xianbing

English

Etymology

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 餡餅 / 馅饼 (xiànbǐng).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃjænˈbɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

xianbing (plural xianbing)

1. A traditional kind of Chinese stuffed pancake.
   • 2001, Yunxiang Yan, “McDonald’s in Beijing: the localization of Americana”, in Daniel Miller, editor, The History and Regional Development of Consumption (Consumption: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences; volume II), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, part 8, “Far East”, page 340:

     As a Beijing worker commented, at best a hamburger is the equivalent of xianbing, a type of Chinese pancake with meat inside, which no one would treat as a daily meal.

   • 2008 August 8, Milo Lee, “He who has never eaten Jiumen Snacks is not a true man”, in Beijing Today, number 375, page 18:

     Niangao, Xianbing, Doufunao and Wandouhuang, all freshly made, are laid on the counter.

   • 2008 August 27, Ming Tsai, “Ming Tsai finds some good eating in Beijing”, in The Boston Globe, volume 274, number 58, Boston, Mass., page E2, column 3:

     We also had sweet and spicy pine nut crispy fish (I devoured the head for the cheeks and eyes) and a cumin lamb quesadilla called xianbing, super-crunchy with an almost Mexican-tasting filling.

   • 2010 February, “Shandong”, in The Beijinger, page 49, column 1:

     An Die An Niang This no-frills Shandong eatery at Chaoyang Park West Gate makes great down-home zhou (rice porridge), stuffed pies (xianbing) and some of the biggest baozi in town.

   • 2010 November, “Circles”, in The Beijinger, section “mending roubing (门钉肉饼 doornail pie)”, page 20:

     Field notes: Cousin to xianbing (餡餅), which are wider (palm-sized), flatter and often stuffed with meat, chives or eggplant.

   • 2010 December, Olivia Lee, “Food Flight: Eating healthy on long distance flights”, in beijingkids, page 24:

     Grain or bean salads, boiled dumplings, savory muffins and even Beijing snacks such as xianbing or shaobing are worth consideration.

   • 2017 September, “Wokipedia”, in The Beijinger, →ISBN, section “X”, page 27:

     …xianbing 餡餅 / Think of xianbing (literally “stuffed pancake”) as big, portable potstickers. […] Xianbing are common throughout northern China, particularly in Chinese-Islamic communities, where fillings made from beef or lamb mixed with onion are common.

   • 2018, Howie Southworth, Greg Matza, “Zhurou Xianbing 豬肉餡餅 (Pan-Fried Pork Pockets)”, in Chinese Street Food: Small Bites, Classic Recipes, and Harrowing Tales Across the Middle Kingdom, New York, N.Y.: Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN:

     An inordinate number of street food legends begin with Emperor Such-and-Such sneaking away from the palace for a forbidden snack. Xianbing is no exception. […] The tale of xianbing must be true, since it’s the only filled pancake in the Chinese universe of filled pancakes to earn the literal name xianbing, or “filled pancake.” […] When he finally got up to the front, the aroma was so intoxicating that he bought up all of the xianbing.

   • 2018 September, Robynne Tindall, “Flipping Delicious: China’s Most Beloved Pancakes and Breads”, in The Beijinger, →ISBN, page 27:

     餡餅 xianbing (stuffed bun) / Similar to a large, round pan-fried dumpling, xianbing come stuffed with a variety of different fillings, such as pork and dumplings or egg and chives.

Translations

pancake

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 餡餅 / 馅饼 (zh) (xiànbǐng)

• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 함병 (hambyeong)