SINGAPORE - Dirty is not how one usually hopes bread to be. However, a recent trend of "dirty" bread or buns, literally "zang zang bao" in Chinese, has proliferated in China and Taiwan.
Said to have originated in Beijing, the confection is so named for the mess that is left on the eater's face after he bites into the bun, which is dusted with toppings ranging from matcha to chocolate.
A report in the China Times said there were more than 50 bread shops in Beijing selling various versions of dirty bread.
Local bakeries have jumped on the messy bandwagon, rolling out their own spins on the treat.
BreadTalk shared a post on Facebook on Thursday (April 5) describing the four flavours of its messy buns: Ultimate chocolate, lemon white chocolate, dinosaur and green tea.
The ultimate chocolate and lemon white chocolate buns cost $2.50 each and $4.50 for two pieces, while the dinosaur messy and green tea messy buns are $2.20 each or $4 for two buns.
Proofer Boulangerie on Thursday shared a photo of its two versions: Dirty matcha with matcha buttermilk filling and dirty cocoa with cocoa buttermilk, for $2.50 each or $4.50 for two.
Keong Saik Bakery rolled its version out early - sharing a photo of its decadent chocolate dirty bread ($4) on March 1 on Facebook.
It later introduced a matcha version.
The trend has also spread to Malaysia, with Lavender Bakery & Pattiserie reportedly selling halal dirty buns at its Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru outlets.
