Dumplings

Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fish, tofu, cheese, vegetables, fruits or sweets. Dumplings may be prepared using a variety of methods, including baking, boiling, frying, simmering or steaming and are found in many world cuisines. In the United States in May 2015 National Day Calendar listed National Dumpling Day as held on September 26, annually.

African

Banku and kenkey are defined as dumplings in that they are starchy balls of dough that are steamed. They are formed from fermented cornmeal. Banku is boiled and requires continuous kneading, while kenkey is partly boiled then finished by steaming in corn or banana leaves.

Tihlo—prepared from roasted barley flour—originated in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and is now very popular in Amhara as well and spreading further south.

Souskluitjies are dumplings found in South Africa. They are a steamed sweet dumpling, sometimes made with plain flour and sometimes with the addition of dried fruits or other flavors. They are often served with a syrup flavored with cinnamon or a custard sauce.

South Africa has another kind of dumpling known as melkkos. These dumplings are formed by putting milk, one teaspoon at a time, into a dry flour mixture. The flour clings to the milk and forms dumplings, which are then boiled in a mixture of milk and butter. They are served hot and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

South Africa also has a kind of dumpling-dough called dombolo, ujeqe or steam bread, which is very popular and common in South African cuisine.

Caribbean and Latin America

Empanadas, whose stuffing, manufacture and types are numerous and varied, differ from traditional dumplings in that they are deep fried, steamed, or oven baked, and excess dough is not cut off.

Bajan

In Barbados, dumplings differ from those in other Caribbean islands in that they are slightly sweetened. The dumplings may either be of the flour or cornmeal variety. The dough is flavoured with spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dumplings are often added with Bajan soup where they are boiled. When found in Stew food, the dumplings are steamed along with ground provision, salted meat, plantain and other ingredients which is served with gravy.

Brazilian

In Brazil, there are:
* Pastéis, thin dough that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings, such as condimented ground beef, chicken, shrimp, mixed vegetables, cheese, or even sweets, then fried or baked.
* , muffin-shaped dough stuffed primarily with chicken, cheese or seafood.
* Coxinhas, thick dough stuffed with chicken (could be described as a chicken corn dog), and
* bolinhas, which literally translates to 'little balls', can have meat (bolinhas de carne) or cheese (bolinhas de queijo) inside.

All dumplings can vary of its original form with optional additions like olives, onions or spices. They are commonly served in parties. In some parts of Brazil like Rio it can be found in fast-food kiosks ('open restaurants', where there is no door to enter and you are served in a big counter) in the city or in parks, but it is very diffused through the territory, so you could find people who also eat these on the beach or after work with beer, fruity alcoholic drinks known as batidas, or non-alcoholic beverages like soda or refrescos (a sort of juice).

Caribbean

Dumplings are either pan fried using a simple recipe including all-purpose flour, water, and salt made into a thick dough before frying on a pan until golden brown, or boiled in a soup. The fried version is usually served with breakfast codfish as a side.

Chilean

In Chile, there are pantrucas, a type of flat, elongated irregular dumplings flavoured with fresh parsley and served in soup.
In Chiloé, a Chilean southern archipelago, one of the American regions potato is native from, traditional meal are "chapalele", "milcao", "chuchoca", "chuhuañe" and "vaeme". All of them made potato based, cooked or raw and sometimes mixed in different proportions of wheat flour, seasoned with lard. Some are flat and round filled with greaves and fried (milcao); flat boiled (chapaleles, milcaos), similar but bigger to "pantrucas or pancutras" or a roasted roll in a stick (chochoca). Size is one portion and regularly served as bread. Also are served with honey (mainly hot chapaleles, as dessert).
In Chile also existing traditional "papas rellenas". Boiled potatoes and flour dough; meat, onion, some cumin filled and fried; served regularly with crystallized sugar over.

Haitian

In Haiti, ''doumbrey'' are elongated flour dumplings. They are made with flour and water, rolled, and boiled in water before being added to soups and stews.

Jamaican

Dumplings come in three forms in Jamaica, fried, boiled, and roasted. All are made with flour, white or wheat, and the white-floured dumplings are often mixed with a bit of cornmeal. These foods are often served with a variety of dishes like ackee and saltfish, kidneys, liver, salt mackerel, etc. and often taste better when refried. A refried dumpling is an already boiled dumpling left over from previous cooking that is fried, which gives it a slightly crispy outer layer and a tender middle. A purely fried white flour dumpling (also known as a "Johnny Cake") is golden brown and looks similar to a buñuelo, often substituting the boiled dumpling, but it is mostly consumed as part of breakfast. Fried dumplings can be made with or without sugar. One popular variation is the Jamaican Festival a cylindrical fried dumpling made with flour, sugar, cornmeal and baking powder. These slightly sweet dumplings are served with all types of traditional Jamaican home food, particularly as a complement to the sweet-and-sour escovitched fish, as well as street food.

