is said to have led to the Korean ''mandu''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pettid|first1=Michael J.|title=Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History| date= 2008| publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-348-2|page=98<!--|access-date=28 January 2015-->}}</ref> In Singapore and Malaysia, [[chili crab]] is commonly served with a fried version of ''mantou''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tan|first1=Jeanette|title=Chilli crab, mantou wow MasterChef Australia's George Calombaris in Singapore|url=https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/chilli-crab--mantou-wow-masterchef-australia-s-george-calombaris-in-singapore-150005273.html|access-date=28 January 2015|agency=Yahoo Entertainment, Singapore|publisher=Yahoo Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.|date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029043024/https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/chilli-crab--mantou-wow-masterchef-australia-s-george-calombaris-in-singapore-150005273.html|archive-date=29 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ting|first1=Deanna|title=5 Can't-Miss Singapore Dining Experiences|url=https://www.successfulmeetings.com/News/Destinations/5-Can-t-Miss-Singapore-Dining-Experiences|access-date=28 January 2015|agency=Northstar Travel Media LLC.|publisher=Successful Meetings|date=12 December 2012|url-status=live|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120729/http://www.successfulmeetings.com//news/destinations/international/5-can-t-miss-singapore-dining-experiences/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sietsema|first1=Robert|title=Chili Crab Dip With Mantou From Masak, Dish #71|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2012/08/chili_crab_dip.php|access-date=28 January 2015|work=Village Voice|date=7 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402094435/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2012/08/chili_crab_dip.php|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> In [[Nauru]] and [[Papua New Guinea]], ''mantou'' are known as ''mãju''.

==See also==
{{Commons category|Mantou}}
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Da bao]], an extra-large version of mantou
*[[Mantou kiln]], a type of pottery kiln named after the bun
*[[Mandarin roll]]
*[[Mantı]]
*[[Baozi]]
*[[Manjū]]
*[[Mandu (food)|Mandu]]
*[[Wotou]]
*[[Dampfnudel]]
* [[List of buns]]
* [[List of Chinese dishes]]
* [[List of steamed foods]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://yireservation.com/recipes/mantou-chinese-steamed-bun/Mantou Chinese Steamed Bun 饅頭]

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

[[Category:Breakfast]]
[[Category:Chinese breads]]
[[Category:Chinese dumplings]]
[[Category:Dim sum]]
[[Category:Steamed buns]]
[[Category:Dumplings]]
[[Category:Vegetarian dishes of China]]