Shuangbaotai (simplified Chinese: 双胞胎; traditional Chinese: 雙胞胎; pinyin: shuāngbāotāi) is a sweet fried dough food of Hokchew origin commonly found as a Taiwanese street food. It is a chewy fried dough containing large air pockets on the inside and a crisp crust on the outside. It is made by twisting two small pieces of dough together and frying them, causing them to separate slightly while remaining connected.[1]

Shuangbaotai
Fried shuangbaotai with sesame seeds
TypeDoughnut
Place of originFuzhou
Main ingredientsDough
雙胞胎
Traditional Chinese雙胞胎
Simplified Chinese双胞胎
Literal meaningtwins
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinshuāngbāotāi
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingsoeng1 baau1 toi1
Minnan name
Traditional Chinese馬花糋
Simplified Chinese马花糋
Literal meaninghorse hoof cake
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinmǎhuājiàn
Southern Min
Hokkien POJbé-hoe-chìⁿ

Names

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The Mandarin Chinese name of this food, shuāngbāotāi (Chinese: 雙胞胎) meaning "twins", is derived from the fact that the dish is two pastries twisted slightly together as if conjoined twins. The Taiwanese Hokkien name is 馬花糋 (bé-hoe-chìⁿ), which roughly means "horse-hoof cake", also in reference to its shape. Another Hokkien name is 雙生仔 (siang-siⁿ-á) meaning twins.

Regional

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In Taiwan, shuangbaotai are a type of snack (xiaochi) typically sold by hawkers at street stalls or in night markets, but not in regular restaurants or bakeries.

See also

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Other Chinese fried dough dishes

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References

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  1. ^ "【記憶裡的古早味】雙胞胎、甜甜圈、麻花捲,中式點心的八里夢工廠 - 文化銀行|BANK OF CULTURE". 文化銀行|BANK OF CULTURE (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
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