{{short description|Chinese street food}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Expand Chinese|date=June 2020|topic=cult}} {{Infobox food | name = | image = 煎饼馃子制作过程5.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = A Tianjin-style ''jianbing guozi'' | alternate_name = | country = China | region = Shandong and Tianjin | national_cuisine = Chinese cuisine | creators = | year = | mintime = | maxtime = | type = ''Bing'' | course = | served = | main_ingredient = Wheat | minor_ingredient = Eggs | variations = | serving_size = | calories = | protein = | fat = | carbohydrate = | glycemic_index = | similar_dish = | other = }} {{Chinese |l= fried pancake |s= 煎饼 |t= 煎餅 |p= jiānbǐng |bpmf= ㄐㄧㄢ ㄅㄧㄥˇ |j= zin1 beng2 |poj= chian-péng }}
'''''Jianbing''''' ({{zh|s={{linktext|煎饼}}|t={{linktext|煎餅}}|p= jiānbǐng|l=pan-fried bing}}) is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crêpes. It is a type of ''bing'' generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts."<ref name="Patent Gorham McLean 2007">{{cite book|last1=Patent|first1=G.|last2=Gorham|first2=K.|last3=McLean|first3=D.|title=A Baker's Odyssey: Celebrating Time-honored Recipes from America's Rich Immigrant Heritage|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7645-7281-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H1zWPT5OAq8C&pg=PA86|page=86}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/jianbing-chinese-savory-breakfast-crepe.html|title=Why Jianbing is China's Most Popular Street Breakfast|author=Serious Eats|website=www.seriouseats.com|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/03/jianbing-a-guide-to-china%E2%80%99s-favorite-street-food/|title=Jianbing: A Guide To China's Favorite Street Food {{!}} The World Of Chinese|website=www.theworldofchinese.com|access-date=26 March 2016|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118032436/http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/03/jianbing-a-guide-to-china%E2%80%99s-favorite-street-food/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The main ingredients of ''jianbing'' are a batter of wheat and grain flour, eggs and sauces,<ref name=":0" /> cooked quickly by spreading the batter on a large frying pan or a specialized flat hotplate. It can be topped with different fillings and sauces such as ''youtiao'', ''baocui'' ({{linktext|薄脆}}, thin and crispy fried cracker), ham, chopped or diced mustard pickles, scallions and coriander, chili sauce, or hoisin sauce depending on personal preference. It is often folded several times before serving.
''Jianbing'' has seen international popularization in recent years and can be found in the West, sometimes with modifications to cater to local tastes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.grubstreet.com/2016/03/jian-bing-in-nyc.html|title=China's Answer to the Breakfast Sandwich Finally Arrives in New York|last=Crowley|first=Chris|date=23 March 2016|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.saveur.com/jianbing-beijings-crunchy-eggy-perfect-street-food|title=Jianbing: Beijing's Crunchy, Eggy, Perfect Street Food|date=8 May 2015|website=SAVEUR|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref>
== History == [[File:Jianbing on plate.jpg|thumb|left|''Jianbing'' with egg and scallion]] ''Jianbing'' originated in northern China, where wheat- and broomcorn-based flatbreads, pancakes and pies (collectively called ''bing'') are common as staple foods. Its history can be traced back 2,000 years to Shandong province during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220–280). According to legend, Chancellor Zhuge Liang encountered the problem of feeding his soldiers after they lost their woks. He ordered the cooks to mix water with wheat flour to make batter, then spread it on shields, or flat copper griddles over a flame.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=http://registerguard.com/rg/life/food/34046836-68/food-cart-brings-newest-u.s.-food-trend-jian-bing-to-eugene-uo-campus.csp|title=Food Cart Brings Newest U.S. Food Trend, Jian bing, to Eugene, UO Campus|last=Murez|first=Cara Roberts|date=17 February 2016|access-date=26 March 2016}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The dish raised the soldiers' morale and helped them win the battle. After that, jianbing was passed down through generations in Shandong province and gradually spread to different parts of China.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sh-streetfood.org/jianbing-chinese-style-crepes-%E7%85%8E%E9%A5%BC/|title=Jiānbing – Chinese-style crepes – 煎饼 {{!}} MOVABLE FEASTS|date=22 May 2014|website=www.sh-streetfood.org|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref> The raw materials used in ancient pancakes should be millet, and millet cereal pancakes are one of the common foods of the ancient northerners. In ancient times, pancakes were made using griddles ({{zh|t={{linktext|鏊}}|p=ào}}).<ref>{{cite web|last=Wang|first=Renxiang|title=Jianbing origin: the historical taste of scorpion fried|url=https://guoxue.ifeng.com/a/20161104/50205846_0.shtml|work=IfengGuoXue|access-date=25 March 2019}}</ref> Archaeological finds have been discovered in ancient times, except for the prehistoric pottery figurines dating back more than 5,000 years, as well as the iron shovel and bronze gongs belonging to Liao, Song, Jin, Western Xia and Yuan dynasty. Yangshao people have created pottery figurines and the like. The cooking utensils, which were later unearthed in various eras, also found a number of murals of pancakes from different eras, revealing the true existence of pancakes in history.
