QA Q&A: Are wontons considered dumplings in China?

Body translation

@AyaShawn

Living in Singapore, professional investorWed

No, wontons are not dumplings

Wonton is the English transliteration of a Chinese word, which is pronounced "Hundun" in Chinese. It is a food wrapped in a thin dough, usually cooked by boiling or frying. Wonton is mainly popular in southern China.

Becuse the skin of wontons is very thin, it requires a very experienced chef to make them and is difficult for ordinary people to complete. So today's wontons are usually made with factory-prepared thin dough. The dough used for wontons is square, with a side length of about 10CM.

The filling of wontons is relatively simple, usually some kind of meat (pork, beef, shrimp)

Hundun has different names in different parts of China. He is also called Chaoshou and Yuntun and Bianshi. Chinese people think there are subtle differences between them, but as a foreigner, I think they are essentially the same thing.

Dumplings is not a Chinese word, but an English word. It has no exact corresponding vocabulary in Chinese. There is a food called "Chinese dumplings" and its Chinese name is "Jiaozi"

Jiaozi is similar to wontons, but also different. Dumplings are mainly a food from northern China. They use thicker dough and can be made by hand by ordinary people.

Jiaozi wrappers are usually round

The methods of cooking jiaozi mainly include boiling, steaming and frying.

The fillings of Jiaozi are more complicated. The fillings of dumplings are usually a mixture of vegetables and meat. At least I have seen more than 20 kinds of fillings, and people are still creating more types.

If you're on a diet, the better of the two foods for you is ravioli, which contains less flour, which means fewer carbs and fewer calories.

No, ravioli are not dumplings

wontons is the English transliteration of Chinese characters, and the Chinese pronunciation is "Hundun". It is a food wrapped in a thin dough and is usually boiled or fried. Wontons are mainly popular in southern China.

Since the skin of ravioli is very thin and requires a very experienced chef to make, it is difficult for the average person to finish. As a result, today's wontons are usually made with a thin dough that is pre-prepared at the factory. The dough used for ravioli is square in shape and has a side length of about 10 cm.

The filling of the ravioli is relatively simple and is usually some meat (pork, beef, shrimp)

In different parts of China, wontons have different names. He is also known as Copyhand, Wonton, and Flat Eater. Chinese think there are subtle differences between them, but as foreigners, I think they are essentially the same thing.

"Dumpling" is not a Chinese word, but an English word. There is no exact equivalent word in Chinese. There is a food called "Chinese dumplings", and its Chinese name is "Jiaozi".

Dumplings are similar to ravioli but are also different. Dumplings are mainly a food of northern China. They use a thicker dough that can be made by hand by the average person.

The wrappers of dumplings are usually round.

The cooking methods of dumplings mainly include boiling, steaming, and frying.

The filling of dumplings is more complex. The filling of dumplings is usually a mixture of vegetables and meat. At least I've seen more than 20 kinds of fillings, and people are still creating more types.

If you're on a diet, then the better food for you is ravioli because it contains less flour, which means fewer carbs and fewer calories.

Comment translation

@Shun Bot

Because the skin of wontons is very thin, it requires a very experienced chef to make them and is difficult for ordinary people to complete.

It’s really not. I made plenty of them as a kid. Fun family activity.

Sometimes we’d even make the skins by hand, but usually we’d buy them from the store.

This was back in the 1990s when Chinese supermarkets in the US only sold frozen wonton that were made in the Cantonese style. So our family had to make our own in the proper Northern style, as God had intended.

Because the skin of wontons is very thin and requires a very experienced chef to make, it is difficult for ordinary people to finish.

In reality, this is not the case. I did a lot of it as a kid. is a fun family activity.

Sometimes we even make leather by hand, but usually we buy it from a store.

This was in the 1990s, when Chinese supermarkets in the United States only sold Cantonese-style frozen wontons. So our family must make our own wontons according to the correct northern style, as God wills.

@Michael Chan

“Wanton” or “wonton” is actually a transliteration from Cantonese. Huntun is the Mandarin pronunciation of the word.

"Wanton" or "wonton" is actually a transliteration from Cantonese. Huntun is the Mandarin pronunciation of the word.

@Yap You Wai

after a while I prefer the term “one-ton”

After a while, I preferred the term "one-ton".

@Stephen Eight

Oh please, don’t compare wonton with ravioli!! Ravioli for westerners who can’t cook.

Oh, and please don't compare wonton to tortellini!!Tortellini is for Westerners who can't cook.

@Evan Mao

The questioner got it completely backwards. Wonton fillings are tiny, but practically all meat with some ginger and green onions. Wontons are usually served as a soup or with noodles as one part of a meal, with greens.

Jiaozi fillings are usually half meat and half veg, and meant to be a complete meal in and of itself. That's also why the dough is thicker, and al dente like pasta.

Cantonese wontons are usually made with alkali-treated dough, much like Cantonese noodles. The colour is yellowish, and the folding style is more like a simple pinch, resulting in s sack like appearance.

Shanghai style wontons are usually made with untreated dough, wrapped windmill style. Bucking the usual trend for wontons, the filling often includes shepherds purse, and not just pork.

The questioner got it completely reversed. The ravioli has very little filling, but almost all meat, with some ginger and green onions. Wontons are usually served as part of a meal, with noodles or in soups, with vegetables.

The filling of the dumplings is usually half meat and half vegetable, with the intention of being a complete meal. This is also why the dough of the dumplings is thicker and chewy like spaghetti.

Cantonese-style wontons are usually made with dough treated with alkaline water, just like Cantonese noodles. The color is yellow, and the folding style is more like a simple kneading and looks like a bag.

Shanghainese-style wontons are usually made from untreated dough and wrapped in the shape of a windmill. Contrary to the usual trend, the filling usually includes vegetables, not just pork.

@KK Ang

I once had a funny encounter at a stall opened by a Chinese mainlander in Singapore. I ordered 红油抄手for my wife and myself and tried to order chaoshou(抄手) without chilli oil but in soup. The stall owner added after some descxtion from me : you want wanton ( 云吞）correct??? Ok , it is essentially the same thing….

I once had an interesting experience at a Chinese mainland stall in Singapore. I ordered red oil for my wife and myself, and then tried to order a clear consommé (no chili oil, change to soup). After I described it, the stall owner added: You want wonton, right? Okay, they're essentially the same....

@Tinh Lam

Initially, the person who made wontons wanted to make dumplings. But they didn't leave out the baking powder and the cake wasn't spongy. They then tried to put out the fire by calling it wonton.

The wontons tasted terrible and it was a worse version of dumplings.

Initially, the people who made the wontons wanted to make dumplings. But they didn't put baking powder, so the flour didn't rise. Then they tried to save, calling it wonton.

The taste of wonton is terrible and it is a bad version of dumplings.