(CRI)
Updated: 2008-01-21 11:58

Youtiao, or deep-fried dough sticks, are seen in a file photo. American fast-food chain KFC on Monday began serving youtiao, a quintessential Chinese food for breakfast, in all of its restaurants in China, making another step on its road of localizing it menu. [pdsdaily.com.cn]

American fast-food chain KFC on Monday began serving youtiao, a quintessential Chinese food for breakfast, in all of its restaurants in China, making another step on its road of localizing it menu.

KFC claims its youtiao, or deep-fried dough sticks, contain no alum, which is widely used by Chinese youtiao makers to keep the food fluffy and crisp, and which has sparked health worries.

A KFC representative surnamed Xu was cited by the Beijing Business Today as saying that her company spent over a year to come up an alternative for alum, but she declined to elaborate further about the substitute.

Each youtiao stick sells at three yuan (41 US cents), nearly three times as its price in ordinary Chinese restaurants.

KFC believes the new addition is a perfect complement to its already popular Chinese-style porridge selections, the report says.

More Chinese food is expected to enrich KFC's breakfast menu in the near future.

Another fast-food restaurant chain, McDonald's, currently has no plan to roll out youtiao, a representative was quoted as saying.