Why Are So Many Foods Called Dumplings? 

Favourite kind of dumpling? If you couldn't guess from this video, I'm a big fan of the Jamaican ones.

100% what you said at the end: this is only a problem in English. No one in South America would think of empanadas, pierogi and gyoza as the same thing, and wouldn't use the same word for them

German here: We actually have different categories for different variations of dumplings. Empanadas, pieroggi and their like fall under the category "bags of dough filled with filling" or "Teigtaschen". Lumps of dough, meat or flour are either called "Knödel", "Klopse" or "Klöße", but are somewhat specific for individual regional dishes.

Gyōza (餃子) is just a Japanese name for jiǎozi (餃子), which came from a non‐Mandarin variant of Chinese (regular Sino‐Japanese reading would be kōshi), and Japanese people usually consider it to be a Chinese cuisine, so I found it interesting that they are separate here. You don’t have to list both names - unless you find the regional difference significantly big. As for a Japan‐specific food that would be called a “dumpling” in English, maybe anman (あんまん/餡饅)? It’s a bāozi‐style thing with sweet red bean paste inside.

I'm Polish, and we never use "kluska" to refer to other nation's dumplings. For us, "kluski" are a type of differently shaped foods made of flour, eggs and potatoes, which are not filled. The most known are "kluski śląskie", shaped like flattened balls.

constant things in the world: - swords - dumplings

In Brazilian Portuguese, we have an umbrella term much like "dumpling", one would call all these things "bolinho", which literally translates to "little cake" so it can also be used to cupcakes.

8:02 - One pierogi is "pieróg" with "ó" (which is read "u" - and it is a very wierd letter, because "u" is also read as "u" - "ó" is just a remnant of Old Polish language, where "ó" was read as "uo"). Fun fact - in English you call many dumplings "pierogis", so you create a double plural. And in Polish we have the same situation, but with a different type of food - chips. Chips are plural, but in Polish "Chips" or "Czips" are singular, so we call many "chips" "chipsy" or "czipsy" ("y" in Polish work similarly as English "s" - create plural - but not every Polish word in the plural ends with "y") xD

Here in the states, most of the different types are referred to by their native name. (Pierogi, Wonton, etc.) I recall my mother made what she called a chicken and dumplings dish. The dumpling in this was simply a dough ball with the recipe as such to give it a more bread-like (spongy) consistency but it had no filling. I have never encountered anything remotely like it and don't know if they should have been called dumplings, but man they were good!

Those Jamaican dumplings are known as "Jonny cakes" in other parts of the Carribbean. According to my mum who is from Nevis, it is a corruption of the name " Journey cake" as they're what you'd take on a journey as a snack.

"Pierogi" is far from the only example of an originally-plural word used in the singular in English, I know there are several from Italian; Cannoli, Zucchini, et cetera, there are also many that are used basically as mass nouns in English, Spaghetti and Ravioli, For example, of which a single piece is known as a Spaghetto and a Raviolo, respectively.

There are more than one kind of Jamaican dumpling. Boiled dumplings feature in 'Hard Food'. Fried dumplings are the sort you illustrated. Festival dumplings are fried dumplings with cornmeal replacing some of the wheat flour. Also there are banana fritters and fish fritters which are dumplings containing banana or salt fish respectively.

Your theory is correct, English speakers do this a lot with foreign words. The pierog(i) situation is similar with "tamale". That word doesn't exist, the singular form of tamales is tamal, but English speakers just assumed that if you remove the "s" you get the singular form and invented the word "tamale".

The most common dumpling in the US south is in “chicken and dumplings” and is not filled, steamed, or fried but is dough cooked on top of a kind of chicken stew.

I love pieroshki - Russian small mince or fruit-filled dumplings wrapped in a delicate pastry and quickly boiled. (Especially the moorish ones you’ll find in Eastern Siberia, near the Chinese border.) They’re much like Italian tortellini, but more delicate and aromatic. As for Chinese dumplings, prawn gow gee is my firm favourite, although I love selecting several little steam baskets and plates, while perusing the newspaper during a long leisurely yum cha ‘brunch’. In Australia, ‘yum cha’ - Cantonese-style ‘brunch/lunch’ consisting of a large variety of ‘dumplings’ and other treats, washed down with jasmine tea, has a long tradition, going back over 160 years to the days of the Gold Rushes. Australia even has its own ‘home grown’ ‘Chinese’ ‘dumpling’ - the humble Aussie ‘dim sim’. It is much larger than any respectable Cantonese dumpling ought to be… and like Vegemite, and the Chicko Roll (an Australian monstrosity masquerading as a Chinese spring roll), it is definitely an acquired taste.

