The Lowdown on Bao

Bao restaurants have popped up in the United States for a few years now. Fast food options, like Wowbao, might be on your radar, but if this is your only introduction to this food, you are missing out and not in a small way. Get yourself to Chinatown and a decent Chinese restaurant, sit down and order some bao.

You will need to get acquainted with what you are looking for first. Bao are Chinese buns, although they are found throughout Asia. The important thing to remember is bao are an intricate category of food. These are not just buns you fill with something. You need to know what you are getting into before ordering.

Goldthread created a graph that gives you an overview, as well as a comprehensive list of some of the best bao. There are thin and thick ones, as well as dry and juicy. Some of the most beloved are some form of pork bao. These are delicious and you cannot really go wrong. Juicy barbecued pork in a soft doughy bun will surely leave you satisfied.

Xiao long bao, also called soup dumplings, are called so not because they are submerged in soup, but because they contain a juicy filling reminiscent of soup. The tacky consistency of the outside of the bun contains a mixture of pork, wine, ginger and soy sauce.

If you are a vegetarian, then there are mushroom bao for you. There are even lamb and pumpkin bao found exclusively in the Xinjiang province. The variations are many and. if you want to explore the world of bao, expect it to take awhile.