# Siopao > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Siopao > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Siopao.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siopao > Source revision: 1355817539 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Philippine steamed bun}} {{Use Philippine English|date=April 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox prepared food | name = Siopao | image = 250px 250px | caption = '''Top''': ''Asado'' siopao; '''Bottom''': A dessert siopao with chocolate filling | alternate_name = | country = [Philippines](/source/Philippines) | course = [Snack](/source/Merienda) | type = [Baozi](/source/Baozi) | served = | main_ingredient = Pork, flour, soy sauce, salt | variations = Siopao asado, siopao bola bola, toasted siopao, fried siopao, paowaw, other dessert variants | calories = 330 | other = |no_recipes=true |similar_dish = ''[Baozi](/source/Baozi)'' ([China](/source/China)), ''[char siu bao](/source/char_siu_bao)'' ([China](/source/China)), ''siu pao'' ([Marshall Islands](/source/Marshall_Islands)), ''salapao'' ([Thailand](/source/Thailand)), ''manapua'' ([Hawaii](/source/Hawaii)), ''keke pua'a'' ([Samoa](/source/Samoa) & [American Samoa](/source/American_Samoa)) }} '''''Siopao''''' ({{IPA|tl|ˈʃopaʊ}}) is a [Philippine](/source/Philippine_cuisine) [steamed](/source/steaming) bun with various fillings. It is the indigenized version of the [Fujianese](/source/Fujianese_cuisine) ''[baozi](/source/baozi)'', introduced to the Philippines by [Hokkien](/source/Hokkien_people) [immigrants](/source/Chinese_Filipino) during the [Spanish colonial period](/source/Spanish_colonial_period_of_the_Philippines). It is a popular snack in the Philippines and is commonly sold by bakeries and restaurants.{{Cite web |last=Haw-Ang |first=Frances Lorraine |date=August 25, 2010 |title=Top 10 Siopao in Manila |url=http://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/46401/top-10-siopao-in-manila |access-date=December 21, 2010 |website=Spot.ph}} ==Description== [[File:Siopao Take-Home Packs (03-07-2021).jpg|thumb|Siopao being sold at a [7-Eleven](/source/7-Eleven) branch in [Cebu City](/source/Cebu_City).]] [[File:Siopao vendor.jpg|thumb|A street vendor selling siopao in [Caloocan](/source/Caloocan).]] Siopao is derived from [baozi](/source/baozi), introduced by [Hokkien](/source/Hokkien_people) [Chinese immigrants to the Philippines](/source/Chinese_Filipinos) during the [Spanish colonial period](/source/Spanish_colonial_period_of_the_Philippines). The name is derived from [Philippine Hokkien](/source/Philippine_Hokkien) ''sio-pau'' ({{zh|s=烧包|t=燒包|poj=Sio-pau|l=hot bun}}).{{cite journal |last1=De Leon |first1=Adrian |title=Siopao and Power: The Place of Pork Buns in Manila's Chinese History |journal=Gastronomica |date=2016 |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=45–54 |doi=10.1525/gfc.2016.16.2.45 |jstor=26362345 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26362345|url-access=subscription }} Historically, the most popular siopao buns in [Manila](/source/Manila) were the ones made by restaurateur [Ma Mon Luk](/source/Ma_Mon_Luk) at the turn of the 20th century. Siopao differs from [baozi](/source/baozi) in that it is much larger and is eaten held in the hands like a sandwich. It also uses different traditional fillings. The most common fillings are [pork](/source/pork) ''[asado](/source/Philippine_asado)'' (indigenized [braised](/source/braised) version of the [Cantonese](/source/Cantonese_cuisine) ''[char siu](/source/char_siu)'') and ''[bola-bola](/source/Meatball)'' (literally "meatball", a combination of pork, [chicken](/source/chicken), [beef](/source/beef), [shrimp](/source/shrimp) or [salted duck egg](/source/salted_duck_egg)). Siopao uses [leavened](/source/leavened) [wheat flour](/source/wheat_flour) and is traditionally steamed, but a baked version (also called "toasted siopao") can be baked directly in ovens without steaming. A popular variant called "fried siopao" fries the bottom of the siopao in a greased skillet after steaming. Another dish that evolved from the siopao is the [asado roll](/source/asado_roll), which uses regular bread dough and is baked.{{cite web |title=Siopao Asado Recipe |url=https://panlasangpinoy.com/how-to-make-home-made-siopao-asado-recipe/ |website=Panlasang Pinoy |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=September 8, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Siopao Asado (Filipino Steamed Pork Buns) |url=https://www.hungryhuy.com/siopao-asado/ |website=Hungry Huy |date=October 3, 2020 |access-date=September 8, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Toasted (Baked) Siopao and Fried Siopao |url=https://www.panlasangpinoymeatrecipes.com/toasted-baked-siopao-fried-siopao.htm |website=Panlasang Pinoy Meaty Recipes |access-date=September 8, 2022}} Traditional siopao is also typically accompanied with a sweet "siopao sauce" (made from cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and other ingredients), which is injected or spread unto the filling before eating. Plain [ketchup](/source/ketchup) (either [tomato ketchup](/source/tomato_ketchup) or [banana ketchup](/source/banana_ketchup)) is also used in the same way, in contrast to baozi, which is eaten dipped in a soy sauce or vinegar mixture.{{cite web |title=Special Siopao Sauce Recipe |url=https://panlasangpinoy.com/how-to-make-the-special-siopao-sauce/ |website=Panlasang Pinoy |date=February 6, 2010 |access-date=September 8, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Siopao |url=http://philippinefoodblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/siopao.html |website=Philippine Food Blog |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=September 8, 2022}} A unique variant from [Siargao Island](/source/Siargao_Island) is the '''''paowaw''''', a dessert bun which has a filling of ''[bukayo](/source/bukayo)'' (sweetened shredded coconut meat).{{Cite web |last=Damo |first=Ida |date=April 4, 2014 |title=Two Unique Snacks from Surigao: Paowaw & Milledo |url=https://www.choosephilippines.com/do/local-flavors/1261/snack-treats-from-socorro-paowaw-milledo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728010816/https://www.choosephilippines.com/do/local-flavors/1261/snack-treats-from-socorro-paowaw-milledo |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |url-status=usurped |website=ChoosePhilippines}} == In other countries== Siopao was also introduced to [Guam](/source/Guam) (then a part of the Philippines), with the same name. From there it has spread further into the [Marshall Islands](/source/Marshall_Islands), where it is known as ''siu pao''. ==Similar dishes== {{Main|Baozi}} There is a similar dish in [Thai cuisine](/source/Thai_cuisine) called ''salapao'' ({{langx|th|ซาลาเปา}}), which is sometimes made with a sweet filling for a dessert.{{Cite web |date=January 15, 2010 |title=Salapao – Chinese Steamed Buns |url=http://www.thaizer.com/food/salapao-%E2%80%93-chinese-steamed-buns/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227215944/http://www.thaizer.com/food/salapao-%E2%80%93-chinese-steamed-buns/ |archive-date=February 27, 2011 |access-date=December 21, 2010 |website=Thaizer.com}} Similar buns have also been introduced in [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii), where it is called ''[manapua](/source/manapua)'', and in [Samoa](/source/Samoa) and the [American Samoa](/source/American_Samoa), where it is called ''keke pua'a''. ==In popular culture== There is an [urban legend](/source/urban_legend) about the snack alleging that [cat meat](/source/cat_meat) is used in the production of ''siopao''. According to historians, this story could have come from a certain sentiment towards the [Chinese Filipino](/source/Chinese_Filipino) community or it was theorized that it could have been a [smear campaign](/source/smear_campaign) by competitors or illegitimate children from a Chinese family which runs a ''siopao'' business.{{cite news |title=Ang Pinaka: Ten popular Pinoy urban legends |url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/publicaffairs/angpinaka/383974/ang-pinaka-ten-popular-pinoy-urban-legends/story/ |accessdate=August 7, 2018 |work=GMA News |date=October 17, 2014}} In September 2024, during [IShowSpeed](/source/IShowSpeed)'s visit to the Philippines, the [online streamer](/source/online_streamer) [livestreamed](/source/Live_streaming) himself dining at a restaurant in [Binondo](/source/Binondo), where he was misled by a local into believing that the ''siopao'' he was eating contained cat meat. This caused IShowSpeed to panic, only to be reassured afterwards that it was only a joke.{{Cite news |last=Abed |first=Kawter |date=September 11, 2024 |title=IShowSpeed panics after being tricked into thinking he’s eating cat meat in the Philippines |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/ishowspeed-panics-after-being-tricked-into-thinking-hes-eating-cat-meat-in-the-philippines-2895799/ |access-date=September 14, 2024 |work=[Dexerto](/source/Dexerto)}} ==See also== * [Asado roll](/source/Asado_roll) * [Cha siu bao](/source/Cha_siu_bao) * ''[Bāozi](/source/Baozi)'', the Chinese version of the [steamed bun](/source/steamed_bun) * [Ma Mon Luk](/source/Ma_Mon_Luk) * [List of buns](/source/List_of_buns) * [List of steamed foods](/source/List_of_steamed_foods) * {{portal-inline|Food}} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Dumplings}} {{Philippine cuisine}} Category:Dumplings Category:Steamed buns Category:Filipino Chinese cuisine Category:Stuffed dishes Category:Philippine urban legends Category:Philippine snack food --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Siopao](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siopao) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siopao?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.