Dumplings are a large category of foods made up of bits of dough wrapped around a filling (produced from a range of starch sources). The dough can be made from bread, flour, buckwheat, or potatoes and stuffed with meat, fish, tofu, cheese, vegetables, fruits, or desserts. Dumplings are featured in many international cuisines and can be made in a variety of ways, including baking, boiling, frying, simmering, or steaming.
Dumplings are little balls of leavened dough that are cooked or steamed and served in soups, stews, and with fruit. Dumplings are often made from flour or meal that has been bound with egg and then cooked in water or gravy stock until they have a light cakey texture. Herbs, onions, grated cheese, or chopped meat are frequently rolled into the dough before baking.
Dumplings made with unleavened matzo meal are offered by Jews on holidays or on the customary Sabbath eve. Instead of dumplings, both the Jewish kreplach and the Chinese wanton are filled noodle pockets served in soups. Typically, Oriental dumplings are filled with a mixture of shrimp, pork, beef, and veggies and flavored with soy. Desserts created with baked fruit enveloped in biscuit dough include apple and other fruit dumplings.