Dumpling Making in Datong, China

 

There is an old saying in Shanxi province which states: “China has the best flour-based foods in the world, and Shanxi province has the best flour-based foods in China”. For over 2,000 years, the people of Shanxi have used their skill and imagination to develop more than 1,000 different kinds of flour-based dishes.  I would love to try them all, but settled for this typical dumpling of the area.

In Datong, the dumplings, Jiaozi, are one of the most popular staple foods. Different from the ancient times when people only had dumplings on important festivals, they now eat whenever they want. But still, making and eating dumplings is an important activity for most families on the Eve of the Festival of Lights.

Starting in the capital Chang’an, the current Xi’an in Shanxi province, in the north of China, in the Han Dynasty, two thousand years ago, it was thought that eating  jiǎozi would bring luck, wealth, and happiness.  Maybe this was because they were shaped like ancient gold ingots, or maybe just because a meat that tasty was bound to bring luck and wealth.

Pictured is the dumpling making at a restaurant we ate at.  The ease with which the women made and then steamed
-->