The origin of steamed stuffed bun can be found in The Origin of Things compiled by Gao Cheng in Song Dynasty: "Zhuge Liang's southern expedition, taking noodles and painting people's heads as sacrifices".
According to legend, after Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo with seven hands and seven feet, when he reached Lushui, the army could not cross the river, so he cut the beef and mutton into meat paste and mixed it into meat stuffing, wrapped it in flour to make it look like a human head, and the army crossed smoothly after the sacrifice. This kind of sacrifice was called "Man Tou", also called Man Tou, and later called "Steamed Bread".
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, steamed bread gradually became the staple food of Yin rich families. Not only did Han people in the Central Plains like to eat it, but also the Qidan nobles in Liao countries regarded it as delicious.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, the "wine shop" in Mengliang Record recorded that the hotel specializes in grouting steamed buns, thin-skinned spring cocoon steamed buns, shrimp steamed buns and so on. The "Bao er" called here should be the "steamed stuffed bun" in dialect. At this time, the stuffing of steamed buns is already very rich, but it is still steamed buns and steamed buns that are not specifically divided.
In the Qing dynasty, steamed bread and steamed buns finally had a clear distinction. It is recorded in "Clear Barnyard Notes" that steamed bread, as the head of a steamed bun, has no stuffing and must be accompanied by dishes when eating. The so-called steamed bread in the south is also fermented and steamed with crumbs and bulged into a circle, but it is actually steamed buns and steamed buns, which have existed in the Song Dynasty.
Today, the north and south still have different names for steamed buns, and the stuffing and taste are also different. Northerners are bold-minded, and the choice of stuffing for buns is even rougher. Carrots, kelp, vermicelli, eggs, eggplant, dried beancurd and sauerkraut can all be stuffed, and the taste is crisp or raw. Southerners are delicate and gentle, advocate light and small eating habits, and seem to pay less attention to satiety and pursue fine production standards, requiring thin skin without leaking juice to show superb production skills.