Snip:Crusty dumpling

20190227

VOCAB NEEDS UPDATE

baźbaź, bazqbazq, [,pɑʑɘ'pɑʑ] 1) A kind of crusty dumpling typically made of wheat or rice [regarded as varieties of the same thing] starch and filled with various fried and cooked, often ground fruits. Prepared by steaming in small linen bags for a long time (anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days), then briefly roasting the dumplings to give the exterior with a harder "shell" or crust. The dumplings need to be sealed near airtight: if done right, the pressure built up inside during the roasting will make the dumpling pop slightly (going pff) when cut into, and if done wrong, it'll either not pff or pff (/just plain blow up) on its own when you don't plan on it doing that. The roasting process takes quite some skill, seeing how getting the internal dumpling pressure right is a challenge while also keeping the crust even. The end result often comes out looking like a particularly crusty pork bun.

The name comes from an endearing form* of the word baźu, bazqw, [bɑ'ʑɯ], a general term for ground up fried fruit.

The preparation of baźbaź is usually coordinated so they can be served fresh. Often they will be unpacked from their linen bags and roasted in front of the people bound to eat them, as a sort of display of the chef's skill as well as the dumplings' roast quality. Baźbaź are typically served as a treat** during holidays.


 * The "endearing forms" of Bep are a whole group of formalities and conventions, of which only a few can be accurately called diminutives.
 * The concept of dessert is not entirely applicable to the Bep. They count their closest equivalent to it as a separate meal, which often consists of a very plain and frankly unappealing first course (e.g. dried bread or plainly cooked apples) followed by several fancier, tastier courses.