Fun facts about dumplings

Interesting facts about dumplings

? Wen/Ding Jianshe

Folk customs have distinct regional characteristics and are widely mobile and disseminated. Originally, dumplings were eaten during the New Year It is a folk custom in the Huanghuai area in the north. However, with the migration of people and the spread of food culture, especially as more and more northerners go south to work hard, and more southerners go to the world, this kind of sticker has The folk culture of Chinese labels has unknowingly become a common folk custom that is popular all over the country and even in Southeast Asia, and has a strong tendency to spread to Western developed countries such as Europe and the United States. Some places that used to eat rice cakes during the New Year are now making dumplings like northerners. Do you think it’s strange?

This is the power of culture! Despite this, the customs of making dumplings and eating dumplings vary from place to place, and the dumpling culture is also diverse. Dumplings in the north actually include dumplings in the broad sense and dumplings in the narrow sense. In the broad sense, dumplings are a general term for all kinds of dumplings and flat food, while in the narrow sense, dumplings are commonly known as "cat ears".

Let’s talk about dumplings in the narrow sense first, also called meat dumplings or meat dumplings. In terms of dumpling fillings, this kind of dumplings are mainly made of pig, beef, mutton, supplemented by radish, cabbage, shepherd's purse, etc., plus salt and various seasonings such as onions, ginger, peppers, and aniseed. The knife chops it into a sticky paste on the chopping board, which is called: pork and cabbage stuffing, beef and radish stuffing, pork and shepherd's purse stuffing, mutton and cabbage stuffing, etc. Dumpling wrappers are made by rolling the kneaded dough into a bun shape with a rolling pin, and then cutting it into squares one by one with a knife. When making dumplings, use chopsticks to pick up the finger-sized dumpling fillings, place them in the middle of the square dough, and just fold them gently to form cat-ear-shaped dumplings.

Dumplings in a broad sense include not only "cat ears" in the traditional sense, but also a variety of flat food. The fillings of flat food are mostly vegetarian vegetables such as egg leek, egg shepherd's purse, leek vermicelli, lotus root, mushrooms, etc., so they are also called vegetarian dumplings. The making of flat food wrappers is different from dumplings. It is made by first pulling dough blocks into round dough bones, and then cutting them into egg yolk-sized dough balls with a knife, and then using a one-foot-long small dough stick. Roll it into a round and thin flat food wrapper smaller than a palm. When wrapping, just put the vegetable filling on the dough, then fold it in half and pinch it tightly, and a good-looking and delicious flat food is ready.

The shape of dumplings is generally relatively simple, with no other shapes except the cookie-cutter "cat ears". The shapes of flat food are rich and colorful, incorporating many traditional crafts and cultural elements. There are lacy flat food with various hand-kneading techniques, and colorful flat food of various colors. Of course, colorful flat food appeared relatively late, and they are usually made of vegetable juice. The result of children and going to the surface. Especially the older housewives, not only are they outstanding in their techniques, but they also have a wide variety of styles. Each of the flat dishes they make are like finely carved handicrafts, neatly arranged on the pot patties made of Xuezi. Especially loved by children.

The methods of making dumplings and eating flatbread should be similar. You must boil the water in the pot first, and then pour the dumplings or flatbread evenly into the pot. In order to prevent the rotten skin from sticking to the pot, turn the spoon back and push it gently against the bottom of the pot. When they come to the surface one by one, scoop a spoonful of cold water and gently pour it into the rolling pot. It's called fetching water. Repeat this process two to three times, and a mouth-watering pot of fresh dumplings or flatbreads will be ready. As for the function of fetching water, it is mainly to make the dumplings or flat food evenly cooked and have a better aroma and taste.

According to Chinese New Year customs, the first thing on the morning of New Year’s Eve is to post Spring Festival couplets, also called couplets, followed by eating dumplings. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the younger generation first pays New Year greetings to their elders, and the elders give out lucky money, also called red envelopes, to the younger ones. Next, they eat flat food. Regardless of whether you are making dumplings or eating flat food, you must prepare a plate of big and loud firecrackers in advance. Once the dumplings or flat food start to be cooked, the younger generations of the family will set off firecrackers at the same time, creating a festive atmosphere of "cracking!" After the entire process from making dumplings (bianshi) to filling dumplings or (bianshi) is completed, when the smoke from the firecrackers clears out, bowls of hot dumplings or bianshi are served on the dining table. At this time, you can hear every household outside the window. The sound of firecrackers from near to far is deafening, one after another. The custom of eating dumplings during the New Year in cities is even worse than in rural areas.

