Char Siu
/ˌtʃɑːr ˈsiːuː/noun
Cantonese-style barbecued pork, typically marinated and roasted until reddish, glossy, and slightly sweet.
Did you know?The name refers to strips of pork traditionally suspended on long forks or hooks over a fire, while the vivid red color often came from fermented red bean curd or red food coloring—not necessarily a supernatural ingredient.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
叉燒
“A compound written with characters meaning “fork” and “roast”; the dish name describes meat roasted on forks or hooks.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
叉 / 燒
“The component characters were pronounced approximately as tsae or tsha, “fork,” and syew, “burn or roast,” in reconstructed Middle Chinese.”
19th–20th Century
Cantonese
caa1 siu1
“Cantonese pronunciation of 叉燒, referring to fork-roasted or suspended-roasted meat.”
20th Century
English
char siu
“An English loanword for Cantonese-style roasted pork and related glossy barbecued meats.”