“Where is gyoza from?” Many people may answer that it is a Japanese dish. Gyoza is served as a standard side dish at ramen shops, which represent Japanese cuisine, and can be found at specialty restaurants and pubs everywhere. That shows how much gyoza is loved and eaten in Japan. The name gyoza is a Japanese name, although it did not originate in Japan, so it is not surprising that people reading this article who search for gyoza may misunderstand it. It is said that gyoza, which represents Japan, originated in China. Learning about the history and culture of a food makes that food taste even better, so let’s learn from the history of gyoza and enjoy Japanese gyoza in a more delicious way.
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Origin of dumpling food (history and origin)

The origin of gyoza is said to be in China. The earliest records indicate that since 206 B.C. (the Han Dynasty in China), meat, fish, and vegetables were wrapped in a flour skin and cooked by boiling or simmering. At that time, the name was not even gyoza, but it is said that this was the beginning of gyoza. In 1368 (during the Ming Dynasty in China), the official name “gyoza” was born. In China, however, gyoza is not pronounced “gyoza” but “chaozu-” . Compared to the history of China, gyoza became popular in Japan relatively recently, after World War II (after 1945). During the war, Japanese soldiers ate gyoza in Manchuria, China. It is said that it was first recreated and eaten in Japan because of nostalgia for that taste.

Gyoza Style in Japan

In China, where gyoza originated, boiled gyoza is the mainstream, and in the northern regions where rice is difficult to produce, thick skin boiled gyoza is eaten daily as a staple food. And Gyoza is enjoyed in slightly different forms and cooking methods in different regions. While, the distinctive difference of gyoza in Japan is that the skin of gyoza is thinner, the size is smaller, and the gyoza is baked.In Japan, rice is eaten as a staple food, so the skin is made thinner to match rice. The skin is baked to provide a crunchy texture and chewiness, and the juicy pasty ingredients inside the skin has been improved to be eaten with rice.

Gyoza style differs from country to country

As explained earlier, the ingredients and staple foods available in each region are different, so the shape of the dumpling changes in a way that suits the region and the cooking method. You may be thinking, “Is this a gyoza?” The process of wrapping ingredients in a flour skin and cooking them is considered to be the same genre as gyoza. Here are some of the dishes that differ from country to country.

America and Canada: Pierogies

Meat, mushrooms, and cheese are wrapped in a skin and cooked. It can be eaten boiled or grilled.

China: Jiaozi (dumplings)

Chinese dumplings are made by wrapping ingredients in a thick skin and served as boiled dumplings. Chinese dumplings do not contain garlic, and are eaten with black vinegar.

Japan: Gyoza

Baked dumplings are the mainstream.

Japan: Wonton

Wontons are another category of dumplings. They are made by wrapping the ingredients in a flour skin, and are therefore in the same category as gyoza.

Korea: Mandu

This is a dish of meat, tofu, or kimchi wrapped in a skin. It can be baked, steamed, or made into a soup, and there are many ways to make it.

Taiwan: Fried dumpling

Baked dumplings filled with meat and chives. In Taiwan, steamed dumplings, boiled dumplings, and baked dumplings with crispy skin are also widely loved.

Nepal: Momo

Meat and vegetables are wrapped in a flour skin in a drawstring shape. It is a steamed dumpling that looks just like a soup dumpling .

India: Samosa

Deep-fried dumplings wrapped with minced meat and potatoes. They look more like a snack than a dumpling.

Uzbekistan: Manti

Steamed dumplings with meat and vegetables wrapped in skin and served with sauce.

Turkmenistan: Manti

A steamed dumpling with lamb, onions, and potatoes wrapped in a skin. They are usually served with yogurt or sour cream.

Turkey: Mantu

Small-sized boiled dumplings with lamb wrapped in a skin. They are eaten with tomato sauce or yogurt sauce.

Italy: Ravioli

It may seem strange to be in the gyoza category, but it is an Italian dish derived from Chinese dumplings. It is usually served with tomato sauce or cream sauce on top. You can easily order them at Italian restaurants, so I’m sure there are many people who have eaten them before.

