Kompyang (光饼/Guang Bing)

Kompyang (光饼/Guang Bing)

Kompyang is a bread product originating from Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province and is made with lard, onions, salt and flour.

This food was named after Qi Jiguang, a military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Legend had it that when Qi Jiguang led his troops into Fujian against Japanese pirates, he noticed that the smoke rising up to the sky when the soldiers prepared meals could always indicate their location and incur the enemies. However, those pirates were not confused by the same problem as they brought onigiri with them. So Qi invented a kind of bread with a hole in the center so that they could be strung together to be conveniently carried along. Later, to commemorate Qi Jiguang's victory against the pirate raiders, the bread was named Guang Bing.