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BUNSTExT: IVY CHEnIMAGES: xIAnG TInG HuAnGChinese buns are madefrom leavened wheat flour,with or without fillings,and are always steamed.Steamed buns are a healthieralternative to baked bread, and canbe served as a meal or snack, frombreakfast to dinner.In Taiwan, buns with fillings arecalled baozi ( 包 子 ), while mantou( 饅 頭 ) has no filling but has otheringredients kneaded into the dough.Both can be savory or sweet.Chinese buns trace their roots backto legend, and about 1,700 years agoduring the Chinese classic Romanceof the Three Kingdoms. In it,Zhuge Liang ( 諸 葛 亮 ) made wheatflour dough stuffed with meat as anoffering to the river god in return fora safe passage across a river. Insteadof a human sacrifice, he made abun in the shape of a barbarian’shead ( 蠻 頭 , mantou). Eventuallythe characters for the bun’s namechanged into the ones used today(which share the same pronunciationand tones as the original) and thebun can be found all over the world.Buns, like dumplings, are a staplefood in the north of China, owingto a plentiful source of wheat flour.After 1950, buns became popular inTaiwan, and buns, soy bean milk ( 豆漿 , doujiang) and fried bread stick( 油 條 , youtiao) became very popularbreakfast fare, together with riceporridge (congee). Steamed bunscan be a side dish or a staple in placeof rice or noodles to accompany ameal. Nowadays, buns are availablefrom both specialist bun shops aswell as being easily available in thefrozen foods section of supermarkets.Reheated buns are also popularsnacks in convenience stores.MANTOU [ 饅 頭 ]Steamed buns without fillings(mantou) are made from wheatflour, yeast and water. The flavorvaries according to any additionalingredients that are added, such aswhole meal, grains, nuts, seeds, driedfruit, brown sugar, chocolate, taro,sweet potato, pumpkin and springonion.Some popular flavors of mantouinclude:Plain mantou ( 白 饅 頭 , b a imantou) is made from plain flour,yeast and water; the dough isallowed to rise, and steamed.Milk mantou ( 鮮 奶 饅 頭 , xiannaimantou) is made with milk instead ofwater.Grain and nut mantou ( 雜 糧 饅頭 , zaliang mantou) is made withplain flour and/or whole wheat flour,and sesame, pumpkin and sunflowerseeds, walnuts and raisins arekneaded with the dough.Chocolate mantou ( 巧 克 力 饅 頭 ,qiaokeli mantou) is flavored withcocoa powder.www.communitycenter.org.tw march 201231