Xiaochi
Encyclopedia
Xiaochi are an important category of Chinese
food, substantial snacks along the lines of Spanish
tapas
or Levant
ine meze
.
Xiaochi are not typically cooked in homes nor are they featured prominently on the menus of more formal reaturants (although a few courses of a multi-course banquet
might be xiaochi). Instead, they are street food
sold in markets at special stalls or small restaurants that specialize in a few or even just one xiaochi. Night markets are especially known for their specialty xiaochi food items. Here, xiaochi are either served as carry-out or sometimes at small tables with stools for seating. Taiwanese food critic Shu Kuo-chih describes xiaochi as "food from a street stall, shop or even a restaurant that comes in small portions and could never be considered a 'square meal' on its own. In New York, he says, 'hot dog
s or nachos
could be xiaochi.' Dim sum
? Definitely."
Xiaochi are highly local and, in some cases, one city's markets, or even one particular market or restaurant, can become famous for a particular type of food. The city will often become known for that food and the city name be used as an identifier or an attribution of quality (e.g. Chengdu
xiaochi in Beijing). Specific types of xiaochi will often change from year to year with passing fads but staples persist.
Xiaochi form a large part of the traditional fourth meal of the day, the xiaoye (宵夜; "supper" or "midnight snack").
Even smaller pre-made side dishes are known as xiaocai (小菜).
. At Beijing's famous Jiumen Xiaochi (九门小吃) built in 2006, outlets include "Qian's glutinous rice cake, Wei's cheese juice, Li's flour tea, pouch-shaped baked wheaten cake, Yue Sheng Zhai's stewed marinated beef, Ma's water-boiled sheep head mutton, and Bai's jellied bean curd...Feng's boiled beef stomach, and Chen's boiled pork's small intestines and lungs with baked cake."
, American steak
s, Japanese udon
noodles, and many mainland Chinese
foods have all factored prominently in Taiwanese xiaochi. As Taiwan has become increasingly affluent, xiaochi have become an important part of the culinary culture.
Taiwanese xiaochi can be divided into several categories including poultry, meat, fish and seafood, rice and noodle dishes, tofu and vegetarian dishes, pastries, sauces and pickles, and beverages.
Although often associated with street food
and night markets, Taiwan also has award-winning restaurants based on xiaochi such as the Din Tai Fung
chain.
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
food, substantial snacks along the lines of Spanish
Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots...
tapas
Tapas
Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....
or Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
ine meze
Meze
Meze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
.
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
might be xiaochi). Instead, they are street food
Street food
Street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are both finger and fast...
sold in markets at special stalls or small restaurants that specialize in a few or even just one xiaochi. Night markets are especially known for their specialty xiaochi food items. Here, xiaochi are either served as carry-out or sometimes at small tables with stools for seating. Taiwanese food critic Shu Kuo-chih describes xiaochi as "food from a street stall, shop or even a restaurant that comes in small portions and could never be considered a 'square meal' on its own. In New York, he says, 'hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
s or nachos
Nachos
Nachos are a popular food based on nixtamalized corn, of Mexican origin associated with Tex-Mex cuisine that can be either made quickly to serve as a snack or prepared with more ingredients to make a full meal. In their simplest form, nachos are tortilla chips or totopos covered in melted cheese...
could be xiaochi.' Dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
? Definitely."
Xiaochi are highly local and, in some cases, one city's markets, or even one particular market or restaurant, can become famous for a particular type of food. The city will often become known for that food and the city name be used as an identifier or an attribution of quality (e.g. Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
xiaochi in Beijing). Specific types of xiaochi will often change from year to year with passing fads but staples persist.
Xiaochi form a large part of the traditional fourth meal of the day, the xiaoye (宵夜; "supper" or "midnight snack").
Even smaller pre-made side dishes are known as xiaocai (小菜).
Xiaochi in mainland China
There are a number of eclectic xiaochi such as Tujia pizza or Chinese pizza supposedly derived from the food of the Tujia minority people of HubeiHubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
. At Beijing's famous Jiumen Xiaochi (九门小吃) built in 2006, outlets include "Qian's glutinous rice cake, Wei's cheese juice, Li's flour tea, pouch-shaped baked wheaten cake, Yue Sheng Zhai's stewed marinated beef, Ma's water-boiled sheep head mutton, and Bai's jellied bean curd...Feng's boiled beef stomach, and Chen's boiled pork's small intestines and lungs with baked cake."
