3.2. Mommy, Where Do Dumplings Come From?

I feel certain that in one of my mom’s past lives she was Chinese and had her own restaurant. You couldn’t tell it by looking at her of course, but her passion for cooking is proof enough for me. This is further endorsed by the magnitude of dumplings in our house. Whenever I come home the refrigerator is loaded with mom’s homemade dumplings or there Slavonic cousins, known as vareniks. When I visited Beijing for the first time in October 1999 I was astonished to hear that dumplings originated not in Siberia as most of Russians, Belarusians and Ukranians believe but in China!

Jiaozi (the local name for dumplings) were popular in the Middle Kingdom as long as 1,700 years ago. 

When I tell my Chinese and other foreign friends that I have always thought of dumplings as a Russian national dish, they raise their eyebrows and ask: “Really?” and rapidly go on to the next question: “Can you make them?” I have to answer honestly that I am good on theory, but my mom…

But my dear mom, maker of supreme dumplings, has no idea that some of Beijing’s restaurants serve jiaozi with 130 different fillings, flavored with up to 200 spices. The most popular filling in Beijing jiaozi filling is pork with cabbage or other vegetables – onions, carrots, coriander, chives and many more. Foreigners not accustomed to dumplings prefer the steamed buns known as baozi, a kind of hybrid of so popular in the North made from steamed bread and a meat filling.

The Southern version of jiaozi, called wonton or huntun, is tiny dumplings with egg and meat fillings served in a rich broth. Some insist that the origins of the name of this dish are in the word hundun meaning cosmic chaos, and that adding dumplings to soup is like putting the universe in order. Cuisine named in cosmic metaphors indicates just how seriously its host country takes food.    

Dumplings in China symbolize unity, harmony and balance, which is why they are a must dish at Lunar New Year. This symbolism derives from the process of preparation, as all family members generally participate in “wrapping” jiaozi. This turns everyday meal into a joyful and festive event. Its shape is also significant. Dumplings at Lunar New Year are crescent-shaped, also similar to the form of a silver ingot, ancient Chinese money, inviting prosperity and wealth in the coming New Year. The name jiaozi is actually derived from that of the first paper money ever printed.

At the mention of “rice” people all over the world automatically think of China, but it is the staple food of South China, not the whole country. Northerners prefer, as mentioned, noodles, steamed buns. Their delicacies also include dumplings and spring rolls – tiny pancakes made of crispy dough with various fillings. But the main jewel in the crown of Northern cuisine is without doubt Peking duck.   

This famous roasted duck was created by a Mr. Yang, purveyor of fatty birds, who upon deciding to change his occupation in 1864 opened the now famous Quanjude Restaurant. He invited the best chefs from Shandong Province, famous for its refined dishes, sent out spies to steal the secrets of imperial cuisine and invented his own duck roasting technique. Initially the dish comprised the bird’s crispy skin, served with shallots and special sauce wrapped in a small pancake. All the duck’s other parts were used in dishes ranging from stew to soup. Duck’s tongue and brains were (and still are) regarded as a delicacy.

During the 19^th century foreign diplomats in Beijing tried this dish known as Peking duck, and it there after became hailed and sought after the world over. When George Bush senior, former president and father of the current President, worked in Beijing as leader of the US Liaison Office in China (at that time there were no diplomatic relations between the USA and China so neither country had the other’s embassy) he developed a passion for the dish. Even today Bushes visit an American Chinese restaurant serves Peking duck at least once a month.

Anyone familiar with Chinese history is unsurprised by the strong Mongolian influence on Northern cuisine. The two most famous dishes – Mongolian barbeque and Mongolian hotpot – were originally soldier’s fare cooked over campfires. Meat with vegetables were fried on shields (barbeque origins?), and in some cases boiled together in a helmet – the birth of hotpot.

Hotpot is a great dish for keeping warm during the cold winter days. It is cooked in a copper over an open fire. Diners throw paper-thin slices of mutton, vegetables, noodles and tofu into a boiling sauce, which hotpot aficionados swear is crucial to overall enjoyment of the dish. Thick and richly flavored, it is a mixture of sesame paste, garlic, Chinese chives, red fermented tofu, fish seasoning and Mongolian spices.

Old-time hotpot ingredients were various – from beef and rabbit ears, to fish heads, to black pudding. Today’s hotpot is a sinicized version and demonstrating the essentially Chinese desire for balanced servings meat and vegetables.

But you can never truly know Northern cuisine until you try the snacks sold on Beijing’s streets. They are known as dian xin, a term that originates in the classical literary expression diancai suixin – “choose dishes according to the dictates of your heart”. In ancient times the most famous confectionery came from Hangzhou and Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) and the first person in Beijing to develop a passion for it was Empress Dowager Ci Xi. The court and commoners alike followed her lead.

These snacks come in a great variety. There are, for example, ai wo wo – tiny balls made of glutinous rice dough with a red spot on top and various fillings; wan dou huang – small pastry squares made of pea dough, a particular favorite of Ci Xi; qie gao – puff pie made of glutinous rice and read soya paste, to name but the three. If you are walking along the Beijing streets with a child you are unlikely to avoid buying a tang hulu – different fruits or big hawthorn berries on a stick and covered with caramelized sugar.

My personal favorite street food is jian bing, a tasty and a filling snack. It is cooked before your eyes so freshness is guaranteed. Liquid dough is poured on to a circular broiler, spread evenly with a spatula, and an egg or two (according to taste) beaten in. The mixture is then sprinkled with greens, smeared with various sauces and another crispy pancake of maize dough placed at its center. It is often folded in four and wrapped in thick brown paper. Armed with this mighty jian bing you are equal to all winter weather – even in Siberia!

 

Book “Chinese Customs and Wisdoms” (translated into English by the author) was published in Beijing in 2007 by the Foreign Language Press