I chose to make Chinese Dumplings, also known as jiaozi (饺子). I chose them because growing up they were one of my favorite foods. Some of my earliest memories were of eating homemade dumplings, made by my dad’s best friend, as soon as I returned home from school. When I made dumplings at home, I would always use the frozen ones, but I never tried making them from scratch before doing this project. I have also wanted to learn how to cook my favorite dishes, which I would usually buy from a store or restaurant, as I might not be able to enjoy outside food during the quarantine as freely as I previously did.

Dumplings are a great source of protein as well as carbohydrates. As the filling is composed of meat and vegetables, it brings protein and nutrients to the dish. Common vegetables included in the filling include green cabbage, scallions, and garlic. These vegetables are great sources of vitamins A, C, K, fiber, and folate. Dumplings are often served on Chinese New Year to wish everyone good luck and fortune for the next year. This is because the shape of dumplings resemble the shape of gold ingots, a form of currency in China. Some even wrap a coin into the dumpling itself during the holiday as a sign of good fortune for the consumer. Dumplings are also simply just a common staple in daily diets in China. They are a part of every meal, as they are simple to make, made for ubiquitous items, and are adaptable.

Dumplings have rich flavors and tastes, but they have an even richer history behind them. The history behind eating dumplings, especially during the Chinese New Year, surrounds the legend of Zhang Zhongjiang. The legend discusses how a doctor (Zhang Zhongjing), during the Han Dynasty, returned to the city he lived in after being away for a long time. When he was away, the city had suffered an epidemic during the winter, which left many of the residents cold and with frostbite, mainly around their ears. In an effort to help them and because he was a doctor that believed in the medicinal value of food, Zhang Zhongjiang created a filling of meat, spice, and vegetables, wrapped it in a dough skin in the shape of ears, and boiled them. He then gave each person two of the “ears” and some soup as a remedy for frostbite. Ultimately he cured people in the area of the epidemic with his “ears,” which later came to be known as jiao zi. The history behind this dish is quite rich and has created a significance that is so important and still relevant today.

I am very glad I chose to make dumplings for my project. Though it was not a new dish to eat, nor a new dish to make. I feel like I have a better understanding of this dish, not only regarding how it is made, but also when it comes to its symbolic meaning and functions. It is easy to overlook the meaning of a dish in a culture when you’re focused on consuming it; however, I am very glad to have also learned about the cultural significance behind dumplings. Cooking this dish was quite difficult. The overall process was not too laborious, but attempting to make the dumplings resemble dumplings was a failed attempt. I struggled to make the dough the right consistency necessary to create the crescent shape. I also struggled with the pinching of the dough to make the actual shape of the dumpling. In the end, though, the dumplings tasted good. Some barely resembled the dumpling shape, however. I enjoyed seeing how different cooking processes exist in different cultures as well. For example, when making my dumplings, I used a boiling method where I would boil the dumplings, add cold water, and bring the dumplings to a boil again. This is a method I had never used before when cooking American, Indian, or any other kind of food. It was an interesting process to learn and I see how I could apply it when cooking other dishes in the future.