The Chinese dish of seasoned minced pork served in a flatbread bun is called roujiamo. A specialty of Shaanxi, especially Xi'an, it consists of richly braised meat tucked into a round wheat flatbread called baijimo or mo.
The pork is usually stewed for hours with spices and seasonings, then chopped or minced before being packed into the bread. Vendors vary the seasoning and texture, so some versions are juicy and heavily sauced while others are drier and more aromatic. In Muslim areas, beef may replace pork, and lamb versions are also found in parts of northwestern China.
Roujiamo is sometimes nicknamed a Chinese hamburger because it is meat served inside bread, but it is not the same as a Western hamburger or a baozi. Baozi is a steamed, enclosed bun with filling inside the dough, while roujiamo uses baked flatbread split open and filled after cooking. The bread is often traditionally baked in a clay oven, although pan-cooked versions are common today.
The bread is associated with the Qin dynasty, while the braised-meat tradition is linked to much earlier Chinese food history.