My Germanic-roots family made sort of a thick paste dough from flour, eggs, and milk, and plopped big spoonfuls of the dough into boiling water with sauerkraut and kielbasa sausage. The resulting dumplings were just big globs of dough that we dug out of the pot and cut into smaller bite size chunks, smothered with butter. One of the heartiest meals one can ever eat. Not the healthiest perhaps, but so delicious. Just basically gut-busting dough blobs, flavored slightly with the sauerkraut and kielbasa. Nothing stuffed inside.

I'm not even Argentine and I wouldn't ever call an empanada a dumpling. They seem to me like what in USA is named a fried turnover. A dumpling otherwise I would call a gyōza and other small dough bags, filled or not.

In Poland they're called pierogi, not perogi. Also 1 i pieróg (pee-eh-roog). So many things are called dumplings because they're made in the same way. You wouldn't argue if it's a smoothie if it's not fruits and ice.

Here in the Philippines, gyoza, guotie (the northern Chinese sort), and siomai (southern style we’re more familiar with) are “dumplings”. Often savoury. Empanadas of any sort are considered pies, while pastries like buchì (sesame balls/fritters) are also not considered dumplings.

As a polish person, kluska/kluski refers to foods made mainly from flour, something like gnocchi. We use pierogi for our pierogi, and the diminutive form "pierożki" which means something like "little dumplings" for all other foreign dumpling dishes, like pierożki gyoza, pierożki empanadas or pierożki jiaozi

in Bulgarian boiled and steamed are referred as knedla/i and for baked kifla/i and for everything fried we use the term from whatever country we've borrowed it like for example pelmen /i

In Thailand we have a lot of food influence from Chinese. So we have many words for different kinds of food that translate to dumplings but most of them are called by the Taochew language. But the most basic kind is the Gyo; sounds like Japanese Gyoza and maybe related but totally different style, its an egg noodle sheet wrap thumb size of flavored and spiced munched pork and then boiled. More or less like shumai. But shumai is steamed and have Thai name Kanom Jeeb. Other kinds seems to retain the Chinese names like Ha Kao. On the other hand we have Thai foods that look like dumplings but it's also a totally different kind called Kao Kreab Pak Mor. Thai words with the literal meaning as "Pot mouth rice snack". The sheet is made with rice flour mixed with water spread over cheese cloth that's been covering a pot of boiling water. So it's basically steamed but the method is very unique. The filling could be sweetened pork, shrimp, chives, corn or bean sprouts would be put over the steamed rice sheet and folded over. Also does salmosa considered dumplings? no? We have some variations of that too. Indian kind and Portugal kind which is evolved into Thai Curry Puff. I think that's not considered dumplings.

In Southern Germany we have "Maultaschen" ("Maw bags") =D

In India we have a dumpling called Modak or Modak Kolakatai[Literally: Dumpling Ladoo] that is a sweet dumpling with sweet jaggery or other native sugar alternatives as fillings.

"Ketchup" / "Catsup" is similar kind of word, seeming to mean different things all over. Would love to see a video about that! I had catsup in Australia and it turned out to be nothing like the U.S. version. My memory is fading after all these years, but I seem to remember it was a salty, dark liquid, vaguely in the soy sauce category. And then I looked up its definition and etymology, and read that it originated in the western Pacific, related to China or Indonesia or thereabouts, and that the original word meant (and the original food was) "fish sauce"!

I have a funny story with dumpling's many meanings. I was in the mood for some gyoza, so I added frozen Dumplings to the family Shopping list. My mom came back with dumpling soup, and complained that I asked for her to get an impossible item, since Kroger didn't sell frozen Dumplings. Eventually, we both realized that it was because she only called Asian style dumplings "potstickers", and never really thought of them as being called dumplings. Meanwhile, I was wondering when was the last time we even ate a western style dumpling lol.

Dumplings in chicken and dumpling soup is usually just a dough ball boiled in the stew, not wrapping anything

The Turkish dumpling called "mantı" is our umbrella term for dumplings. We mostly use it like nation+"mantısı" (dumpling of). e.g. jiaozi="Çin mantısı" (Chinese dumpling), khinkali="Gürcü mantısı" (Georgian dumpling), etc. The latter is actually eaten in Turkey too and named "hıngel" a corruption of "khinkali". Ravioli is known as ravioli in Turkish too, but sometimes the explanation of "İtalyan mantısı" (Italian dumpling) is added.

ravioli is my favourite Italian dumpling either Chef Boyardee or cook in a restaurant is really good

In Jamaica's fellow Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago dumplings may refer mostly to 1. small plain lumps similar to gnocchi - no filling - made from white flour or cornmeal added to soups or 2. much larger (eg 6 inches long x 2 inches wide x half inch thick) flat dough shapes also of white flour or cornmeal and no filling, boiled and served as the main starch in a meal, such as a replacement for rice. A common slang for these is "cattle/cow tongue" due to the similarity in shape and size. A very popular dish is "crab and dumplings" a mix of curried or stewed crab and the latter dumplings.

