Xiaolongbao

Xiaolongbao originated in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. It evolved from the guantangbao (soup-filled dumplings/buns) of Kaifeng, Henan province, which was the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127).^[5]

There are numerous styles of xiaolongbao in Jiangnan cuisine. Shanghai-style xiaolongbao originated in Nanxiang, which was a neighboring village of Shanghai in Jiangsu that eventually became an outer suburb of Shanghai's Jiading District.^[6][7] From there xiaolongbao became popular in downtown Shanghai and promptly spread outward.

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  Xiaolongbao in Taiwan
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  The queue outside Nanxiang Bun Shop in Shanghai
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  Making xiaolongbao at Nanxiang Mantou Dian store in Roppongi Hills, Japan

Chinese buns, in general, may be divided into two types, depending on the degree of leavening of the flour skin.^{[8][verification needed]} Buns can be made with leavened or unleavened dough. Those made with unleavened dough use clear water for mixing; the skin is thin and the fillings large. It is frequently made in Nanxiang but is imitated elsewhere, called “Xiang-style”. Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout China and are what is usually referred to as mantou. Steamed xiaolongbao made with partially raised flour are more commonly seen in the south. This means that their skin is tender, smoother, and somewhat translucent, rather than being white and fluffy. As is traditional for buns of various sizes in the Jiangnan region, xiaolongbao is pinched at the top prior to steaming, so the skin has a circular cascade of ripples around the crown.^{[9][failed verification]}

Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with pork.^[1] More modern innovations include other meats, seafood, shrimp, crab meat, and vegetarian fillings. Some restaurants offer creative fillings including sea urchin, foie gras, cheese, garlic, and truffle as well as dessert fillings like yam, red bean, chocolate, taro, and black sesame.^[5][10][11]

Soup dumplings are created by wrapping solid meat aspic inside the skin alongside the meat filling. Heat from steaming then melts the gelatin-gelled aspic into soup. In modern times, refrigeration has made the process of making tangbao during hot weather easier, since making gelled aspic is much more difficult at room temperature.^[12]

Xiaolongbao are traditionally eaten for breakfast. The buns are served hot in the bamboo baskets in which they were steamed,^[13] usually on a bed of dried leaves or a paper mat, although some restaurants now use napa cabbage instead. The buns are usually dipped in Zhenjiang vinegar with chili crisp.^[14]

Traditionally, tangbao soup dumplings are a kind of dim sum (à la carte item) or xiaochi (snack). The buns are usually dipped in Zhenjiang vinegar with ginger slivers. They are traditionally served with a clear soup on the side.^{[7][unreliable source?]} Around Shanghai, "tangbao" may be eaten throughout the day, although usually not for breakfast. They form part of a traditional Jiangnan-style morning tea (早茶).^[15] In Guangdong and the Western world, it is sometimes served as a dish during Cantonese tea time. Frozen tangbao are now mass-produced and a popular frozen food sold worldwide.

Restaurants serve xiaolongbao hot in bamboo steamers, sometimes with lettuce or parchment paper at the base to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. There are various methods of eating xiaolongbao. To avoid spilling the soup, one way to eat the bun is to hold the bun with the eater's spoon and bite a hole to suck the soup before eating the remainder, while others may place the bun and any condiments in the spoon and ingest it in the mouth at one time.^[16][17]

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  Served as breakfast
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  In vinegar sauce
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  With wontons
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  In a bamboo steamer