In Hokkien-speaking areas, Q (Chinese: 𩚨; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khiū) is a culinary term for the ideal texture of many foods, such as noodles, boba,[1][2][3][4][5] fish balls and fishcakes.[6] Sometimes translated as "chewy", the texture has been described as "The Asian version of al-dente ... soft but not mushy."[7] Another translation is "springy and bouncy".[6]
The term originates from the Fuzhou dialect and Taiwanese Hokkien word khiū (𩚨),[8] which has a sound similar to the letter "Q" in English, and has since been adopted by other forms of Chinese, such as Mandarin.[9] It also appears in a doubled more intense form, "QQ".[7]