WHATEVER THEIR ORIGIN, WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT DUMPLINGS ARE FOUND THE WORLD OVER
The story of the humble dumpling is the classic rags-to-riches tale in the culinary world. Of lowly birth from uncertain origin – at least we don’t have a definitive record of it – probably as a lump of dough, dropped into a pot of boiling stew or soup, inadvertently or on purpose, by some curious cook, the dumpling soon grew to become a world adventurer. Its travels took it to the far corners of the earth and along the way it reinvented itself to suit the taste of the people it encountered, often becoming a coveted staple and sometimes attaining the hallowed status of being the headliner of important festivities.
While I like to think of the dumpling in this way, some food historians such as Alan Davidson, editor of the eminent Oxford Companion to Food, believes that the “dumpling is a food with few, indeed no, social pretensions and of such simplicity that it may plausibly be supposed to have evolved independently in the peasant cuisines of various parts of Europe and probably in other parts of the world too.”
Whatever their origin, what’s important is that dumplings are found the world over and they seem to come in endless varieties. Whether they are in their basic form – a dough made from cereals, grains and vegetables that’s boiled or steamed – or if they are filled with meats and vegetables then cooked in diverse ways, cooks never seem to tire of interpreting this most versatile and democratic of foods.
In Europe dumplings are legion, with each region boasting of their own claim to fame. For example, in Upper Austria, dumplings are so popular restaurants hold “Dumpling Weeks” when dumplings become the mainstay on menus. Reiberknödel, named after the word for grating, are potato dumplings made from roughly even measures of grated raw potato and sieved boiled potatoes. Griessknödel are made of semolina; mehlknödel from flour; and brotknödel from bread. Flour dumpling dough is also turned into wrappers and filled with bacon to make speckknödel (which are sometimes fried instead of boiled); meat fleischknödel; white cabbage krautknödel or chopped leftovers of beef or sausage.
As you can see, when it comes to ingredients, dumplings are not a priggish lot. Variety is also the theme of the Czech and Slavic dumpling called knedlíky which puts leftover bread to good use. Thelma Barer- Stein, author of You Eat What You Are, observes, “Anything that will form a stiff dough and can be made steamed or poached seems to qualify: rice, potatoes, many vegetables alone or in combination, chopped or mashed, bread crumbs or cake crumbs, brains, liver, ham, smoked meat, marrow - all combined with enough egg, milk and flour or crumbs to be shaped.”
In the inclusive world of dumplings, size also doesn’t matter. The free-formed German spaetzle, literally “little sparrow”; the pasta-related Italian gnocchi or “lump”; and the potato-based Polish kopytka all belong to a happy extended family of miniature boiled dumplings that are eager to sop up whatever sauce you care to toss them into.
But that is not to say dumplings don’t have a sophisticated streak. In Hungary, derelye, a cousin of the Russian pierogi, are served on festive occasions such as weddings. In Krakaw, Poland, the pierog is the star of its own festival. And in Glendon, Alberta, the perog was iconically honoured in the form of a 25-foot fibreglass roadside attraction next to the village’s Perogy Café which serves “Ukrainian and Chinese” perogies.
This leads us to the Chinese jiaozi. Kin to the Japanese gyoza and Korean mandoo, jiaozi, in myriad forms, have been a key part of the dim sum repertoire and as such have touched the hearts of emperors and lesser mortals alike throughout the ages. One style of jiaozi, which shape is thought to resemble the gold ingots that were used as currency in the old days, is now ubiquitous holiday fare during Chinese New Year celebrations because they symbolize wealth and prosperity. New luxury dumplings filled with high-priced ingredients like foie gras, sharkfin and abalone, aimed at impressing the nouveau elite, are continuing to promise at least a taste of the good life for the aspiring tribe.
Back to the European front, cutting-edge kitchens like El Bulli in Spain, Fat Duck in the U.K. and Alinea in Chicago are taking 21st century dumplings to new dimensions.
Lucky for us, it seems the meandering journey of the dumpling has not yet reached its end. Try your hand at some of our creative and delicious versions from the world of dumplings.
Recipes
European Plum Dumplings [1]
Hearty Game Hen Stew With Classic Dumplings [2]
Japanese Boiled Prawns and Cucumber Dumplings [3]
by Stephen Wong