Dumplings are dough wrapped around fillings such as pork, shrimp or chicken. They are eaten all over the world but under different names, including gnocchi, wontons and Chinese potstickers.
Zhang Zhongjan has been credited with inventing Chinese stuffed dumplings 1800 years ago during the Han Dynasty. During a cold winter Zhongjan noticed people were suffering from frostbite especially around their ears. So he took some mutton, chilli and herbs and wrapped them in dough to look like ears and handed them out to the villagers.
Although dumplings were invented 1800 years ago different countries have adapted dumplings to fit their national cuisine. For example in Japan they have mandu, in Italy they invented ravioli and in Poland they make pierogi.
In New York, food distributor Chef One was ‘inspired’ by the history of dumplings and now it produces 44,000 dumplings an hour.
In 2018 celebrity chef Ken Hom OBE supported National Dumpling Day.