Dumplings of Asia

These are different from European ones. Indeed what English-speakers in the Orient call dumplings are more like what would be called filled pasta in Europe. The Chinese type of dumpling, in particular, with its thin wrapper of wheat flour and water paste folded over the filling and pressed shut, bears a close resemblance to ravioli.

Chinese records of dumplings go back at least as far as the Sung dynasty (ad 960–1279), when they were described as being sold (with other foods) from stalls much in the way that snacks are in modern China. mantou are among the best-known Chinese manifestations of the genre, but probably originated in C. Asia rather than in China itself.