Kompia

Among Foochow snacks,

Kompia leads the pack,

Bagel’s Foochow cousin,

Famous for a historical reason.

 

Invented centuries ago by Qi Jiguang,

A bun that soldiers ate on the run,

Based on Japanese onigiri,

Strung together in a string the soldiers carried.

 

Flour, salt and baking soda mixed together in a dough,

Kneaded with a rolling pin till it’s flattened enough,

With a generous sprinkling of seeds of sesame,

Hot from the charcoal-fired clay oven they taste so yummy.

 

Kompia can be addictive,

But you better have some strong teeth,

Crunchy when they are hot,

But hard when they are not.