Xiaochi in Taiwan
Xiaochi are on the cutting edge of imbuing Taiwanese cuisine with foreign influences. Portuguese-style egg tarts, Middle-Eastern-derived shawarmaShawarma
Shawarma is a Levantine Arab sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats. The meat is placed on a spit, and may be grilled for as long as a day. It is eaten with pita bread, tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus,...
, American steak
Steak
A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...
s, Japanese udon
Udon
is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...
noodles, and many mainland Chinese
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
foods have all factored prominently in Taiwanese xiaochi. As Taiwan has become increasingly affluent, xiaochi have become an important part of the culinary culture.
Taiwanese xiaochi can be divided into several categories including poultry, meat, fish and seafood, rice and noodle dishes, tofu and vegetarian dishes, pastries, sauces and pickles, and beverages.
Although often associated with street food
Street food
Street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are both finger and fast...
and night markets, Taiwan also has award-winning restaurants based on xiaochi such as the Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung is an award-winning restaurant originating in Taiwan, specialising in xiaolongbao . Outside its native Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has its restaurant chains in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, Canada, and...
chain.
Notable Taiwanese xiaochi
- yōkanYokanis a thick jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar. It is usually sold in a block form, and eaten in slices. There are two main types: neri yōkan and mizu yōkan. "Mizu" means "water", and indicates that it is made with more water than usual...
(iûⁿ-kiⁿ) - stinky tofuStinky tofuStinky tofu or chòu dòufu is a form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. It is a popular snack in East and Southeast Asia, particularly mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and in East Asian enclaves elsewhere where it is usually found homemade, at night markets or roadside stands, or as a...
(chhàu tāu-hū) - shuangbaotaiShuangbaotaiShuangbaotai or horse hooves is a sweet Taiwanese fried dough food with chewy dough containing large air pockets on the inside and a crisp crust on the outside...
(bé-hoe-chìⁿ) - pork ball soup (kòng-ôan-thng)
- popiahPopiahPopiah is a Fujian/Chaozhou-style fresh spring roll common in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Popiah is often eaten in the Fujian province of China and its neighbouring Chaoshan on the Qingming Festival. In the Teochew dialect, popiah is pronounced as "Bo-BEE-a", which means "thin wafer"...
(po̍h-piáⁿ) - oyster vermicelliOyster vermicelliOyster vermicelli is the English name for a kind of noodle soup that is popular in Taiwan and Xiamen. Its main ingredients are oysters and misua , made to be tasty and full of aroma. One of the famous places serving this is in Dihua Street, Dadaocheng, Taipei...
(ô-á mī-sòaⁿ) - oyster omelet (ô-á-chian)
- jiaoziJiaoziJiǎozi 餃子 or 饺子 , bánh bột luộc , gyōza , Mo:Mo: or Momocha म:म: or ममचा , or pot sticker is a Chinese dumpling widely spread to Japan, Eastern and Western Asia.Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into...
(chúi-kiáu) - grass jellyGrass jellyGrass jelly, or Leaf jelly, is a jelly-like dessert found in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It is sold in cans or packets in Asian supermarkets.-Preparation:...
(sian-chháu) - douhuaDouhuaDouhua or doufuhua is a Chinese dessert made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding.-History:...
(tāu-hū-hoe) - baoziBaoziA bāozi or simply known as bao, bau, humbow, nunu, bausak, pow or pau is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread-like item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations...
(bah-bau) - bah-ôan
- aiyu jellyAiyu jellyAiyu jelly , known as ice jelly in Singapore , is a jelly made from the gel from the seeds of a variety of fig found in Taiwan and East Asian countries of the same climates and latitudes...
(ò-giô)
See also
- Chinese cuisineChinese cuisineChinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
- Taiwanese cuisineTaiwanese cuisineTaiwanese cuisine has several variations. In addition to the following representative dishes from the people of Hoklo ethnicity , there are also Aboriginal, Hakka, and local derivatives of Chinese cuisines .Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern...
- Night markets in TaiwanNight markets in TaiwanNight markets in Taiwan are street markets in Taiwan that operate in urban or suburban areas. They are similar to those in areas inhabited by ethnic Chinese, such as Southeast Asia...
- Street foodStreet foodStreet food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are both finger and fast...
External links
- Beijing Snacks at TimeOut Beijing