(Guest post by Dr. Martha A. Brozyna of Passaic County Community College; complete bio found below)
Raviolis. Empanadas. Samosas. Pierogis. Although they come from different cultures, they are all essentially dumplings. Fried, baked, steamed, fried, or boiled; they are several ways to cook them, but one thing is sure; almost everyone around the world has eaten dumplings in one style or another.
Food historian Alan Davidson noted that the origin of dumplings was as a food for peasants, and the food’s ubiquity certainly owes much to its origin as food consumed by the poorest strata of society. What better way to stretch a limited supply of meat than to stuff it into dough – a useful trick to keep a belly feeling fuller longer. Additionally, dumplings served to preserve meat, cheese or vegetables in a handy pocket.
At their most basic level, dumplings are made from some kind of flour mixed with salt and water. Other ingredients, fillings, (where added), and methods of preparation reflect the local culinary traditions of the region in which they are prepared.
Fun facts about dumplings!
1. Dumplings are the original, on-the-go food
Don’t have time to eat breakfast? Facing a long day of meetings with very little time in between? No worries; you can conquer your busy day just as a 13th century Mongol would do it – by packing some manti to take with you.
Manti (also called manta) are believed to have originated with the Mongols, who by the late 13th century had conquered a sizable amount of Asia and Eastern Europe, and brought this particular style of dumpling with them all the way from China to Turkey during their series of conquests. Manti were filled with vegetables and/or with various meats (including horse!)
Today you can find manti on menus all over Central Asia, (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan) to the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan).
2. Dumplings helped build empires
The Mongols may have taken the manti on the road while they pillaged their way to creating a far-flung empire, but they weren’t the first to do so. The ancient Romans ate a kind of gnocchi made from semolina flour and eggs. It’s believed the Roman legions carried these gnocchi with them as their empire expanded. As new populations came under the sway of the Roman Empire, they also adopted the gnocchi recipe.
3. Dumplings helped build fortunes
One the richest men in China made his fortune from the production of dumplings. Surgeon turned businessman Chen Zemin always enjoyed fiddling with electronics, fixing old appliances and cooking. He combined these hobbies to create Sanquan Foods, a frozen food company. Zemin patented a method of freezing rice balls that wouldn’t spoil their texture while his second patent stopped rice balls from getting freezer burn, (which was also applicable to pot stickers). According to Forbes.com, as of October 2014, Zemin and his family are worth about $970 million.
4. Dumplings have religious qualities
Not all dumplings are savory. The modak, which hail from India, are filled with grated coconut and cane sugar, making them sweet. They are bell-shaped and bear a striking resemblance in their shape to Hershey kisses, although they are larger in size and, of course, made of dough rather than chocolate. During the Hindu festival Ganesha Chaturthi, twenty-one modaks are offered to Lord Ganesh, god of wisdom, knowledge and new beginnings.
5. Dumplings have medicinal qualities
Chinese legend says that the creator of the first dumpling was a physician who lived in the second half of the third century named Zhang Zhongjing. Disturbed at seeing his village’s inhabitants suffer from frostbitten ears one winter, Zhang formed dumplings in the shape of ears, hence their moniker jiaozi or “little ears,” and fed these to the villagers.
The jiaozi that Zhang made were said to have been filled with lamb and herbs. Today, jiaozi are eaten during Chinese New Year and can be filled with any type of meat or vegetable, depending on the region.
6. Dumplings are associated with ears more than any other body part
The Chinese aren’t the only people to shape their dumplings like ears. The Poles eat their own version of ear-shaped dumplings called uszka, or “little ears.” Uszka can be filled with meat or mushrooms, and their diminutive size makes them the perfect companion to red borscht.
Similarly, pelmeni, which translate into “ear bread” can be put into borscht, but are also eaten on their own. Pelmeni originated in Siberia, but are eaten throughout Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The anatomical-fashioned dumpling runner-up to the ear is the navel; tortellini are sometimes called “belly buttons.”
7. Dumplings made of potato are a “modern” phenomenon
The original Roman gnocchi were made out of semolina. Potatoes were only available in Europe and Asia following their discovery in the Americas, many centuries later. Thus the potato gnocchi were first produced after the 16th century. Potato dumplings aren’t just found in the Italian peninsula.
Throughout Northern and Central Europe, you can find all kinds of potato-based dumplings including the German Kartoffelknoedel and the Swedish pitepalt, which are usually served as a side dish for meat. In the Czech Republic and Hungary, potato dumplings can contain small, whole fruit like plums and apricots and are often served with butter and sugar. Probably the most decadent of the potato dumplings come from Slovakia. Bryndzové halušky are small dumplings that are served with sheep milk cheese and bacon.
Your Thoughts/Experiences/Reactions?
Are you a fan of dumplings–or the other foods that are, essentially, dumplings? If so, what kind and from where? What do you like most about them?
Did any of the facts listed above surprise you? If so, which ones and why?
Which of these dumplings would you most like to taste?
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Bio
Martha A. Brozyna is a history instructor at Passaic County Community College. Her love of food and her interest in the history of food and culture stem from her love of eating, entertaining and traveling. Martha began teaching herself how to cook while in graduate school. She holds a Ph.D. in Medieval European History from the University of Southern California.
Martha is the author of Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages: A Medieval Source Documents Reader, (McFarland & Co., 2005) and co-author of Contrarian Ripple Trading: A Low-Risk Strategy to Profiting from Short-Term Stock Trades, (John Wiley & Sons, 2007).
Photo Credits
Toasted Ravioli–by Timothy Boyd. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr.
Mantu–by Spc. Amber Leach (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons.
Mongols–by Sayf al-Vâhidî (no author page found) via Wikimedia Commons.
Gnocchi with truffle–by Luigi Anzivino. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Savouries by Mahesh Mutta (no author page found). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kreplach ClearSoup— by Zlerman. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons