{{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 | course = Snack | type = 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'' (China), ''char siu bao'' (China), ''siu pao'' (Marshall Islands), ''salapao'' (Thailand), ''manapua'' (Hawaii), ''keke pua'a'' (Samoa & American Samoa) }}
'''''Siopao''''' ({{IPA|tl|ˈʃopaʊ}}) is a Philippine steamed bun with various fillings. It is the indigenized version of the Fujianese ''baozi'', introduced to the Philippines by Hokkien immigrants during the Spanish colonial period. It is a popular snack in the Philippines and is commonly sold by bakeries and restaurants.<ref name="spot">{{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}}</ref><ref name="De Leon"/>
==Description== [[File:Siopao Take-Home Packs (03-07-2021).jpg|thumb|Siopao being sold at a 7-Eleven branch in Cebu City.]] [[File:Siopao vendor.jpg|thumb|A street vendor selling siopao in Caloocan.]] Siopao is derived from baozi, introduced by Hokkien Chinese immigrants to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. The name is derived from Philippine Hokkien ''sio-pau'' ({{zh|s=烧包|t=燒包|poj=Sio-pau|l=hot bun}}).<ref name="De Leon">{{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 }}</ref> Historically, the most popular siopao buns in Manila were the ones made by restaurateur Ma Mon Luk at the turn of the 20th century.<ref name="De Leon"/>
Siopao differs from 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 ''asado'' (indigenized braised version of the Cantonese ''char siu'') and ''bola-bola'' (literally "meatball", a combination of pork, chicken, beef, shrimp or salted duck egg). Siopao uses leavened 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, which uses regular bread dough and is baked.<ref name="De Leon"/><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name="Huy">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
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 (either tomato ketchup or banana ketchup) is also used in the same way, in contrast to baozi, which is eaten dipped in a soy sauce or vinegar mixture.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
A unique variant from Siargao Island is the '''''paowaw''''', a dessert bun which has a filling of ''bukayo'' (sweetened shredded coconut meat).<ref>{{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}}</ref>
== In other countries== Siopao was also introduced to Guam (then a part of the Philippines), with the same name. From there it has spread further into the Marshall Islands, where it is known as ''siu pao''.<ref name="De Leon"/>
==Similar dishes== {{Main|Baozi}} <!--THE FOLLOWING SHOULD MAKE THEIR OWN ARTICLES, NOT BE SHOEHORNED HERE, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT HISTORIES AND CHARACTERISTICS--> There is a similar dish in Thai cuisine called ''salapao'' ({{langx|th|ซาลาเปา}}), which is sometimes made with a sweet filling for a dessert.<ref>{{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}}</ref> Similar buns have also been introduced in Hawaii, where it is called ''manapua'', and in Samoa and the American Samoa, where it is called ''keke pua'a''.<ref name="De Leon"/>
==In popular culture== There is an urban legend about the snack alleging that 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 community or it was theorized that it could have been a smear campaign by competitors or illegitimate children from a Chinese family which runs a ''siopao'' business.<ref name="tenpop">{{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}}</ref>
In September 2024, during IShowSpeed's visit to the Philippines, the online streamer livestreamed himself dining at a restaurant in 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.<ref name="IShowSpeed">{{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}}</ref>
==See also== * Asado roll * Cha siu bao * ''Bāozi'', the Chinese version of the steamed bun * Ma Mon Luk * List of buns * 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