00:00 Is there any food in history that has united people
00:02 more than dumplings?
00:03 Dumplings are for everyone
00:04 and in every culture across the world.
00:07 They can be salty or sweet, the main course or dessert.
00:10 They come in many shapes, sizes, and fillings.
00:12 Dumplings can be boiled, steamed, fried, baked.
00:16 I'm Yael Dali, and I like to joke
00:18 that my DNA is that of a dumpling.
00:20 Every country across the Silk Road popped up,
00:22 from Turkey to Korea.
00:24 But which country actually invented dumplings?
00:27 And how did these little pockets become
00:29 local to so many cuisines?
00:32 This is ESC Explains.
00:34 The origins of the dumpling are highly contested
00:37 and remain uncertain.
00:39 The answer is there is no final answer.
00:42 But here's some of the story.
00:43 According to a Chinese folklore,
00:45 a physician named Zhang Zhongjing
00:48 made the first dumpling in the third century.
00:50 Dumplings are a staple in Chinese food and culture,
00:53 but did they begin there?
00:55 No, in fact, many theorize that Chinese dumplings
00:58 have foreign influences.
00:59 Historians trace the origins of dumplings
01:02 to Central Asia and the migration of Turkic people.
01:05 The Turks, related to the Mongols,
01:07 started conquering China in early fourth century.
01:10 The Mongol Empire, which then controlled the Silk Road,
01:13 is said to have created the dumpling.
01:15 And it's said that Turkic and Mongol tradesmen
01:18 and horsemen traveled across Asia in cold winters
01:22 carrying mantu, which we now call dumplings.
01:25 The frozen or dried mantu would quickly boil over campfires,
01:29 which was resourceful while traveling distances.
01:32 When it comes to the origins of mantu,
01:34 historians encourage us to look at language.
01:36 Most cultures call the dumpling how Turks originally did.
01:40 Koreans call it mandu, Greek people call it manti,
01:44 Afghans call it mantu,
01:45 and Chinese people call it mantu, too.
01:48 It's also said that ancient Chinese people
01:51 chose characters that approximated
01:53 the sound of the foreign word.
01:54 Dumplings later spread to Japan, Vietnam,
01:57 and farther in Southeast Asia,
01:59 and that's just the beginning.
02:00 You could say they went viral on the Silk Road.
02:03 This was for many reasons,
02:05 but the most important was it fed a lot of people.
02:08 In fact, it spread as food for poorer people.
02:12 This much meat may not feed many,
02:14 but this much meat mixed with some onions
02:17 or cabbage wrapped in dough can.
02:20 The Italian, Spaniards, and Portuguese
02:22 are said to have gotten the idea of stuffed dough parcels
02:26 through Arab conquerors and traders
02:28 bringing along with them stuffed dough from the Middle East.
02:31 So ravioli, gyoza, and samosas
02:34 are ultimately from the same family, a prehistoric one.
02:38 It was in 1600s Great Britain
02:40 that this delicious dough pocket
02:42 filled with cheese, meat, and veggies was named dumpling,
02:46 a sophisticated derivative from lump.
02:49 Today, dumplings are everywhere
02:51 and have connected everyone.
02:52 Turkish manti, Afghan mantu, Korean mandu,
02:57 Chinese gyoza, Japanese gyoza,
03:00 Tibetan momo, Bosnian klepe, Polish pierogies,
03:04 Italy's tortellini, the list does not end.
03:07 And the dumpling movement, it's not slowing down.
03:10 In fact, maybe we can all learn a thing or two
03:13 from this transnational delicacy
03:15 that every culture and person owns as their own.
03:19 Dumplings are not only adored and here to stay,
03:22 they're constantly evolving.
03:24 But you know, it's not evolving.
03:25 The rules on how to eat them, never with a fork.
03:28 Yes, you heard it here, do not pierce that dumpling.
03:32 Use your fingers or chopsticks.
03:35 And believe it or not, one dumpling does equal one bite.
03:38 Now, the origins aren't the only debatable part.
03:42 Who has the best dumplings?
03:44 (upbeat music)
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