Go Believe or Goubuli Baozi ( steamed buns)

The legendary Go Believe or Goubuli Baozi ( steamed buns) is a Tianjin delicacy, the premier snack among the three unique special foods of Tianjin. It is one of China's time- honored brands with a history of more than 150 years.Goubuli Baozi was honored as the National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.

 Goubuli Baozi is a snack made of wheat flour and pork stuffing. Thin skinned but fully stuffed, it tastes rich and savoury, tender and succulent, meaty but not greasy. What makes its making special is the semi- leavened dough and stuffing that is thoroughly mixed with water. Besides the thin and chewy skin, the meat filling is finely chopped and mixed with ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and rib broth. The bun is chrysanthemum shaped and turns out exactly 18 creases on each bun that are well proportioned. Folklore suggests that“ Ju De Hao”, the store that first sold Goubuli Baozi, was started in 1858 by Gao Guiyou, a young man with the nickname Gouzi, which means“ little doggy” in Chinese. Because of the excellent workmanship and generous quantities, his restaurant quickly became popular and attracted many customers. Such was Gao's popularity that he was always busy making and selling his steamed buns that he did not even have time to talk to his customers. People joked that“ doggy” sold buns and heeded nobody. Overtime the steamed buns acquired the name Goubuli, which means a dog that refuses to respond.
Since Goubuli Baozi is served at state banquets honoring the State leaders and visiting politicians each year, as well as the growing numbers of overseas tourists especially since the reform and opening- up, it takes quite some work as to the name- explaining. Officials, with the help of netizens, decided to give it a less canine English name -“ Go Believe”- in order to appeal to foreign guests, as well as boost its international popularity and pa ve way for the overseas market.