Peruvian

"Papas Rellenas" or stuffed potatoes consist of a handful of mashed potatoes (without the milk and butter) flattened in the palm of the hand and stuffed with a savoury combination of ingredients. The stuffing usually consists of sautéed meat (could be beef, pork or chicken), onions and garlic. They are all seasoned with cumin, aji, raisins, peanuts, olives and sliced or chopped hard boiled eggs. After stuffing a ball is formed, rolled over flour and deep fried in hot oil. The stuffed potatoes are usually accompanied by onion sauce consisting of sliced onions, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and slices of fresh peppers. The same dish may also be made with seafood. In some countries, yuca purée is used as the starch component of these Latin American dumplings.

Puerto Rican

In Puerto Rico, dumplings are made of grated tubers such as yuca and malanga with added calabaza, unripe bananas and plantains mixed with flour. These dumplings are a traditional part of Puerto Rican-style pigeon pea soup. Olive oil and annatto are usually added and help the mix from turning brown. The dumplings are formed into small balls and are first cooked in olive oil before boiling. Once the dumplings are crispy on the outside, they are then boiled with added ingredients.

Alcapurria is a popular fried street dumpling that resembles kibbeh. The dough is made from yautía, green banana, and lard and stuffed with meat. It's resembles a kibbeh.

The pastel, a dumpling made from a '' masa'' of grated root vegetables, squash, plantains, and unripe bananas, is greatly beloved here, especially around Christmas. The Puerto Rican variety has a tender, slightly wet consistency. The masa dough is mixed with milk and annatto mixed in oil or lard, then stuffed with stewed pork, chick peas, olives, capers or even raisins. The dumplings are then wrapped in a fragrant banana leaf, tied and then boiled or steamed. The origin of ''pasteles'' leads back to Natives on the island of Borikén. Pasteles are popular in the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Trinidad and lately seen in Cuban cuisine.

Salvadoran

Pupusas, a thick griddle cake or flatbread from El Salvador and Honduras, made with cornmeal or rice flour, similar to the Venezuelan and Colombian arepa. It is usually stuffed with one or more ingredients, which may include cheese (such as quesillo or cheese with loroco buds), chicharrón, squash, or refried beans. It is typically accompanied by curtido (a spicy fermented cabbage slaw) and tomato salsa, and is traditionally eaten by hand.

Venezuela

In the city of El Callao, ''domplines'' are fried and made from wheat. Usually filled with curry chicken and cheese. There are usually present in the carnivals of Calypso de El Callao.

Central Asian

Manti (also ''manty'' or ''mantu'') is a steamed dumpling in Central Asian and Chinese Islamic cuisine. It contains a mixture of ground lamb (or beef) spiced with black pepper, enclosed in a dough wrapper. Manti are cooked in a multi-level steamer (''mantovarka'') and served topped with butter, yogurt, sour cream, or onion sauce. These dumplings are popular throughout Central Asia, including in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Xinjiang region in China and the Caucasus.

Chuchvara is a very small boiled dumpling typical of Uzbek and Tajik cuisine. Made of unleavened dough squares filled with meat, it is similar to the Russian pelmeni and the Chinese wonton, but in observance of the Islamic dietary rules, the meat filling is without pork. Chuchvara can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with vinegar or sauce based on finely chopped greens, tomatoes and hot peppers. Another popular way of serving chuchvara is topped with suzma (strained qatiq) or with smetana (sour cream), Russian-style.

East Asian

Chinese

There is no unifying word for dumplings in Chinese. What are described as dumplings in English (e.g. the ''jiǎozi'', the ''wonton'', and the many steamed dumplings) are considered distinct from each other.

Jiaozi

= Overview

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The '' jiǎozi'' () is a common Chinese dumpling, which generally consists of minced meat and finely chopped vegetables wrapped into a piece of dough skin. The shape is likened to that of a human ear. In China dumplings usually refers to boiled dumplings. The skin can be either thin and elastic or thicker. There is even a statement that the skin of a dumpling determines the quality of the dumpling. Popular meat fillings include ground meat (usually pork, but can instead be beef or chicken), shrimp, and even fish. Popular mixtures include pork with Chinese cabbage, pork with garlic chives, pork and shrimp with vegetables, pork with spring onion, garlic chives with scrambled eggs. Filling mixtures will vary depending on personal tastes, region and season. According to region and season, ingredients can include oyster. Dumplings are usually boiled, steamed or fried and continue to be a traditional dish. Some people will place a coin or candy inside the dumpling in the hope of obtaining a fortune or having a sweet life, on Chinese New Year's Eve and special family reunions. In Northern China, dumplings are commonly eaten with a dipping sauce made of vinegar and chilli oil or paste, and occasionally with some soy sauce added in. However, ''baozi'' is ''not'' a type of ''jiaozi''.

= Traditions

=
Jiaozi are served in Chinese families at different times of the year. In ancient times, Jiaozi were not very common and were treated as a luxurious food for the common people. People make Jiaozi to celebrate important festivals and dates.

