dumpling

[Victor Steinbok]

Wondering what the current state of OED files is on "dumpling". The
original entry is kind of silly, as it essentially includes only one
type of culinary use of dumplings--the boiled or baked variety that is
made with dough wrapped around a piece of fruit or just plain dough,
e.g., whole-apple dumpling. Specifically, it identifies dumpling as "a
pudding" (I presume, that means dessert--essentially an upside-down pie)
and "originally attributed to Norfolk".

1.b. is listed as transf., but identifies only one source (W.Ellis,
London & Country Brewer, 1743--which I would love to get a hold of) and,
in both citations from the book, it's used to identify a mass mixed from
a powdered substance and some liquid, so I'm not entirely sure that
"transf." is really the correct tag here.

This is complicated further by the next entry

2. A dumpy animal or person, short and of rounded outlines.

"Pudgy" might be better than "dumpy", but, I guess, that establishes the
connection to the entry.

But consider how "dumpling" is actually used today in a variety of
culinary situations:

Cooking methods include boiling, baking, pan-frying and deep-frying.
Although originally baked dumplings were more common in Europe and
pan-fried were more common in Asia, today most "dumplings" are either
boiled on their own or in soups or stews, or deep-fried and usually
sauced. Of particular interest is the Austro-Hungarian type of dumpling
that is not only found in Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bohemian,
Silesian and Galician cuisine, but also in Ashkenazi cuisine, normally
known under a variety of names, such as kishka, kishkeh, derma, sheia,
etc., and consisting of a starchy mass cooked in a stew (in the case of
Ashkenazi cuisine, enclosed in chicken, duck or turkey neck skin or made
like a sausage to hold shape. I've seen Austrian or Czech dumplings of
this type as large as over a foot long and 4 inches in diameter, that
are cooked in a stew, serving a dual purpose of thickening the stew and
being a side dish on their own.

Makeup of a dumpling can include plain dough (essentially like pasta or
noodles, but smaller and more equitable in different dimensions, as
opposed to the other two that are usually longer than they are thick, or
large pieces of flat plain dough, sometimes twisted or crimped into
shapes, such as bow-ties, shells or spirals). It may also be shaped into
larger globular or ovoid pieces. It is open to argument that all types
of pasta are one or more varieties of "dumplings". Both are made from a
starchy mass combined with liquid than is then shaped and, in most
instances, thrown in a liquid to cook.

The dough may incorporate sweet or savoury ingredients, spices, plain
sweetener or texture enhancers (e.g., Hungarian bread dumplings,
Tyrolean speck dumplings, etc.).

The dough may be made primarily of grain flour (wheat, rice, corn, rye,
sorghum, etc.), starchy tubers (potato, yam, sweet potato, taro, etc.),
whipped egg white, bread crumbs or other ingredients that, when mixed
with liquid, make a pasty mass that is either viscous but near-liquid,
or solid and either springy or spongy. This means that knoedel, matzo
balls, quenelle, spaetzle are all varieties of plain dumplings. One
could argue that some varieties of meatballs, particularly those added
to soups, are also a variety of dumplings.

The dough may stand on its own or be wrapped around a fruit, vegetable,
sweet or savoury "filling": these may include whole or pulverized
seafood, chunks or farce made of meats, whole or chunky fruit or
vegetable. The "wrapper" may be completely surrounding the filling,
leave an opening on one side, or be simply bound to a piece of filling
without surrounding it. Filled dumplings are by far the most common
type, spanning a number of cultures. These include at least some
varieties of ravioli and agnolotti, potstickers, "pelmeni", pierogi,
kreplach, belysh, khinkali, gyoza, mandu, manty (or manti), shu-mai,
bao, etc.

Of course, it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that these are all
simply dumplings. They are dumplings in English because this is how
people describe them when not able to use aboriginal terminology. So if
I were to describe shu-mai as a steamed or fried open dumpling with
savory filling of minced pork and/or shrimp, I'm evoking the supposedly
familiar image of a "dumpling" to extend it to something that is not
normally English. Yet, there is really no other option--this is how all
these varieties are described now.

NPR has two pieces supposedly on the origin of dumplings (as this is the
Dumpling Week).
http://goo.gl/O8r97B
http://goo.gl/BRppTs

The stories trace history of Chinese dumplings to 8th century CE, but
otherwise mostly contain speculations. One item that's missing is the
traditional Mongolian "belysh" that exists in a variety of forms, but
originally incorporates a number of techniques--open-fire roasting,
pan-frying and boiling. A belysh is made with meat farce filling that is
wrapped into a dough disk, leaving a small opening at the top and placed
into a frying pan that is then placed over the fire. As the belysh
cooks, hot broth is poured inside through the hole, helping to cook the
meat and softening the dough on the inside while keeping it crusty on
the outside. This is the ultimate dumpling that can be made in any size
from a cup cake shape to a 2-foot wide pie.

I would appreciate any help in better organizing the categories.

     VS-)

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