== Reasons for popularity == thumb|Jianbing being cooked thumb|Jianbing being prepared by a street vendor thumb|An unwrapped jianbing showing all of the ingredients inside
One of the most popular street breakfasts in China,<ref name="Patent Gorham McLean 2007"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Vartanian|first1=A.|last2=Potter|first2=C.|last3=Heino|first3=K.|last4=McClelland|first4=R.|last5=Ball|first5=R.|last6=Menegaz|first6=V.|last7=Kovacs|first7=N.|last8=Healy|first8=H.|last9=Castaneda|first9=J.|last10=Winters|first10=K.|title=The Ultimate Paleo Cookbook: 900 Grain- and Gluten-Free Recipes to Meet Your Every Need|publisher=Page Street Publishing|year=2015|isbn=978-1-62414-140-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d0AhCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA410|page=410}}</ref> jianbing can be easily found in many cities. The characteristics of jianbing account for its popularity in China and the West.
First, jianbing is never "pre-cooked". In order to preserve its crispness, customers have to wait for their turn, which often results in a queue,<ref name=":1" /> although the preparation time is short. Part of the attraction is that customers can watch the raw ingredients come together to form the dish.<ref name=":2" />
Jianbing can satisfy different people's tastes as it can be made with many different ingredients and mixed with different sauces, jams and flavors in different proportions.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Food and Chinese: Essays on Popular Cuisine|last=Gao|first=Weixi|publisher=Long River Press|year=2005|pages=158–159}}</ref> According to the vendors outside East China Normal University, though some customers like spicy flavors and some do not like cilantro, they can create their own jianbing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/eat/diy-jianbing-breakfast-served-828924/|title=DIY jianbing: How to make the perfect breakfast crêpe|last=DeLois|first=Jake|date=23 March 2010|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref>
The low cost of jianbing is also one of the reasons for its popularity, as the basic ingredients are themselves inexpensive.<ref name=":3" />
Additionally, jianbing is a type of ''bing'' that has rich nutrient values.<ref name=":0" /> It contains abundant nutrients as it can be made of soybeans, mung beans, black beans, lettuce, peanuts and eggs.
== Regional variations == The traditional jianbing originated in Shandong and flourished in Tianjin.<ref name=":3" /> Jianbing is basically made of flour and eggs with different fillings and sauces. As there are many variations depending on tastes and preferences in different regions, many cities have their own versions of jianbing. Shandong-style jianbing and Tianjin-style jianbing are the two most common versions of jianbing in China.<ref name=":0" />
=== Shandong-style jianbing === Jianbing from Shandong province tastes crispy and harder as its batter is formed from the flour mixture that mainly contains coarse grains such as corn, sorghum and millet.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2015-02/06/content_19511123.htm|title=Shandong's signature food leaves global marks|date=6 February 2015|agency=china daily|access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref> In the old days, people had Shandong-style jianbing mainly by rolling it with scallions or serving it with meat soup.<ref>{{cite book|title=黃河文化百科全书|date=5 August 2009|publisher=四川辞书出版社|publication-date=2000|page=348|last1=李民, 黃河文化百科全书编纂委员会}}</ref> Nowadays, the variety of fillings are richer and differ according to one's preference, for example, sweet potatoes, lettuce and pork are also used as fillings.
=== ''Jianbing guozi'' === {{main|Jianbing guozi}} Jianbing from Tianjin is a transformation of the ''jianbing'' originated in Shandong. It is also called ''jianbing guozi''<ref name=":0" /> and ''guozi'' refers to its ''youtiao'' stuffing. Tianjin-style ''jianbing'' tastes softer as its crepe is made of mung bean flour, which contains less gluten. Also, Tianjin-style ''jianbing ''is topped with ''youtiao'' (fried dough stick), while the Shandong-style one sold by street vendors is usually topped with ''baocui'' ({{linktext|薄脆}}, crispy fried crackers).
