Manapua

Manapua is the Hawaiian adaptation for the Chinese food baozi. Its origins is in char siu bao. However, in contemporary times, the term is generally applied to a large char siu bao or other steamed, baked, or fried bao variations of different fillings.

Background
The prospect of financial reward found in the sugar industry caused the Chinese immigration starting in the mid 1800s. The Chinese would bring along with them their foods including baozi, a carbohydrate rich food essential for sustenance against the intense physical labor demanded in sugar production. Some of these Chinese laborers, who would later be known as a "manapua man", would peddle their char siu bao in the plantation fields and to other plantation camps by foot and later by vehicle for additional income.

These char siu bao would later be known as manapua, said to be a contraction or creole-pidgin form of the Hawaiian words mea ono puaa, roughly translated as "pork cake" - meaono lit. "delicious thing" (definition applied to dessert, cake, pastry, cookie) and puaa meaning "pork" (or "pig").

These traditional char siu bao would eventually grow in size into the modern manapua known today. Bat Moi Kam Mau is credited with retailing the first large char siu bao in the 1940s at her manapua shop "Char Hung Sut". In the 1970s, the "Royal Kitchen" introduced "baked manapua" with various fillings which remains hugely popular today.

Description
While manapua dimensions are not formally regulated, once cooked, many are close to 4-5 inches (~13cm) in diameter and 3-4 inches (~8cm) in height. Ironically, char siu bao sold in many classic Chinese restaurants still retain their original size and shape and are simply known by its original name rather than as manapua.

Char siu remains a staple filling. However, its preparation is sometimes simplified to pork with char siu flavoring rather than being prepared with actual roasted char siu. Other fillings have been introduced, some reflecting the various ethnic groups in Hawaii. Other common meat fillings include: lup chong and hot dog which uses a full (uncut) sausage, chicken curry, and kalua pork. Vegetarian options include: black bean paste commonly known as "black sugar", azuki similar to anpan, Okinawan purple sweet potato (sometimes mislabeled as ube).

Novelty or uncommon fillings like chicken adobo, pizza, Portuguese sausage, SPAM, spicy pork bulgogi, pastele stew, matcha will pop up at festivals. If found to be popular, may become a permanent menu item. One local shop boast over 30 flavors and are deep fried. A single bun can be consumed as a "meal in itself" or divided and shared as a snack along with other local style dim sum items. Older standalone manapua shops will also offer a handful of other dim sum items such as fun guo known as "pepeiao", gok jai or "half moon" which are normally steamed, shumai or "pork hash". Like the manapua, these too, have become twice the size of their original counterparts. Manapua and these other dim sum items are often bought in bulk as omiyage when traveling to the neighbor island or out-of-state, or shared in office meetings or breakrooms akin to donuts.

Manapua Man
In the 1970s, manapua hawkers would trade in their carrying pole for a converted full-size van. These modern hawkers, affectionately known as a "manapua man," would drive their "manapua van" through neighborhoods very much like an ice cream truck playing music to attract customers or are found parked at certain locations like a food truck. They are a beloved sight for neighborhood children and passerby looking for a very affordable quick meal or snack. Some vans are more akin to a convenience store on wheels, sometimes not selling manapua at all. Items sold range from chow mein to candies, burgers to fountain drinks, and at one point, cigarettes and beer.

Urban legend
"Cat manapua" or manapua filled with cat meat is an idea sometimes brought up as a running joke seen in modern times as a microaggression towards the Chinese. Historically, some viewed the Chinese as stingy so much so that the Hawaiian translation of Chinese, Pākē (Pākē), is still used as slang for an extremely frugal person regardless of ethnicity. The urban legend of "cat manapua" often implied that the Chinese were producing manapua made with feral cats to avoid paying extra for pork.