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| Alternative names | bo lo baau |
|---|---|
| Type | Sweet bun |
| Place of origin | Hong Kong |
| Main ingredients | Sugar,eggs,flour,vanilla andbutter |
| Pineapple bun | |||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 菠蘿包 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 菠萝包 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | pineapple bun | ||||||||||||
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| Min name | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 王梨包 | ||||||||||||
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Apineapple bun (Chinese:菠蘿包;Jyutping:bo1 lo4 baau1;Cantonese Yale:bōlòh bāau) is a kind ofsweet bun predominantly popular inHong Kong[1] and also common inChinatowns worldwide.[2] Despite the name, it does not traditionally containpineapple; rather, the name refers to the look of the characteristic topping (which resembles the texture of a pineapple).
The origin of the pineapple bun is unclear. The earliest documented evidence of the pineapple bun can be traced back to Hong Kong in 1942. It was during this time that the Tai Tung Bakery first opened its doors to the public. The shop owner, Tse Ching-yuen, recalls that he has been making pineapple buns since he was just 11 years old. However, he acknowledges that there were similar baked goods in Japan before that period.[3] At the time, they were called 酥皮包 (crispy-skin buns), but customers kept calling them pineapple buns.
By another account, the Ng family was deported from Mexico to Hong Kong and opened a restaurant there in 1946. They slightly adapted theconcha to the local palate, creating the pineapple bun.[4]
In June 2014, thegovernment of Hong Kong listed the pineapple bun as a part ofHong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. Tai Tung Bakery in Yuen Long, which had been making pineapple buns for more than 70 years, was a key proponent of including the technique for making the buns on the list of 480 items of living heritage.[5]
The top of the pineapple bun (the part which is made to resemble a pineapple) is made of a dough similar to that used to makesugar cookies, which consists of sugar,eggs, flour, andlard. It is crunchy and is quite sweet compared to the bread underneath. The bread dough underneath is that which is used in Hong Kong–style breads, which is a softer and sweeter dough than in European breads. It is popular at breakfast or afternoon tea.
Although it is known as a "pineapple bun", the traditional version contains no pineapple. The name originated from the fact that its sugary top crust is cooked to a golden-brown colour, and because its checkered top resembles the skin of a pineapple.[6]
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Many Hong Kong restaurants, such ascha chaan tengs anddai pai dongs, offer an item called a buttered pineapple bun, which is a pineapple bun with a slice ofbutter stuffed inside. They are known in Cantonese asboh loh yau (菠蘿油), in whichboh loh means "pineapple", andyau (oil) refers to butter. Variants of this include usingcustard in place of butter.[citation needed]
Typically the bun is brought hot from the oven to the diner's table, and served halved with a large slab of butter in between the halves.
The pineapple bun may come in miniature sizes, it may be used as a bread roll for sandwiches withluncheon meat, or it may be pre-stuffed withred bean paste,custard cream (奶黃),barbecued pork, or a sweet filling ofshredded coconut (椰絲) like that in acocktail bun. It is possible to order a "pineapple pineapple bun", actually stuffed with pineapple.[citation needed]
Japanesemelonpan and Koreansoboro bread[7] are variants that use the same ingredients for a Germanstreusel-like texture on top, but without resemblance to a pineapple.
In October 2020, a Japanese bakeryc'est très fou launched the product "Taiwanese pineapple bun", which received criticism for suggesting the product originated in Taiwan, though the bakery's introduction of the product had correctly mentioned that the bun originated in Hong Kong. In January 2021, another Japanese bakery was criticized for calling it "Taiwan pineapple bun".[8]
