Shandong Jianbing

Jianbing

A vendor applies hoisin sauce to jianbing being heated on cooking surface
Type	Bread
Place of origin	China
Region or state	Shandong and Tianjin
Associated national cuisine	Chinese
Main ingredients	Wheat
Ingredients generally used	Eggs

Jianbing (simplified Chinese: 煎饼; traditional Chinese: 煎餅; pinyin: jiānbǐng; literally: "fried pancake") is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crepes. It is a type of bing generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts." The main ingredients of jianbing are a batter of wheat and grain flour, eggs and sauces. It can be topped with different fillings and sauces such as buocui (薄脆 crispy fried cracker), chopped or diced mustard pickles, scallions and coriander, chili sauce or hoisin sauce depending on personal preference. It is often folded several times before serving.

Jianbing is now spreading to the West in cities such as New York City, Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco, sometimes with modifications for Western tastes.

Jianbing originated in the Northeast of China. Its history can be traced back 2,000 years to Shandong province during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). According to legends, chancellor Zhuge Liang encountered the problem of feeding his soldiers after they lost their woks. He ordered the cooks to mix water with wheat flour to make batter, then spread it on shields, or flat copper griddles over a flame. The dish raised the soldiers’ morale and helped them win the battle. After that, jianbing was passed down through generations in Shandong province and gradually spread to different parts of China.