Youtiao

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Youtiao
Pieces of Youtiao
Traditional Chinese:	油條
Simplified Chinese:	油条
Hanyu Pinyin:	yóutiáo
Literal meaning:	oil strip
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: yóutiáo Yue (Cantonese) - Jyutping: jau4 tiu4*2
Yau ja gwai
Chinese:	油炸鬼
Literal meaning:	oil-fried devil
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: you2 zha4 gui3 Yue (Cantonese) - Jyutping: jau4 zaa3 gwai2 - Yale Romanization: yàuhjagwái

Youtiao^[1], you char kway^[2], or yau ja gwai^[3] , sometimes known in English as Chinese cruller^[4] 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.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Names 2.1 China 2.2 Burma (Myanmar) 2.3 Laos 2.4 Malaysia and Singapore 2.5 Philippines 2.6 Taiwan 2.7 Thailand 2.8 Vietnam 2.9 Other countries 3 Culinary applications and variants 4 See also 4.1 Similar Chinese foods 4.2 Similar other foods 5 External links 6 Notes and references

[edit] 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 taking the form of two deep-fried human-shaped dough but later evolved two doughs joining 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]

[edit] Names

[edit] China

Although generally known as yóutiáo throughout China, it is also known as guǒzi (果子) in northern China. In Cantonese-speaking areas it is known as yàuhjagwái (油炸鬼) which literally 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]

[edit] Burma (Myanmar)

The youtiao is also a popular breakfast food in Burma (Myanmar) where it is called e kya kway.

[edit] 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]}

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Vietnam

In Vietnamese cuisine, it is known through Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation of the Cantonese name, as dầu cháo quỷ or giò cháo quẩy.

[edit] Other countries

In Australia it is sometimes called chopstick cake by some Cambodian Chinese immigrants because of its resemblance to a pair of chopsticks.

[edit] 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.

[edit] See also

• Fried dough foods
• Zhaliang
• Ci fan tuan

[edit] Similar Chinese foods

• Ox-tongue pastry
• Shuangbaotai

[edit] Similar other foods

• Tenkasu
• Churro
• Cruller
• Beignet

[edit] External links

• Deep fried bread stick

[edit] Notes and references