土家烧饼

[wushijiao]

In just the past month or two, it seems like small little huts selling 土家烧饼 have popped up everywhere. It's crazy! They've gone from no locations to dozens and dozens in just a few weeks! I read in the paper that it is because start up costs are no more than a few thousand RMB.

(By the way, 烧饼 (shaobing), as I knew it in Henan, was a bread-like food about the size of a big hamburger bun. It wasn't sweet or oily, but rather a fairly filling staple food. In Henan, you could buy a hot shaobing from a street vendor for about 3-5 jiao. Since all the bread that one could buy in stores was disgusting, sweet white bread, my friends and I bought a lot of shaobing for making sandwhiches and things like that).

Anyway, the 土家烧饼 they are selling in Shanghai these days is very thin, crisp, and about the size of a plate. They put oil on it, and put small amounts of meat, along with slightly spicy seasoning. It does taste a lot like crispy Italian breadsticks, and, indeed, they're marketing it as Chinese pizza. A 土家烧饼 sells for just 2 RMB.

Is this a huge trend anywhere else?

Edit: I found this online, and so I guess they have it in Beijing as well.

http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/01/19/1060@2978091.htm

[skylee]

Does 土家 have anything to do with the ethnic minority of that name?

[roddy]

Been meaning to post about these for ages! They're all over the place in Beijing, and there's quite often queues outside. Way better than the spicy duck neck craze. High quality photograph of the delicacy here.

Roddy

[wushijiao]

No, I think they wanted a name that sounded fairly "土". As far as I know, it doesn't have anything to do with the ethnicity. There are also several coppy cat companies, although I'm not 100% sure which company was first . Apparently, this trend is from 武汉．

[roddy]

No, there is some connection with the ethnic group - there's a whole history of the 土家烧饼 on the back of the bags they come in from the stall near the north end of 新街口内大街 in Beijing. I'll buy one and type it up for you all . . .

[wushijiao]

there's a whole history of the 土家烧饼 on the back of the bags they come in from the stall near the north end of 新街口内大街 in Beijing. I'll buy one and type it up for you all . . .

Hmmm...delicious homework.

[skylee]

I'll buy one and type it up for you all . . .

好感動啊 ...

[roddy]

Well, it's a sacrifice, but . . .

This is how popular they are. The place closest to me sells them for 2.5Y, but they're square rather than round, so you get more then the round 2Y ones.

Roddy

[roddy]

Homework completed.

在湖北西北部有一个美丽神奇的地方 - 恩施土家族自治区。这里山清水秀，人杰地灵，他们的祖辈留下了许多有土家族风味的食品。其中，土家族掉渣烧饼做工精细，用料独特，口感酥脆，鲜香可口。对长年住在城市里的人来说是一种风味独到的土家族乡野美食。

original is here, on a currently-in-progress update of Signese.com.

[chenpv]

The only thing I know is that, at a blink, there have been three vendors selling this stuff around my campus. I tried it once, just so so I think. But my friend who likes it once told me that the three vendors have different brands: one is '掉渣烧饼' , one is '掉渣儿烧饼', and the other is '掉渣渣儿烧饼.' That's kind of funny, but I am not surprised to find another '掉掉渣儿烧饼', or '掉渣子烧饼'。

[roddy]

Can you still get these anywhere, or has the bubble completely popped? I've been craving one since winter's return . . .

[heifeng]

Omigod, I hope so! I haven't had one since last spring when the lil' place at BNU's north entrance was closed.....(why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[zhwj]

There's one at Xidan, just north of the bus stop on the east side of the street. It's not the kind that mixes the meat into the dough as well as putting it on top, though.

[roddy]

There are places that mix the meat into the dough as well as putting it on top Why was I not earlier informed of this?

Thanks for the tip, wonder if I'm desperate enough to go all the way to Xidan. I think I might be . . .

[roddy]

Found one!

Yong'anli subway station, exit A, and it's behind you.

I can understand there was need for a bit of a readjustment in the market - it seemed like half of Beijing was selling the things at one point - but I still think we could do more with a few sources of these.

[wushijiao]

I have yet to see it agian in Shanghai, sad to say.

[heifeng]

hmm...Roddy, I couldn't find that one that you mentioned. Then again, it was really hot on Saturday so maybe in my dehydrated state I totally missed it. I didn't see anyone carrying it around either. I asked about 3 locals who worked in the area and one guy said there was one but it closed...I dunno if that was the one you mentioned. I could just be completely blind though.

I also never saw the one at Xidan (at least as I stuck my face to the glass trying to look for it while on the 22 bus, but that was at night...so once again I may just be blind)

I think I saw one 2 months ago while on the 104 from BNU to the Zoo, but of course I don't remember the bus stop....

Did the bubble burst on these or are they just getting shut down for health reasons? It's just so strange that they would ALL disappear within 1 year...it seems like there are so many thing you could bake in an oven...they could just diversify their baking line and keep us well fed...

[Gary Soup]

They were available, but not ubiquitous in Shanghai when I was there in December. I'd see people eating them on the street, but don't recall if I actually saw the vendors.

[roddy]

If anyone is interested in the economics behind these stalls, I happened to come across the information for potential franchisees - tells you how much it'll cost to make each 饼, Seems you can get set up for under RMB 3000.

[muyongshi]

Slight continuation....in Mianyang they are only available in winter...I am expectant for November to roll around. It sounds like this might be the case else were. Just a note so in case people seem to think they always disappear around march/april.