On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, Jiaozi are usually served at the stroke of midnight after a big dinner. The name Jiaozi sounds similar to an old saying in Chinese which means “stepping into a new era” and thus carries the meaning when people eat them at the moment of New Year. The remaining Jiaozi are stored in the refrigerator and reboiled or fried for breakfast.

Chinese people also eat Jiaozi on the 5th day after the Chinese New Year in the lunar calendar. There are many forbidden things to do in between the 5 days according to Chinese traditions. People eat Jiaozi on the 5th day, the last day of the New Year period, as a means to celebrate getting out of the forbidden traditions.

On the first day of the hottest days of summer, Jiaozi mark the beginning of the harvest. When people’s storages are filled with harvested wheat, which is made into doughs and Jiaozi to celebrate the success of future harvesting.

Particularly, in Northern China, people generally eat dumplings on the winter solstice in the hope of a warm winter. Extended family members may gather together to make dumplings, and it is also eaten at farewells to family members or friends.

= History

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According to legends, Jiaozi was invented in Eastern Han Dynasty between 150- 219 CE by Zhang Zhongjing, who was a popular Chinese medicine practitioner. When Zhang returned to his hometown during a harsh winter, he saw many poor people suffering from frostbite in their ears due to the bad governing of the emperor. Using his knowledge of Chinese herbs and medicine, he mixed Chinese medicinal herbs that heat up bodies with lamb and chili in doughs, folded the doughs into the shape of ears, put them in boiling water, and gave them to the poor people. After eating the wrapped dough with herbs and drinking the soup, people’s frostbite heals quickly. In memory of his help to many people, eating Jiaozi became a tradition during the winter.

Written records show that ''jiaozi'' became popular during the Southern and Northern dynasties ( 420– 589 CE) in China, the earliest unearthed real ''jiaozi'' were found in Astana Cemetery dated between 499 CE and 640 CE.

Wonton

The '' wonton'' (Cantonese name) or hún dun in Mandarin (雲呑/餛飩) is another kind of dumpling. The shape is similar to Italian tortellino. It is typically boiled in a light broth or soup and made with a meat or shrimp filling. The skin wrapping for wontons is different—thinner and less elastic—than that used for jiaozi . Wontons are more popular in Southern China (Shanghai, Guangdong, Hong Kong etc.), whereas in Northern China, jiaozi are more popular. Jiaozi, wonton and potstickers are each wrapped differently.

Baozi

Baozi are a range of Chinese yeast-leavened buns with fillings inside of them. Baozi can be either salty or sweet depending on its fillings. Famous types of Baozi include Cha Sui Bao, Shui Jian Bao and many others. Based on Legends, the filled Baozi was invented by Zhuge Liang, who made baozi and offered to a Chinese God for good luck of military operations.

Tangbao

Tangbao are Chinese dumplings that have soup in them, the most famous of these is the xiaolongbao (小籠包) from the Jiangnan region.

Xiao Long Bao
Xiao Long Bao, also known as soup dumplings are steamed dumplings from Jiangsu cuisine that originate in the Song Dynasty. They are prepared in a bamboo basket with either leavened or unleavened dough and are filled with minced pork and/or meat jelly filling.https://restaurantclicks.com/types-of-chinese-dumplings/ Our Guide to Popular Chinese Dumplings/ref>

Other Chinese dumplings

Another type of Chinese dumpling is made with glutinous rice. Usually, the glutinous rice dumplings, zongzi (粽子), are triangle or cone shaped, can be filled with red bean paste, Chinese dates or cured meat depending on region. Glutinous rice dumplings are traditionally eaten during the Duanwu Festival.

Chinese cuisine also include sweet dumplings. Tangyuan (湯圓) are smaller dumplings made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet sesame, peanut, red bean paste. Tangyuan may also be served without a filling. Tangyuan are eaten on the 15th day of Chinese New Year, or the Lantern Festival. In Southern China, people will also eat the sweet dumplings (tangyuan) with shape angle on the top, in the Winter Solstice meaning the harvest in the coming year.

See also: dim sum (點心) for descriptions of several other kinds of dumplings such as har gow, fun guo, siew mai, Cha siu bao, lo mai gai and crystal dumplings.

Japanese

* Dango (団子) is a sweet dumpling made from rice flour, similar to mochi. Dango is eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Three to four dango are often served on a skewer.
* Gyōza (ギョーザ/餃子) is the Japanese version of the Chinese '' jiaozi''.
* Nikuman (肉まん) is the Japanese variant of ''baozi''.

Korean

Korean dumplings are called '' Mandu'' (만두, 饅頭). It is considered that route through which dumplings were brought into Korea is through the Western Regions. The first dumplings in Korea are seen in the Hyowooyeoljeon(효우열전/孝友列傳) in Goryeosa (고려사, 高麗史), and it is said that they were made by a naturalized Khitan during the reign of King Myeongjong of Goryeo. They are typically filled with a mixture of ingredients, including ground pork, kimchi, Galbi, Bulgogi, vegetables, Cellophane noodles, but there are very many variations. Mandu can be steamed, fried, or boiled. The dumplings can also be used to make a soup called mandu-guk