Germany: Maultaschen

This is a local dish from southern Germany. It is a European-style boiled dumpling made of pasta dough stuffed with meat, spinach, breadcrumbs, and onions.

Poland: Pierogi

The Polish pierogi is similar to Japanese gyoza in appearance. The skin is thick and chewy, and it is one of the national foods that is eaten either boiled or baked. There are many variations including ground meat, vegetables, mashed potatoes and buckwheat seeds. Unusually for dumplings, they are sometimes filled with fruit and eaten as a sweet.

Lithuania: Koldunai

Kordunai is a boiled dumpling-like dish made of ground meat and mushrooms wrapped in a flour skin. They are usually served with sour cream, and are often small and bite-sized.

Belarus: Koldunai

A Belarusian recipe, this dish is usually stuffed with ground meet wrapped in a skin and served with a sauce.

Russia: Perimeni

A dumpling made of wheat flour, filled with meat and vegetables, and boiled.

Ukraine: Varenyyk

Vegetables, meat, beans, cheese, etc. are wrapped in the dumplings, which are usually boiled and eaten.

Georgia: Hinkali

This dish is very similar to xiaolongbao(soup dumpling), and the juices from the meat are delicious, but this is not a steamed dish, but a boiled dumpling.

Mongolia: Buuz / Banshee / khuushuur

Buuz: Steamed dumplings.

The dumplings are made by wrapping ground meat in a skin and steamed it. The way of eating and the taste are similar to Japanese ones.

Banshee: Boiled dumplings

Lamb and vegetables are wrapped in the skin and boiled.

khuushuur: fried dumplings

This is a typical Mongolian national dish made with ground lamb or beef as the main ingredient, wrapped in a skin and deep-fried. They are eaten at street stalls, restaurants, and, of course, in homes on a daily basis.

A brief introduction to regional gyoza in Japan

Utsunomiya Gyoza (Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture)

Characteristics: The skin is thin and the ingredients are mostly vegetables. Fried dumplings are the mainstream.

Hamamatsu Gyoza (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)

Characteristics: A style of grilled gyoza served with shredded cabbage. It is common to arrange them in a circle and bake them.

Hakata Gyoza (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)

Features: Small bite-sized gyoza. It has a light texture and is easy to eat.

Osaka Gyoza (Osaka Prefecture)

Characteristics: Robust flavor with hints of garlic. Available at many stores.

Miyazaki Gyoza (Miyazaki Prefecture)

Characteristics: Good balance of meat and vegetables, juicy filling.

Sendai Gyoza (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)

Features: Gyoza made with Sendai miso is a specialty. Characterized by the flavor of miso.

Kyoto Gyoza (Kyoto Prefecture)

Features: There are gyoza made with Kyoto vegetables and gyoza with yuba.

Chiba Gyoza (Chiba Prefecture)

Characteristics: White gyoza has a round appearance and is made with a much thicker skin than regular gyoza. Did you find your favorite dumpling?

The best way to eat dumplings

Gyoza has a wide variety of ingredients to choose from, and the taste of the dumplings can be greatly enhanced simply by being creative with the sauce and seasoning. It is also important to know that the thickness of the gyoza skin differs depending on the cooking method, and the rate of absorption of water differs, so there are certain types of sauce that do not go well with different types of gyoza. For boiled gyoza and steamed gyoza with relatively thick skin, it is recommend a refreshing sauce that does not interfere with the mild flavor and smooth texture. Putting some mustard is also delicious. For baked gyoza, soy sauce, chili oil, and vinegar are standard. – For bite-sized gyoza, it is also popular to eat them with just vinegar and pepper or salt. For fried gyoza, it is better to use a sauce that is not too smooth, which will interfere with the crispy texture of the charm. When making your own original gyoza, please pay attention not only to the ingredients but also to the skin and seasoning!

lastly

I have introduced the history of gyoza and gyoza from around the world. Gyoza is a food with a long history and a profound foodthat is loved all over the world. I think the reason why there are so many different kinds of gyoza around the world is that they are tasty, easy to eat, and low costs.Furthermore it is even easy to make since the ingredients are just wrapped in a flour skin.