The “Dixie” (Southeastern USA) dumpling is just a spoonful of dough dumped into hot boiling liquid, usually chicken broth. Hence the traditional Southern dish, chicken and dumplings. No filling, just dough scalded with chicken broth.

The most important dumpling in the SE USA is just dough pieces, boiled with chicken. No frying involved. Chicken and dumplings is a southern quintessential food, how could you have missed it? I've never heard anyone call bao a dumpling, maybe a "steamed bun." Also, gyoza and jiaozi are basically the same thing.

In the Fifties here in New Zealand, what my mother made and called dumplings were just plain balls of flour cooked in with a boiled meat stew. Definitely no "filling". There may have been some chopped onion or herbs in the mix, but I don't recall that. Her mother and father were both English-born,

Because dumplings just look so adorable?

You know, super common words like claggy

Polish dumpling is called "pieróg" m ''pierogi'' means "dumplingS" I know that it's close to no difference, but I still care :!

I've always found it funny how Nokedli are sometimes called "Hungarian Dumplings" despite not being filled with anything, I never knew about other types of "Empty" dumplings like the Jamaican ones before though.

In German there at at least two words for dumplings: Klöße (sing. Kloß) and Knödel (pl and sing.). But they aren't things wrapped with dough. That is just a ball of a kind of dough.

Italian here. In italy, dumplings are just called "ravioli" so yes, ravioli are dumpling here in Italy. Consider, tho, that there are a great amount of things that people could call ravioli that aren't ravioli here, like agnolotti, "gnocchi ripieni", tortelli, tortellini, tortelloni, cappelletti, casoncelli... all have different names and aren't ravioli or dumplings per se, but all are stuffed pasta.

In Pittsburgh, we are very proud of our Pierogis!

In Spanish we tend to use the original name of the dish, or an approximation of it. Even when that dumpling is about the same in ingredients, shape and cooking method (and even if the other language doesn't have the same qualms); e.g. italian panzerotto and panzerottini are almost the same (except the nutella ones) to empanadas (the dumplin, not the pie) and empanadillas from the hispanosphere, yet they retain their name. Also, it seems like "samosa" is taking the place of "dumpling" in English for dumplings hailing from the Middle East up until araound India. PS. if "dump" is how people from Norfolk said "lump", then "dumplings" are "little lumps".

In listing cooking techniques for dumplings, steaming was left out. Various types of steamed dumplings (siumai, hargou, etc.) are an important part of dim sum, alongside other steamed, fried, and baked foods.

A comparable word would be "casserole" - an amalgam dish which is most often baked in an oven. One specific type of casserole is lasagna; chicken divan is another; moussaka, frito pie, timballo, and kugel are a few other specific types of casseroles. Of course, there's also the somewhat controversial fact that cereal is technically a soup. 😂

English is not the only language to group foods under on heading, e.g., Poles speaking of “Chinese pierogi” for gyoza. But English does often use plurals from other language for a single version of the food, the worst being “panini”. UN panino; due panini! Cannoli is another one: un cannolo, due cannoli. On it goes.

The Spanish equivalent is "empanada"....a.k.a. a food that has interacted with bread "pan". So something coated/wrapped/fried with something bread/grain-based.

The French and Italians also tend to apply French and Italian names to similar things in other languges. The French themselves may even use italian words as they don't necessarily have names for them. However, doubling the plurals by adding an -s. That is to say raviolis are most dumplings which are as you described... In the US there are two main types that are called dumplings - drop/spoon dumplings, and rolled dumplings wich black people in the North (especially children) refer to as "white people dumplings" and "dumplings" respectfull. The children do not tend to like the spoon dumplings because of the texture.

Older generations in Hong Kong refers ravioli as Italian Wonton 😎

Other than American dumplings, Knoedel and Knedlicky are the other meatless dumplings that I've grown up with.

