Shaobing

Shaobing or huoshao is a baked, layered flatbread with or without sesame on top, in Chinese cuisine. They can contain a variety of stuffing which can be grouped into two main flavors: savoury or sweet. Examples of fillings are red bean paste, black sesame paste, stir-fried mung beans with egg and tofu. There are a variety of types of shaobing, filled and unfilled. However, shaobings are not very well known in southern China unlike other northern dishes like mantou, baozi, and youtiao, and other unique varieties of shaobing can be completely unheard of in the south. Types of shaobings are usually well known in local areas such as provinces/cities/towns. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, shaobing are served with hot pot (huǒguō) in winter or soy milk. Shaobing is common for breakfast and is usually eaten with soy milk and tea. Unfilled ones are usually eaten with steamed eggs or any other breakfast meat dish, and filled ones are only eaten with soy milk and tea.

Miscellaneous

Liu Ji was one of the most famous scholars of the Ming dynasty. He presented a cryptic lyrical song titled "Shaobing Song" (燒餅歌) to the Zhu Yuanzhang emperor. The song supposedly predicted the future of China.^[1][2][3]

Image gallery

Taiwanese sesame paste shaobing:

References