Dumpling Is A Sort Of Traditional Food In China

Dumpling, or "Boiled Dumpling", is a sort of traditional food in China. It originated in the Southern and Northern Period and has a history of over 400 years. Many customs regarding eating dumpling have been prevailing in China since ancient times, for example, eating dumpling at the New Year's Eve and on the midwinter day; eating dumpling is prevalent in many regions in North China during the festivals or on family-reunion occasions.
With unique fabricating craftwork, dumplings are usually made by poaching stuffed flour peels. Flour peels are prepared by means of five working procedures: dough mixing, dough rolling, filling mixing and stuffing. Dough mixing is usually done by using cold water and the well-mixed dough is then rolled to dumpling peels which are thick in the center and thin in the rim; filling is usually made of pork, beef, mutton, or egg and various vegetables; stuffing is done to form various shapes of dumplings such as roundness, flatness and crescent. Dumplings are prepared after poaching them in boiler until they float on the surface. In addition, dumpling peels can be made of steamed dough, short paste or rice flour; the filling can be made of meat or vegetables with sweet or salted savor; and cooking methods also include steaming, baking in pan, frying or deep frying.
Chinese families are accustomed to making dumplings with the participation of all family members. Some of them are responsible for mixing dough, some for rolling dough, and others for stuffing. They would like to have a chat while making dumplings, presenting a happy and harmonious atmosphere as well as intense atmosphere of festivals and reunion. Accordingly, dumplings are both food and a cultural tradition in the eyes of Chinese.