== Internationalized ''jianbing'' == [[File:Taste of Beijing, Soho, London (4363226701).jpg|thumb|''Jianbing'' in London]] Jianbing is also served in the U.K., U.S. and Australia by Western vendors and young Chinese entrepreneurs.<ref name=":5">{{cite news|url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2015-12/25/content_22805439.htm|title=Young entrepreneur brings Chinese pancakes to NYC|date=25 December 2015|agency=China Daily USA|last=Niu|first=Yue|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/eat-out/review/restaurant/mr-bing-gourmet-wrapz-20150428-3uzgi.html|title=Mr Bing Gourmet Wrapz|date=28 April 2015|website=goodfood|access-date=26 March 2016|last=Rigby|first=Myffy}}</ref> In the U.S., it has become one of the newest food trends and gains high popularity among Americans and East Asian customers, particularly Chinese overseas students.<ref name=":4" /> Western vendors were inspired to start jianbing business back home after first trying it in China.<ref name=":7">{{cite web|last1=Wong|first1=Katy|title=Unique food cart brings jianbing to Seattle|url=http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2015/01/07/unique-food-cart-brings-jianbing-seattle/31095|website=the seattle globalist|date=7 January 2015|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref>
Apart from the traditional Chinese jianbing, some vendors in the U.S. offer various versions of it to cater to American customers' taste, such as vegetarian jianbing and gluten-free jianbing.<ref name=":7" /> Culture-crossing fillings like barbecue pulled pork, bacon, cheese, hot dogs, and Spam are additionally provided to let customers create their own customized jianbing.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=http://www.metro.us/new-york/mr-bing-brings-chinese-street-food-to-times-square/zsJolk---6kehuJkEHOheM/|title=Mr. Bing brings Chinese street food to Times Square|last=Kis|first=Eva|date=11 December 2015|access-date=26 March 2016|via=metro}}</ref>
Besides, fillings of jianbing are diverse with new innovations. Tai Chi Jianbing from San Francisco carries fish floss jianbing, which is made with dried tuna.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.taichijianbing.com/|title=Tai Chi Jianbing}}</ref> A food truck in New York called “The Flying Pig jianbing”<ref name=":5" /> provides different filling options such as dried pork floss, pork belly and bamboo shoots. In another shop called Mr. Bing,<ref name=":8" /> the crepe batter is made of millet flour, buckwheat flour and purple rice. Many characterized jianbing are also shown. For example, the cha chaan bing with peanut butter and condensed milk, and the Peking duck bing<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1324508/crepe-escape-our-own-backyard|title=A crêpe escape in our own backyard|last=Yung|first=Vanessa|date=10 October 2013|access-date=26 March 2016|via=scmp}}</ref> with the duck sauce, cucumber chunks and duck slices are introduced.
In the UK, street food stall Mei Mei's Street Cart brought jianbing into the London and UK street food scene back in 2012, taking their jianbing to London, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Brighton and winning two awards. They sell the traditional jianbing alongside their 'London' jianbing with fillings such as fried chicken and char siu pork, to build on the traditional jianbing and make it a more substantial dish.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.meimeisstreetcart.co.uk/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=5 February 2018 |archive-date=19 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319134810/https://meimeisstreetcart.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://foodanddrinkfestival.com/news/2014/sep/30/-gala-dinner-2014-/|title = MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards 2014 | News | Manchester Food & Drink Festival 2021}}</ref>
== See also == * Jianbing guozi * Crêpe, a French pancake cooked and served in similar fashion. * Dosa, a popular South Indian rice crepe cooked and served in a similar fashion. * ''Senbei'' ({{nihongo2|煎餅}}), a Japanese rice cracker whose name is cognate to ''jianbing'' and is written with the same Chinese characters in Kanji, but is actually a different food.
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{commons category}} {{wiktionary pipe|煎餅|jian bing}} * [http://allrecipes.com/recipe/186731/jian-bing-chinese-crepes/ Jian Bing]. Allrecipes.com.
{{Chinese bread}}
Category:Chinese breads Category:Flatbreads Category:Street food in China Category:Breakfast dishes Category:Pancakes Category:Stuffed dishes