My favorite food
I like food, and I like dumplings best. Not only do they have a long history, but they also reflect our culture. However, they are not easy to make. When I was a child, I had already learned how to make them. I love them because all of my families can make dumplings together and everyone plays different roles in the process.
Dumplings have a long history which can be dated back to 1800 years ago. According to folk tales, dumplings were invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the greatest practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. They were originally called “tender ears”because they were used to treat people’s frostbitten ears. When he retired from Changsha and went back to his hometown, he saw many homeless people whose ears were frozen along his way. He was eager to help them, so he set up a stove, and filled his dumplings with medicine and mutton to make people warm. The folks ate dumplings from the Winter Solstice and Lunar New Year’s Day to honor his good deed.
As we all known, dumplings are also a symbol of unity. During New Year’s Eve, everyone will come back to be together with their families and eat dumplings wherever they are. They are believed to bring success. Many families and eat these at midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Some cooks will hide coins for the lucky to find, signifying that money will be in great abundance next year. I love the unique symbol and I’d like to be the lucky dog.
To make them, put a bit of salt and warm water in some flour. The dough should be soft but firm. Eggs can introduce elastic to the dough. Then, mix up meat and vegetables. There are many kind of stuffing such as pork, mutton, and mushrooms. My favorite is fish with cabbage. My mother told me that eating fish on New Year’s Day means you will have more fortune than needed every year. Next, make the dumplings wrapper. If you don’t want the filling pour out, it is important to make the wrapper’s middle be thicker than the edge. Finally, pull it into a paste and press it into form, filling it with stuffing. The last step is boiling the raw dumplings, we should
wait until the dumplings float on the surface of water, before eating them. I like dumplings and I enjoy the process of making them.
I love the dumplings. I love their long history, positive symbol. Above all, I love the process of making them―the whole family is together to make them with a close chat. I love dumplings best.。