QQ egg
 QQ eggs freshly fried at a Taiwanese night market | |
| Type | Fried food |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Taiwan |
| Region or state | Southern Taiwan |
| Main ingredients | Sweet potato flour, sugar, tapioca starch |
| Variations | Sweet potato balls (地瓜球), Chewy balls (啾啾蛋) |
QQ eggs (Chinese: QQ蛋; pinyin: QQ dàn) are a popular Taiwanese night market snack made from sweet potato flour and tapioca starch, deep-fried into golden, crispy spheres. They are also known as sweet potato balls (Chinese: 地瓜球; pinyin: dìguā qiú).[1][2]
History
[edit]The origins of sweet potato balls is told through two different accounts. In the first account, an elderly man cultivated sweet potatoes beneath a bridge. After a construction crew mistakenly dig up the potatoes he had planted, he fried the potatoes for sale to avoid letting them go to waste. The snack gained widespread popularity. In the second account, the snack features Taiwan's plentiful sweet potatoes and draws inspiration from sesame balls, a deep-fried Chinese dish.[3]
It is a signature snack at Taiwanese night markets.[3] QQ eggs have a Q texture that has been described as chewy.[2] In North Taiwan, the dish is called sweet potato balls (地瓜球). In Central Taiwan in places such as Chiayi County, Nantou County, and Yunlin County, the dish is called chiu chiu tan (啾啾蛋) or QQ egg (QQ蛋). In Southern Taiwan, the dish is called QQ egg.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Chung, Chih-chun 鍾志均 (4 February 2024). "潤娥見「地瓜球」開心一口咬下！ 自嘲中文退步了" [Yoona happily took a bite of a "sweet potato ball" and jokingly remarked that her Chinese skills had slipped.]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- 1 2 Qin, Amy (4 October 2018). "In Italy, 'Al Dente' Is Prized. In Taiwan, It's All About Food That's 'Q.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- 1 2 Wei, Clarissa (2023). Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation. New York: Simon Element. pp. 251–252. ISBN 978-1-9821-9897-8. Retrieved 3 August 2026 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Huang, Ching-ying 黃瀞瑩; Hsieh, Chun-chung 謝鈞仲; Hsu, Shih-liang 許世良 (18 May 2018). "地瓜球？QQ蛋？一秒分辨你是北部人還是南部人" ["Sweet Potato Balls" or "QQ Eggs"? Tell instantly if someone is from the North or the South] (in Chinese). SET News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
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