Dumplings, one of the most iconic and popular Chinese dishes to date, have been around for generations. It’s been a staple of Chinese cuisine for centuries with its delectable, rich, and complex taste. There are a variety of different dumplings all with different fillings, textures, or flavors, including the xiao long bao (小笼包) dumplings, the shui jiao (水饺) dumplings, or the guo tie (锅贴) dumplings. This dish represents good luck and good fortune, and it’s traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year’s Eve in family gatherings.
This tradition has been around for approximately 1,800 years. So, what’s the history behind this classic dumpling dish? As the story goes, during the Han Dynasty in early 200 AD, there lived a Chinese medicine practitioner named Zhang Zhongjing (張仲景). Amidst a harsh and chilling winter, Zhongjing noticed that people were starving and experiencing terrible pain due to their frostbitten ears. Therefore, he decided to cook mutton in warming herbs along with chilis; these ingredients were chopped up and bound together in dough. He folded the dough in the shape of ears and proceeded to boil them. Zhongjing referred to his creation as “嬌耳” (Jiāo ěr) or “tender ears.” This dish was served alongside a steamy bowl of soup which improved blood circulation and kept the people warm. He served dumplings everyday from the Winter Solstice to New Year’s Eve, hence why dumplings are still traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve. Ultimately, Zhongjing’s creation cured the people’s frostbitten ears, and left behind a celebrated legacy.
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This was a very informative page. Even though i grew up eating dumplings my whole life, I still learned many things from this article!
I learned a lot from this article despite my love for dumplings. This was very informative and I applaud you for it.
Great article! It was very interesting to learn new things about something that I grew up eating.
Super cool article! I’ve had dumpling my entire life but I didn’t know this much about it. You learn something new every day. Keep up the good work.
I grew up eating dumplings and I had not known the history behind the creation of the dumpling. I thought it was really cool what Zhongjing did.
Wow! The article was very informative and I learned a lot from it. I never knew dumplings were around for approximately 1,800 year! Nice job.
Dumplings are one of my favorite foods from China. I didn’t know that it allegedly cured people from frostbitten ears or it used to be called “tender ears”. Great article!
I have tried many dumplings with different shapes, sizes, and ingredients. The story behind how dumplings were ‘created’ was very interesting. This was very informative!
惊人文章！我不知道中国传统的饺子已经存在了大约一千八百年了。在阅读本文的同时,我也了解了很多关于汉代的知识。谢谢你！
Great article. I love dumplings, and if I could I’d probably eat them all the time. But I didn’t know that it was so old. And the naming of the dumpling is so interesting, I never knew there was so much history here. Amazing read.
This article was very interesting. I have tried many dumplings with different shapes, sizes, and ingredients. The story behind how dumplings were ‘created’ was very interesting. This gives me a completely new perspective on this traditional Chinese food.
This was a really interesting article Carina! Before I read this article, I had always had dumplings as a kid and I still do. But I had no clue what the background was behind dumplings. I never knew that Dumplings went so far back in chinese history. Make sure to keep up the good work!
写的非常好的文章！ 饺子在中国是一个非常传统的食物。尤其是在北方过年，家家户户都吃饺子。谢谢你的文章
Dumpling are easily made, and can be made in home with family members. I personally love eating dumplings, but only the filling for dumplings. There’s different ingredients and shapes of dumpling, which is made by different people. Everyone has their own personal way of making dumplings.
This article was very informative and I learned a lot from it. I never knew dumplings were around for so long. I’ve had a lot of different kinds of dumplings, but I stil learned more about them reading this article
Very interesting article! The influence of dumplings on Chinese culture is really amazing, especially during Chinese New Year’s Eve. I never knew the story behind the creation of the dumpling, or how they were originally called “tender ears.”
我学到了饺子是中国的传统美食，是张仲景在发明的，初衷是治好人们冻伤的耳朵
I’ve always loved eating dumplings and I never knew there was such a large history behind it all. Very cool article and I learned a lot from it
Dumplings have and will always be an iconic piece of the Chinese culture and it’s great to see the history behind it. Great article on explaining the history and what the food has meant to Chinese culture.
Very nice article. Ive always eaten dumplings, and its nice to know the history behind it!