Another food that takes wildly different forms under the same word is Kebab. Americans will probably think of "Shish Kebab" when they hear the word, but it can also take the form of a Döner Kebab which is the Turkish version of a Gyro (although the Döner Kebab is older)

I've noticed how many there are! 0:58

In Polish we use "kluska" only to name foods similar to "pierogi", but without a filling - like "kluski śląskie" or "kluski leniwe". All types of dumplings in Polish are called "pierogi" or "pierożki" (this is diminutive of word "pierogi"). Chinese dumplings are "chińskie pierożki", georgorian dumplings are called "pierogi gruzińskie". But we aslo using a original names - italian dumplings are called "ravioli" (in polish we don't have "v" leter, but this is a loanword), or lithuanian dumplings are "kołduny". BTW - pierogi is refer to many diffrent types of pierogi - the most common are "pierogi ruskie" - pierogi with potato and twaróg (type of white chesse) filling, but we aslo have "pierogi z mięsem" (meat pierogi), "pierogi z truskawkami" (rasbery pierogi), or "pierogi z grzybami" (mushroom pierogi).

Another instance where the English speakers messed up plurals and singulars was with the Mexican food "tamal". In Spanish, "tamal" is the singular and "tamales", the plural. Lazy English speakers call the singular "tamale". In fact, my spellchecker is underlining my spellings of "tamal" but not when I write "tamale".

I love saimin with gyozas.

In Polish we do not use "kluska" for dumplings. We use pierogi or diminutive "pierożki" for dumplings. For ones from other countries we often use " pierożki ", like "gruzińskie pierożki chinkali" or "chińskie pierożki dim sum", unless we expect people to know what they are - with a lot of Ukrainians in Poland, we just say "pielmieni" now.

Why does the background song after the intro sound so familiar?? I swear I remember it being used in the title screen for one of those cute Sushi Cat flash games

What a coincidence! Last week I finished making a 100 pierogis with my mum. They have different kinds of fillings including mushrooms & cabbage, meat and sour cherries.

I'm sure there are other dumpling equivalents, but I'm sad to see that you didn't mention Korean ones (roughly mandu).

Here in Québec, we have "grand-pères dans le sirop", which translates as "grand fathers in (maple) syrup". They're dough balls cooked in maple syrup that's diluted with water. I'm trying to remember if there is a word in French for dumplings, and all I can come up with is... dumplings! Anyone from somewhere else in the French-speaking world can help? Do you also say "dumplings"?

I think this is just as much of a problem of the word sandwich. They're broad words for a category of things, in my experience the only dumplings that an American would call dumplings in casual talk is Eastern Asian dumplings

Apple is the generic for fruit. It might be translate to fig, pomegranate, or potato.

what is dim sum mean for food? because when i see your Dumpling food in this video i can see their food name in my head but when you refer dumpling as a group of food i see your Dumpling as Dim Sum type of food.

In Cryzonean / Cryzoneon it's called kul'is

4:16 😅

I like Alberta's favorite dumpling perogy made in Radway in the Ukrainian heartland of Alberta love them

In Ukraine we have... The "bolieds" - вареники (varenyky)

Now explain "pudding" - from black to yorkshire to treacle....

Yes, Patrick. I agree. It’s mainly because the English can’t be bothered learning their proper names in their original languages.

Using dumpling to refer to any dough-wrapped product must be a British English thing. In the US, we use the native words (or a variation). That said, I've spent many an evening with friends trying to name as many "dough pockets" from around the world as we can.

In italian we call "ravioli" our ravioli and chinese dumplings

8:11 - Every language speakers are.

To be fair, pierogi seem to be always served with more than one to a plate, so it makes sense that in some instances, the singular and the plural are the same.

I feel the need to take a dumpling.

Chinese dumplings come in many shapes. A xialongbao is a chinese dumpling that's not moon-shaped.

Most important question is. Why am I smelling dumplings while watching this video...

😊😊😊😊😊

Dumplings arent necessarily filled too. For example beignets are technically dumplings

Similar to samosa, sambusa etc

Dumpling count: 72

Make me hungry

If you care about telling them apart, the italian ones are called tortellini.

Myky in Finnish

jiaozi and baozi are awesome

Because of how they come out…

OK but you omitted the biggest question: does "dumpling" imply the existence of a giant dumple?

Dumplings.

😊😊😊❤😊😊😊😊❤😊😊

pierogi is plural, singular is pieróg. also, you pronounce jiaozi and baozi wrong. It's "jyau dzyh" and "bau dzyh", pronounced like "dzyh" not "zee"

Biased standpoint, but I think chinese dumplings Jiao Zi (Pronounced as Jiao Zhi for a westerner I think? I'm not great at explaing how words are pronounced unless in person) is unbeatable. Bao Zi isn't exactly known as a dumpling where I'm from, you'd 10/10 get odd looks if you say so. They're all grouped as Dian Xin / Dimsum though! I think putting foods under the term "dumpling" is wild, since you can then go wild and say sandwiches are dumplings too (Dough + food inbetween/wrapped)

118th

Legit eating polish dumplings (Pierogi) rn 🫣.. well ig perfect timing for this video 🤣❤️