咕嚕肉
gūlōuyuk
Sweet and sour pork in Cantonese is 咕嚕肉 (gūlōuyuk).
This phrase refers to a Chinese dish consisting of fried pork pieces coated in a tangy sauce made from sugar and vinegar.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 肉 (yuk) is the final component of the dish name and is also the general word for meat in Cantonese. In Cantonese, adding zaa3 to the phrase indicates the cooking method of deep-frying.
How do you pronounce it?
gūlōuyuk
Did you know?
- Despite the English translation, the Cantonese name 咕嚕肉 does not actually contain the words for 'sweet' 甜 (tim) or 'sour' 酸 (syun).
- The word 咕嚕 (gūlōu) is an onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of water bubbling. It refers to the sound the sauce makes as it thickens and bubbles in the wok during the final stage of cooking.
- In Cantonese culture, the balance of 'sweet' and 'sour' is more than a flavor profile. These opposing tastes are often paired in traditional medicine and cooking to create a balanced 'harmony' that is believed to aid digestion.
Examples in context
- 我想食甜酸肉I want sweet and sour pork
- 有冇甜酸肉Do you have sweet and sour pork?
- 我想食咕嚕肉。ngo5 soeng2 sik6 gu1 lo1 juk6.I want to eat sweet and sour pork.
- 點樣煮咕嚕肉最好食？dim2 joeng2 jyu6 gu1 lo1 juk6 zeoi3 hou2 sik6?How do you cook sweet and sour pork to make it the tastiest?
Example conversation
A couple is ordering food at a Cantonese restaurant.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung志強，我哋叫咕嚕肉啦。zi3 koeng4, ngo5 dei6 giu3 gu1 lo1 juk6 laa1.Zi Keung, let's order sweet and sour pork.
- 志強 Chi Keung好呀，曉彤，你想叫咩多？hou2 aa3, hiu2 tung4, nei5 soeng2 giu3 me1 do1?Okay, Hiu Tung, what else do you want to order?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung我想叫個炒菜。ngo5 soeng2 giu3 go3 caau2 coi3.I want to order a stir-fried vegetable dish.
- 志強 Chi Keung得，即刻叫啦。dak1, zik1 hak1 giu3 laa1.Sure, let's order it right away.
