- Ba-wan
"Ba-wan" (zh-tpwpl|t=|p=roù yuán|w=jou4-yüan2|poj=bah-ôan|l=meat circle) is a Taiwanese
snack food , consisting of a 6-8 cm diameter disk-shaped translucent dough filled with a savory stuffing and served with a sweet and savory sauce. The stuffing varies widely according to different regions inTaiwan , but usually consists of a mixture ofpork ,bamboo shoots , andshiitake mushrooms.Changhua -style ba-wan is considered to be the "standard" "ba-wan" as it is the most famous and most widely imitated of all styles of "ba-wan".The term "ba-wan" is a non-standard
romanization of the Taiwanese pronunciation of "肉圓", as well as "" (in Mandarin, roù wán; "meat pill/lump/knot"). InLukang , "ba-wan" are known as "bah-hôe" (; roù huí; lit. "meat returns") because they take on a block-like shape as embodied in the shape of 回.The gelatinous dough is made of a combination of
corn starch ,sweet potato starch, andrice flour , which gives it its chewy, sticky, and gelatinous texture and a greyish translucenthue . "Ba-wan" are initially cooked by steaming; however, they may also be served after being deep fried to give them a "skin" or gently poached in oil to heat them without drying them out.History
It is believed that "ba-wan" were first prepared in the Beidou township of Taiwan by a student by the name Fàn Wànjū () as food for disaster relief during the late
Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912), when the Beidou region was struck by heavy floods. Since then, "ba-wan" had spread to different regions of Taiwan and is now considered by many as a national food.References
*林明德,
2002 , "彰化縣飲食文化", 彰化市：彰化縣文化局
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