In addition to the sound of firecrackers, there are also loud fireworks and salutes, which push the strong New Year flavor to a climax. These are just common practices for people in the north to eat dumplings during the New Year.

Later, when I joined the army and joined the army, I realized that making dumplings during the New Year in the army was a completely different story. Because the army is composed of soldiers from the east, west, and south, a company is like a dumpling museum. First of all, the dumplings served in the army are actually flat food, while the "cat ears" are called big wontons, which are not a Chinese New Year thing. But the types of dumplings are also more diverse, including the regular and satisfactory "Crescent Moon Dumplings", the random and random "Crab Dumplings", and some weird and listless "Four-Unlike" dumplings. Because of the many comrades from the south, the quality of the military dumplings cannot be complimented. What’s more, the organizational form of making dumplings during the Chinese New Year is even more eye-opening. Because making dumplings for the Chinese New Year at home usually involves the whole family sitting together to make them, but there are too many people in the army. If we group the company as a unit like we usually do when eating, the cooking team will make them uniformly, and then make them bowl by bowl. , is obviously extremely unrealistic. The way the army has troops is to take advantage of the large number of people and high degree of organization. The cooking team uses a meat grinder to make the dumpling fillings and a rolling machine to make the dumpling skins, and then collect them as a class unit. After collecting these raw materials, each team set up an aluminum camp pot, boiled water, wrapped it, and ate it. You should know that the dumplings in this situation can easily turn into a pot of porridge, but everyone is far away from home and relatives, and the collective New Year celebration is also extremely lively, with a unique flavor and mood. Sometimes even if there is an accident while eating, no one cares much.

It happened that during the Spring Festival of my second year as a soldier, I had a small accident. When the dumplings from each row and class came out of the pot almost at the same time, and the cadres and soldiers began to enjoy the fruits of their labor with their own mouths, everyone felt the wrong taste of the dumplings in the bowl almost at the same time. It was neither salty nor bland, and it was too astringent to swallow. . Company commander Lu Shoujin had a good taste and had a lot of experience. He ordered everyone: "Comrades, I also ate the dumplings. Except for a little astringency, there is no problem! Today is the traditional festival of the Chinese nation - the Spring Festival, every festive season As much as we love each other, everyone should just think that these are dumplings made by mom, and you must eat them!” Then he ordered again: "Everyone in the cooking class is here! Tell me what happened to the dumpling stuffing today? Did someone mistake alum for salt?" I was worried that my best friend Sun Jianzheng was to blame. While I was there, I heard Sun Jianzheng murmuring: "Company Commander, it's all my fault. I accidentally mixed alum into the dumpling fillings as salt. Please punish me!" I heard the company commander raise his voice: "Sun Jianzheng, Sun Jianzheng, there are more than 120 people in my company, if one of them dies, you have to fight for my life"!? A crisis was resolved so easily.

Time flies. In the blink of an eye, it has been more than 30 years since I left the hot military camp. I wonder if the army now eats dumplings during the Chinese New Year or does everyone do it and the squad fights for itself? Will you still eat astringent dumplings made with dumpling fillings mixed with alum, and will you be a good company commander and brother like Lu Shoujin? But one thing is for sure, the People's Army is a big family. Comrades from all over the world live together day and night and are as close as brothers. During the New Year in such a big family, no matter what kind of dumplings you eat, they will be the most delicious!

Decades go by in a blink of an eye. The custom of eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year has not changed, but now the Chinese New Year is far from just about eating a meal of dumplings. If it is about eating a meal of dumplings, then which day is not the Chinese New Year! I think the reason why people travel thousands of miles to celebrate the New Year, even squeezing into trains, and even go hungry day and night to get home, is more because of the nostalgia, nostalgia, and watchfulness in their hearts that are hard to let go. Even a promise.

About the author: Ding Jianshe, a native of Yong District, Suzhou City. Since retiring to the second line in 2017, he has published more than 30 essays, poems and folklore works in newspapers and media such as Dawn Newspaper, Suzhou Radio and Television News, and Yongqiao Times.