Dishes
Gua bao
割包
Also called: 刈包 · koah-pau · cuapao · 虎咬豬 (hó͘-kā-ti, 'tiger bites pig') · pork belly bun
A folded steamed bun stuffed with braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, coriander and sweet peanut powder.
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Wang Yu Ching / Office of the President, ROC (Taiwan) (中華民國總統府), CC BY 2.0
Photo: Sleeps-Darkly, CC BY-SA 4.0What it is
A flat, half-moon steamed bun folded open and filled with soy-braised pork belly, stir-fried pickled mustard greens, coriander and ground peanuts, often sugared. Soft bun, fatty pork, sour greens and sweet peanut all come in one bite.
Where it comes from
The bun is believed to come from coastal Fujian, from Quanzhou or Fuzhou. In Taiwan, Fuzhou migrants are credited with bringing it. It was eaten at ritual festivals under Japanese rule and became a street food in the 1970s. The Taiwanese nickname 'tiger bites pig' comes from the bun's mouth-like shape.
How it is made
Pork belly is red-cooked in soy sauce, mustard greens are stir-fried, and a lotus-leaf bun is steamed and folded around them.
How to eat it
A breakfast or lunch snack eaten by hand. Chun Lan in Kaohsiung adds its own red chilli sauce.
In Kaohsiung
Chun Lan (春蘭割包) in Kaohsiung has been known for its oversized gua bao since 2000 and also makes a plant-based version.
Where to eat it in Kaohsiung
Sources