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Lisa Cam

While going over his business ledgers, Daniel Chan, the fourth-generation owner of Hong Kong’s Koon Chun sauce factory, made an interesting discovery. One of his biggest groups of clients came from Réunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, with a population just shy of 900,000.
“We were sending two containers of soy, oyster and chilli sauce there every month,” Chan says. “I was so curious why they would like our sauce so much.”
Chan took the 36-hour journey to Réunion, with stops in Mauritius and South Africa along the way, to find out.
Réunion Island was discovered by Arab and Portuguese sailors before the French claimed it in 1642, naming it Île Bourbon. It was initially used as a supply stop for ships, before the French East India Company began developing plantations, using slave labour from Africa and Madagascar to grow coffee, spices and later sugar.
The island was renamed Réunion during the French Revolution in 1793 but reverted to Bourbon under Napoleon before finally becoming Réunion again in 1848, when France abolished slavery. The 19th century saw the arrival of indentured labourers from India, China and Southeast Asia, shaping its multicultural society.
In 1946, Réunion became an overseas French department. Today, its history of colonisation, slavery and immigration is reflected in its Creole culture, blending African, European, Indian and Chinese influences.

When Chan arrived in Réunion, he went straight to a cafe for a coffee and a croissant – the French connection was obvious – but what he saw inside was surprising.
“Imagine going into a coffee shop like Starbucks to see rice cookers behind the counter,” he recalls. “I asked the staff and found out they were steaming dumplings. They called it bouchon [French for a cork] but it is definitely a siu mai [pork dumpling] and these are used to make their famous sandwiches, bouchon gratiné.”
According to Chan, a bouchon gratiné is made with a portion of baguette, slathered with the very chilli sauce he exports to the island. The dumplings are added to the sandwich and a layer of cheese is melted on top.
Audrey Harel, who is a trade adviser for the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong, grew up on Réunion Island and says the bouchon gratiné is a very common snack, often bought from food trucks.
“It was one of my favourite snacks after school,” she says. “It’s pretty heavy in calories but we eat it like you would a hot dog in America.”

There are many variations of the bouchon gratiné, most notably a version where it is layered with fries and then melted cheese, called the sandwich Américaine. There are also variations on the sauce, such as mayonnaise or ketchup.
Judging by Chan’s sales numbers, chilli sauce is a popular condiment for this sandwich, as confirmed by Harel.
“We can order the sandwich with chilli sauce, or mayonnaise with fries. My favourite is when the bouchons are mixed with combava [kaffir lime]. It gives it a zesty flavour.” Combava is the name given to kaffir lime in Réunion, and its zest is grated into the siu mai.
The components of the bouchon gratiné are a reflection of the culture of Réunion itself: French baguette and cheese, a sprinkle of the island’s own citrus, and its long history with the Chinese, many of whom originated from Canton, or modern-day Guangdong.
The first Chinese arrivals in Réunion did not come directly from China but were indentured labourers recruited from Canton and Malaya in 1844 to work in agriculture and infrastructure. Their brutal working conditions sparked violent resistance, prompting colonial authorities to halt Chinese labour imports after two years.
By the 1850s, a new wave of migrants arrived – not forced labourers, but entrepreneurs. Cantonese-speaking Sino-Mauritians, already established in Mauritius, began sending relatives to Réunion, training them in business before helping them set up shops across the Indian Ocean. Hakka migrants followed from the late 1880s, often settling in the island’s south, particularly in Saint-Pierre and Le Tampon.

Réunion’s relaxed immigration laws in 1862 also attracted Cantonese migrants directly from Guangdong, while Hakkas arrived from Meixian (also in Guangdong) and French Indochina. Tensions between the two groups were common, with each maintaining separate social spheres.
This migration continued until World War II, though the community remained small, with fewer than 1,000 people before the 1940s, almost entirely male.
Post-war, China’s strict border restrictions and extended French immigration laws effectively ended new arrivals. By then, Réunion’s Chinese population numbered around 4,000.
This long and enduring history with Guangdong serves to confirm Chan’s observation that the bouchon is a version of siu mai.
There is also a strong Hong Kong element to the Réunion sandwich. “The sour chilli sauce, which they import from our factory, is a style that is uniquely Hong Kong,” Chan says. “We add vinegar to give this chilli sauce a sour taste. It’s the same type we use as a dipping sauce for dishes like beef noodles.”

