Yes, this is really my fourth blog post about food. I’m OBSESSED. I’m a huge foodie, what can I say?
So, I just thought to introduce… what dumplings really are, and what they mean. Ok, ok, obviously, you (hopefully) already know what Chinese dumplings look like- delicious.
But do you know the history behind it? How it’s made?
Well, if you don’t, then I SHALL EXPLAIN!
Ok, let me quickly describe dumplings. They’re delicious. The end. Just kidding. I’ll explain further. There’s just something about dumpling- maybe it’s the deliciously crunchy outside, maybe it’s the warm and soft inside… but dumplings are not only my favorite Chinese food, they are also my favorite food in the whole world! Hard to believe. 😉
The history of dumplings.
Ok, the title already sounds like this will be extremely boring, but I’m not a history professor, so I’m just going to condense it all into a quick over-simplified kid’s version.
Basically, this dude moved to a province in China when it was winter time. Everyone was suffering from frostbite in their ears and fingers and noses, and no one liked him. So then the dude decided to try and fix the problem of the frostbite by wrapping up fillings inside of dough, to make them look like little ears. He thought this was cute, so he passed it around to his neighbors. They all loved his creation, and so dumplings were born!
Jeez, I’m extremely grateful for that dude.
What dumplings mean.
If you Googled it up, Google would tell you that dumplings mean “a small savory ball of dough (usually made with suet) which may be boiled, fried, or baked in a casserole.”.
But what dumplings truly mean are a way of connecting people for the Chinese New Year. Dumplings also look like money (haha, weird fact), so they mean wealth. Interesting, right? Some people even take it this far- they put coins in some of their dumplings!
How dumplings are made.
Ok, now we’re getting to the interesting part. Dumplings are basically just meat or any type of filling wrapped in dough. That’s literally it. But I like to say there is a certain art to making dumplings- there is finesse, and a specific way to make it. Gosh, now I sound like a connoisseur of dumplings.
But, either way, the hardest part is definitely wrapping it in dough! If you wrap it badly, it looks terrible. That’s why most Chinese mothers or fathers teach their kids how to not mess up the beautiful dumpling.
Alright, now that I’ve effectively written dumplings around 10,000 times, and explained the art of making it, I’m going to let that all stew around in your head.
Bye!
PS. Go eat a dumpling.