Youtiao
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Yóutiáo (; ; ; literally "oil strip"), sometimes called fried bread stick, is a long, golden brown deep fried dough in Chinese cuisine. In Cantonese speaking areas it is known locally as yau ja gwai (油炸鬼 ; Cantonese pronunciation: yau4 ja3 gwai2 ?; lit. oil-fried devil). It is also known as yóuqì (油器, Cantonese yau4 hei3) in southern China, and guǒzi (果子) in nothern China. In Singapore it is known by its Hokkien name, u char kway (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: iû-chia̍h-kóe). It is a popular breakfast in Myanmar (Burma) and called e kya kway.
Conventionally, yóutiáo are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two, and are usually eaten in breakfast in China. Yóutiáo are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or hot sweetened soy milk.
History
The Cantonese name yau ja gwai literally means oil-fried devil and, according to tradition, is an act of protest against Song Dynasty official Qín Huì (秦檜, Cantonese: Chun Kui), who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei (岳飛), an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the food 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 yóutiáo is deep fried and eaten as if done to the traitorous couple. The word yau ja gwai is believed to be a corruption of yau ja Kui (油炸檜, Mandarin pronunciation: yóuzhá Huì; lit. oil-fried Qin Hui), possibly because the population were afraid to openly declare their contempt towards the corrupt official, or the food became a tool of expressing contempt.Variants
At breakfast, youtiao can be stuffed inside shaobing (燒餅, pinyin: shāobǐng; lit. sesame flatbread) to make a sandwich.Yóutiáo wrapped in a rice noodle roll is known as ja leung (炸兩; Cantonese pronunciation: ja3 leung5 ?; Mandarin : zháliǎng ?lit. fried double ) and is served cut into pieces which are sprinkled with soy sauce and dipped in hoisin or a sesame paste to the likes of tahini as dim sum or a breakfast dish.
Cow-tongue pastry (牛脷酥) is similar but elliptical in shape like ox tongue and tastes sweet, whereas yóutiáo is consumed with both sweet and savory foods such as sweet soy milk or congee. Like yóutiáo, cow tongue pastry is a popular breakfast food.
Besides, youtiao is also an important ingredient of the food cí fàn tuán in Shanghai cuisine.
It is sometimes called chopstick cake by some Cambodian-Chinese immigrants in Australia, because of its resemblance to a pair of chopsticks
See also
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