50 Fun Facts About Dumplings

Which Chinese scholar mentioned dumplings in a poem about 1,700 years ago?

His fu poem is one of the oldest written references to the food anywhere.

Preserved dumplings over 1,000 years old were found in tombs at which Chinese site?

The Xinjiang oasis's dry climate preserved the Six Dynasties-era food.

Jiaozi are traditionally credited to which Han-dynasty figure?

Zhang Zhongjing is said to have made them one winter to help the poor, who lacked warm clothes and enough food.

What ailment were the original jiaozi meant to treat, hence their old name?

Zhang Zhongjing saw common people suffering in winter without warm clothes or enough food.

Jiaozi symbolise wealth because they resemble what?

The boat-shaped sycee were the money of Imperial China, which is why the dumplings star at New Year in the north.

The Western term 'potsticker' derives from which Chinese word?

It literally means 'pot stick' and refers to pan-fried jiaozi.

Gyoza reached Japan mainly through what event?

Millions came home after the Second Sino-Japanese War, bringing a taste for jiaozi with them.

Jiaozi are traditionally served with a dip of soy sauce and what?

They can be boiled, steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried, baked or served in soup.

What does the name xiaolongbao literally mean?

The xiaolong is the small bamboo steamer they are cooked in.

The best-known style of xiaolongbao outside China is associated with which city?

The Nanxiang style is the famous one; Suzhou and Wuxi make them larger and sweeter.

The most popular kind of xiaolongbao originates from which city in Jiangsu province?

It is counted as an iconic dish of Jiangnan cuisine.

How many folds does Din Tai Fung put in each of its xiaolongbao?

The Taipei-based chain won a Michelin star for its Hong Kong branch in 2009.

Din Tai Fung began in 1958 as what kind of business?

Founder Yang Bingyi and his Hakka wife Lai Penmei ran the shop in Taipei before turning to dumplings.

The Cantonese name for wontons, wantan, means what?

When cooked, the dumplings float in the broth like small clouds.

In Sichuan, wontons are known as chao shou, meaning what?

The wrapper is folded into a triangle and the ends pressed together to look like crossed arms.

Har gow is a dim sum dumpling filled with what?

Its wrapper turns translucent when steamed, hence the name crystal shrimp dumpling.

Har gow, shumai, cha siu bao and egg tarts are known collectively as what in dim sum?

They are considered the classic dishes of the cuisine.

Shumai evolved into which snack in Australia?

Other descendants include Hawaiian pork hash and Indonesian siomay.

Baozi differ from most dumplings in that their dough is what?

They are a filled variation of the plain steamed bun of northern China.

Zongzi, sticky-rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, are eaten on which occasion?

The Duanwu Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and commemorates a drowned poet.

Which poet's drowning in the Miluo River is commemorated with zongzi?

Legend says his ghost asked that the rice be sealed in leaves and tied with coloured string to keep dragons away.

Tangyuan, glutinous rice balls in syrup, are traditionally eaten on which occasion?

The name sounds like the word for reunion, so they also appear at weddings and the winter solstice.

What are dumplings called in Korean cuisine?

They were long part of royal court cuisine and are now sold everywhere from supermarkets to street stalls.

Momos are steamed dumplings from the cuisines of Nepal and which other place?

It is unclear which side of the Himalaya they came from first; they are also popular in Bhutan, Bangladesh and India.

A popular Turkish style of manti is named for which central Anatolian city?

Turkic-speaking migrants carried the dumpling to Anatolia from Central Asia.

Manti's name is a cognate of which Chinese word?

It is also cognate with the Korean and Japanese names manju and the like, though those now mostly mean different dishes.

Khinkali, twisted knobs of dough stuffed with meat, come from which country?

They originated in the mountain regions of the east, credited to the Mokhevians, Pshavians and their neighbours.

Pelmeni are considered a national dish of which country?

They became a staple during expansion into the Urals and Siberia, and the name comes from Komi and Udmurt languages.

Varenyky are the emblematic dumplings of which country?

Compared with Polish pierogi they have thinner, softer dough and simpler fillings, most often potato.

Poland's first cookbook, which records pierogi, was published in what year?

Compendium ferculorum was its title; pierogi remain popular in Canada and the United States too.

What does the 'ruskie' in pierogi ruskie actually mean?

Foreigners often mistake the word for a different nationality.

Kreplach are traditionally served in what?

The Ashkenazi dumplings appear at Rosh Hashanah, before the Yom Kippur fast, and at Hoshana Rabbah and Simchat Torah.

Matzah balls are a staple of which Jewish holiday?

Known as knaidel in Yiddish, they are made from matzah meal, eggs, water and fat; some float, some sink.

What goes into a Semmelknödel, the classic Central European dumpling?

Knödel come in flour, bread and potato versions and can be savoury sides or sweet plum dumplings.

Maultaschen, protected by the EU, come from which German region?

The name means 'mouth pockets'; genuine ones may only be produced in the historical region.

Ravioli appear under the name 'rauioles' in which 14th-century cookbook?

The English royal cookbook shows how early the stuffed pasta was travelling.

Tortellini are typical of Bologna and which other Emilia-Romagna city?

The classic filling is pork loin, prosciutto, mortadella, Parmesan, egg and nutmeg, served in capon broth.

Legend says the tortellini's shape copies whose navel, glimpsed through a keyhole?

An innkeeper is said to have spied on the goddess and been able to see only her navel.

At which point in an Italian meal are gnocchi usually eaten?

They serve as an alternative to soup or pasta as a primo, though they can also be a side dish.

Which sweet dumpling is a favourite of the god Ganesha and offered at Ganesh Chaturthi?

The puja usually ends with an offering of 21 or 101 of them; the filling is coconut and jaggery.

The name empanada comes from a Spanish word meaning what?

In Ghana and Nigeria they are known simply as meat pies.

Apple dumplings are considered a cultural staple around which US state?

A whole peeled apple is wrapped in dough, its core filled with cinnamon, butter and sugar.

What kind of dumpling goes into American chicken and dumplings?

The comfort food is associated with the American South and Midwest and with French Canadians in the Depression.

What is unusual about the English Norfolk dumpling?

Unlike suet dumplings it is made only from flour and a raising agent.

Which fillings are named as typical of Polish pierogi?

Sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms and berries are also traditional; savoury ones get sour cream and fried onions.

Which mountain peoples are credited with inventing khinkali?

Traditionally the meat is coarsely chopped, a method still used in the mountains.

Momos are commonly served with a dipping sauce known by what name?

They can also come in soup, as jhol momo or mokthuk.

Knödel are usually made from which base ingredients?

They can be a side dish, a dessert with plums, or meat balls in soup.

Why do the wontons of one southern region dominate in the West?

Many other regional styles exist across China.

Xiaolongbao are often called what in English, a term that really covers a wider category?

In Chinese that translates to tangbao, which also includes the Kaifeng tangbao.