These are even more labor intensive, requiring the batter to be painted onto the cake core as it rotates over the flames

Back in Europe, there is an entire other branch of the spit cake family in which the confection itself resembles a tree, from the Scanian Swedish Spettekaka to Lithuanian Šakotis, Polish Sękacz, and Belarusian Bankucha
www.itinari.com/a-dessert-wi...

This popularity is apparently due to former German military officer Karl Juchheim, who after serving in the German-occupied port of Qingdao during WWI, moved to Hiroshima and opened up the first of several bakeries under the Juchheim brand, which still exists today

Baumkuchen, named after its resemblance to tree trunk rings, also has an unlikely popularity in Japan, where it’s known as Baumukūhen, and is commonly seen at weddings due to the symbolic import of its circular shape
dessert-shop-rose.fandom.com/wiki/Hojicha...

Kürtőskalács is part of a big family of central European spit cakes, which span from the very similar Magyar Kürtősfánk to Trdelnik (Czechia/Slovakia), Prugeltorte (Austrian Tyrol), Baumkuchen (Germany) & Baumstriezel, a Transylvanian Saxon cake which is helical, not cylindrical

Variation has increased in recent years, with mounting popularity as a flashy festival food, resulting in adaptations in batter, new toppings, and often cheaper ingredients shortcuts.

The name here originates from a real-life couple, ‘30s-era Chengdu vendors Guo Zhaohua and Zhang Tianzheng, whose version of a venerable Muslim street food dish was notable enough for it to be titled in their honor

Update: I ended up finding a very tasty Bokit at a food hall on Prince Edward Island, of all places, where I also had my first taste of Kenyan samosa. foundersfoodhall.com/datchas/

Shooting off in another direction, the dish has also established itself as Kkanpung-saeu in Korea, where it becomes spicy again, in keeping with the local palate

www.koreanbapsang.com/kkanpung-sae...

In a continuation of the original theme, the Shanghai version leads to Japanese Ebichiri, a prime example of C/J fusion cuisine (Chūka), where sweetness completely outweighs the spice. Name is a literal translation of the original

sudachirecipes.com/japanese-ebi...

A common accompaniment is Salsa de Mani, an Andean peanut sauce that serves as a regular companion to potato dishes

www.laylita.com/recipes/sals...

Another essential element is the Mayo/Butter blend, sometimes known as “Bơ”, which confusingly just means butter in Vietnamese. Whether it’s called, it’s usage generally typifies the entire construction of the sandwich, signifying whether it will be heavy-handed or subtle

Key to great Banh Mi is very fresh bread, to which rice flour adds a little extra crunch, cosseting an interior of pillowy crumb. The best here is probably the sandwich at Ba Xuyên, which is wonderful, but NY does not have great Vietnamese food in general, for a variety of reasons

I haven’t visited Vietnam, but can tell it’s fundamentally impossible to find a perfect Banh Mi in New York, because I’ve had near-perfect Banh Mi bread (at Phở Tây Hồ) and near-perfect fillings (many places), but never the two in conjunction, which is frustrating

As in many other cases, Banh Mi just describes the bread on which the sandwich is served. Baguettes were introduced to Vietnam prior to the fall of the Nguyễn Dynasty in 1882, and transformed to fit the local palate and agriculture, baked with a mixture of wheat and rice flour

Dozens of varieties exist, including Bánh Mì Gà Nướng (Grilled Chicken), Bánh Mì Cá Mòi (Grilled Sardines with Tomato Sauce), Bánh Mì Ốp La (Fried Eggs), Bánh Mì Chay (Tofu/Seitan), Bánh Mì Heo Quay (Pork Belly), Bánh Mì Thịt Nướng (BBQ Pork) & Bánh Mì Xíu Mại (Pork Meatballs)