Shuangbaotai
Shuangbaotai (simplified Chinese: 双胞胎; traditional Chinese: 雙胞胎; pinyin: shuāngbāotāi) or horse hooves is a sweet Taiwanese fried dough food with chewy dough containing large air pockets on the inside and a crisp crust on the outside. It is made by twisting two small pieces of dough together and frying them, causing them to separate slightly while remaining connected.[1]
![]() Fried shuangbaotai with sesame seeds  | |
| Alternative names | Horse hooves | 
|---|---|
| Type | Doughnut | 
| Place of origin | Taiwan | 
| Main ingredients | Dough | 
| 雙胞胎 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 雙胞胎 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 双包胎 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | twins | ||||||||||
  | |||||||||||
| Minnan name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 馬花糋 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 马花糋 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | horse hoof cake | ||||||||||
  | |||||||||||
Names
    
The Mandarin Chinese name of this food, shuāngbāotāi (Chinese: 雙胞胎) meaning "twins", is derived from the fact that the dish is two pastries twisted slightly together as if conjoined twins. The Taiwanese Hokkien name is 馬花糋 (bé-hoe-chìⁿ), which roughly means "horse-hoof cake", also in reference to its shape. Another Hokkien name is 雙生仔 (siang-siⁿ-á) meaning twins.
Regional
    
In Taiwan, shuangbaotai are a type of snack (xiaochi) typically sold by hawkers at street stalls or in night markets, but not in regular restaurants or bakeries.
Shuangbaotai sold as xiaochi street food
See also
    
- Taiwanese cuisine
 - List of desserts
 - List of doughnut varieties
 - List of fried dough varieties
 
 Food portal
Other Chinese fried dough dishes
    
References
    
- "【記憶裡的古早味】雙胞胎、甜甜圈、麻花捲,中式點心的八里夢工廠 - 文化銀行|BANK OF CULTURE". 文化銀行|BANK OF CULTURE (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
 
External links
    
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shuangbaotai. | 
- YTower — A famous maker of shuangbaotai (in Chinese)
 - Shuangbaotai at Chiayi Tourism Bureau website — includes photos of shuangabotai (in Chinese)
 

