Manapua

Hawaii — brought by Cantonese immigrants from Guangdong province who arrived in Hawaii as plantation workers from the 1850s onward; the Cantonese char siu bao was adapted in size and sweetness to Hawaiian tastes; Honolulu's Chinatown (est. 1860s) was the centre of manapua culture; the manapua wagon delivery system was an institution from the early 20th century

Hawaii's adaptation of Cantonese char siu bao (roast pork steamed bun) — manapua is a Hawaiian pidgin contraction of 'mea 'ono pua'a' meaning 'delicious pork thing' — arrived with the 19th-century Chinese plantation worker immigration and evolved into a specifically Hawaiian product: larger than the Cantonese original, available in both steamed (soft, white, pillowy) and baked (golden, slightly sweet glaze) versions, and filled with char siu pork as the tradition but also with hot dog, curry chicken, sweet potato, or black bean in contemporary versions. The classic Hawaiian manapua is a comfort snack sold from wagons in Honolulu's Chinatown district and from every convenience store refrigerated case. The Honolulu manapua man — who pushed a cart through residential neighbourhoods calling out wares — is a cultural memory for multiple generations of Hawaiians.

Eaten as a breakfast item (warm from a convenience store refrigerated case, microwaved) or as a Chinatown snack; from Char Hung Sut (one of Honolulu Chinatown's oldest establishments, est. 1945); paired with a cup of black coffee or a can of Hawaiian Sun guava juice; the soft, slightly sweet, pork-filled bun is a cross-generational Hawaiian comfort food that transcends the specific Cantonese origin