This Hong Kong connection can be traced to China’s border restrictions and the Guangdong immigrants of Réunion. Chan explains that the presence of provincial associations acted as support groups for Chinese immigrants from foreign lands and helped establish a trust network for traders before the electronic transfer of funds and modern communication were available.
“That is how my father and grandfather did business with traders as far as Africa, even in the ’50s and ’60s,” Chan says. “If we sent a shipment to a vendor overseas and they were late or dragging payment, we would rely on the head of these associations to help us follow up with their members. It’s not a good look for your clansmen and fellow merchants to know you’re in bad credit.”
Such an honour system means steady trade within the community. If the people of Réunion wanted a chilli sauce, it would make sense for the Guangdong merchants to order from the same supplier of soy sauce and oyster sauce.
The Chinese presence is so prominent in Réunion that Harel speaks fluent Mandarin.
“I had Chinese friends when I went to school, and I wanted to learn to speak their language,” she recalls. “It wasn’t mandatory to learn it at school, but it was an elective.”

Harel says that there are no more racial tensions between the Chinese, Indian, Muslim and French communities on Réunion now.
“Everybody knows each other. If you say or do anything, people would find out about it,” she says.
Like the beloved sandwich of Réunion that consists of some of the best things from several cultures, maybe there is something to be said about a small, tight-knit community that has learned to coexist with tolerance and mutual respect.
“I remember celebrating Christmas, Diwali and Lunar New Year in my childhood,” Harel says. “To me, it was all beautiful.”


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Food and Drinks

How a Hong Kong chilli sauce became a sandwich favourite 8,000km away on Réunion Island

Jars of Koon Chun’s chilli sauces. Photo: Antony Dickson

The bouchon gratiné is a favourite snack on Réunion Island, made with a baguette, chilli sauce, siu mai and melted cheese. Photo: X/ LudovicShooter

Daniel Chan, the fourth-generation owner of the Koon Chun sauce factory in Hong Kong, was surprised by how much chilli sauce he was selling to Réunion Island. Photo: Lisa Cam

Audrey Harel, trade advisor for the consulate general of France in Hong Kong, grew up on Réunion Island. Photo: handout

A Réunion Island baguette made with Koon Chun chilli sauce. Photo: Koon Chung Sauce Factory

The large selection of Asian condiments at a supermarket in Réunion reflects the island’s Chinese connections. Photo: Koon Chun Sauce Factory

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Jars of Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce from Hong Kong. The Cantonese condiment has gone global in recent decades and is found in everything from Vietnamese pho to weird-and-wonderful drinks and desserts. Photo: Getty Images

One of the most famous applications of hoisin sauce is with Peking duck. Photo: Shutterstock

A bottle of Lee Kum Kee hoisin sauce is seen in a restaurant in Los Angeles. Photo: Shutterstock

Trader Joe’s hoisin sauce. Photo: Trader Joe’s

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Sons & Daughters creator Suyin Looui (left) with her daughter and father Steffan in front of the Chinese-Canadian cafe he worked in growing up. Looui’s project tells stories of Chinese immigrants in Canada and their experiences in such cafes and restaurants. Photo: Suyin Looui

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Hong Kong-style mooncakes by Joy Jaune. Photo: Joy Jaune

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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Réunion Island’s famous bouchon gratiné, made from a baguette, dumplings, chilli sauce and cheese, reflects the island’s mix of inhabitants


Réunion Island’s famous bouchon gratiné, made from a baguette, dumplings, chilli sauce and cheese, reflects the island’s mix of inhabitants.


How a Hong Kong chilli sauce became a sandwich favourite 8,000km away on Réunion Island

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Réunion Island’s famous bouchon gratiné, made from a baguette, dumplings, chilli sauce and cheese, reflects the island’s mix of inhabitants

Réunion Island’s famous bouchon gratiné, made from a baguette, dumplings, chilli sauce and cheese, reflects the island’s mix of inhabitants