Steamed Dumplings

Mantu are small steamed dumplings intricately folded by hand. Because of the labour involved to make them – from rolling out the pastry to filling the dumplings and folding them into flowerbud-like bundles – they are often reserved for special occasions. It is not unusual for family and friends to gather before an event to make mantu together, which is an occasion in itself.

In many ways, mantu captures perfectly the cross-cultural pollination that flourished along the Silk Road. Th