Breakfast in China
Learning Objectives:
You will know several kinds of Chinese breakfast and the Chinese name of them.
Leading questions:
Q1: In which province of China, Sheng jian bao is popular?
Q2: How many kind of breakfast does the video introduce?
Q3: Which breakfast is only appreciated by out-and-out Beijing natives?
(Post your answers in the following comment section.)
Read more about the breakfast on the video
Fried bread stick
油条 /yóu tíao/
Youtiao, also known as the Chinese cruller, Chinese oil stick, Chinese doughnut, and fried breadstick. It is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough in China and in other East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten at breakfast as an accompaniment for porridge, soy milk or milk blended with sugar.
Tea eggs
茶叶蛋 /chá yè dàn/
Tea egg is a typical Chinese food usually sold as a snack, in which a boiled egg is cracked and then boiled again in tea, sauce and spices. It is also known as marble egg because cracks in the egg shell create dark lines with marble-like patterns. It commonly sold by street vendors or in night markets in most Chinese communities throughout the world. Although it originated from China and is traditionally associated with Chinese cuisine, the other Asian contries developed other similar recipes and variations.
Douzhi
豆汁 /dòu zhī/
Probably the most famous and traditional Beijing snack (běi jīng xiǎo chī北京小吃). It is actually the fluid remnants of the mung bean noodle making process. It looks grayish-green, tastes sour with a tinge of sweetness, and has a unique odor. First-timers often drink mung bean milk accompanied with a few Chinese-style pickle wedges, which locals say makes it easier to go down.
Sheng jian bao
生煎包 /shēng jiān bāo/
It is a type of small, pan-fried steamed buns, which is a special food of Shanghai. It is usually filled with pork and soup when cooked. Shengjian bao has been one of the most common breakfast items in Shanghai since the early 1900s. As a popular breakfast item, it has a significant place in Shanghainese culture.
Spicy and sour soup
胡辣汤 /hú là tāng/
It is a kind of Chinese traditional soup, which is an important people's daily diet in China. Hulatang can also be found in the United States, where it is known as spicy soup. It was introduced by Chinese immigrants.
The invention of Hulatang can be dated back to the ancient dynasties of China. There is no record of who first cooked it. However, pepper was brought to China during the Tang Dynasty. According to records, the ingredients used were similar to present day recipes.In addition to pepper, some herbs and flavorings such as ginger, aniseed and fennelare added into the boiling soup to improve the flavour and make it spicy and hot.
Tianjing battercakes
煎饼果子 /jiān bǐng guǒ zi/
It is a savoury snack sold at street vendor all over Tianjin. A thin pancake is made of a mixture of batter and eggs with a variety of seasonings, such as green onion and pepper. You can choose to fill the pancake with either a thin crust made of rice or soft fried dough sticks. You can also add as much or as little chili as you want.