char siu

Where does the word "char siu" come from? It comes from Cantonese cha siu, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Char siu’s story begins in Cantonese: cha siu meant “fork roasted.” Literally fork roasted, describing meat skewered and roasted over fire. It reached English by 1900s as char siu. Cantonese 'fork roast', from the long forks used to roast the pork over a fire. Today, char siu means a Cantonese style of barbecue pork, glazed and roasted until sweet and caramelized.

1. Stage 1 · Cantonese · medieval cha siu "fork roasted", literally fork roasted, describing meat skewered and roasted over fire.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s char siu "sweet, roasted Cantonese barbecue pork", Cantonese 'fork roast', from the long forks used to roast the pork over a fire.