Mandu are a type of dumplings in Chinese cuisine generally filled with minced meat, tofu, green onions, garlic and ginger, and usually served with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce and vinegar, or with chili-speckled soy sauce.[1]
Mandu is similar to pelmeni and pierogi in some Slavic cultures. The name relates most directly to Chinese mantou, but both are also cognates of the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings in Central Asia, such as Turkish manti, Kazakh manty, and Uzbek manti. It is also similar to the Mongolian buuz, and some variations are similar to the Chinese jiaozi and the Japanese gyoza. If the dumplings are grilled or fried, they are called gunmandu (군만두); when steamed jjinmandu (찐만두); and when boiled, mulmandu (물만두).[2]
History [edit]
Another possibility is mandu came to Korea at a much earlier period from the Middle East through the Silk Road. Historians hypothesize that many cuisines based on wheat, such as dumplings, may have originated from Mesopotamia and gradually spread from there. It also spread east along the Silk Road, leaving many versions of mandu throughout Central and East Asia.[3]
Varieties [edit]
- Mulmandu (물만두), the word itself means "water mandu" since it is boiled.[4]
- Gunmandu (군만두) is pan-fried mandu, it's derived from guun-mandu 구운만두=>군만두 to mean "panned" dumplings. It's sometimes called, yakimandu.[5][6]
- Jjinmandu (찐만두) is steamed, either in a traditional bamboo steamer or modern versions.
- Gullin mandu (굴린만두), or called gulmandu is a variety of mandu in a ball shape without a covering. It is mainly eaten in summer.[7]
- Wang mandu (왕만두), literally king dumpling, is a very large steamed bun stuffed with pork and vegetables.[8]
- Pyeonsu (편수), mandu stuffed with vegetables in a rectangular shape. It is mainly eaten in summer and a local specialty of Kaesong, North Korea.[9]
- Eomandu (어만두), mandu wrapped with sliced fish fillet. It was originally eaten in Korean royal court and yangban (noble class) families.[10]
- Saengchi mandu (생치만두), mandu stuffed with pheasant meat, beef, and tofu, that was eaten in Korean royal court and in the Seoul area during winter.[11]
- Seognyu mandu (석류만두), literally "pomegranate dumpling" because of the shape [12]
- Somandu (소만두), mandu stuffed with only vegetables, that was originally eaten in Buddhist temples.[13]
- Gyuasang (규아상), mandu stuffed with shredded cucumber and minced beef in the shape of sea cucumber. It is mainly eaten in summer.[14][15]
- Kimchi mandu (김치만두), the stuffing contains kimchi. The addition of kimchi gives it a spicier taste compared to other mandu.[16]
Dishes made with mandu [edit]
Manduguk is a variety of Korean soup (guk) made with mandu in beef broth. In the Korean royal court, the dish was called byeongsi (餠匙) while in Eumsik dimibang, a 17th century cookbook, it was called "seokryutang" (석류탕).[17]
In popular culture [edit]
- In the 2003 South Korean film Oldboy, the protagonist Oh Dae-Su is fed a steady diet of fried mandu, the food that he detests the most, while he is imprisoned. After he is released, he visits various restaurants serving the dish to get clues and determine where he was held captive.[18]
- Wonder Girls's member, Ahn Sohee, is often referred to as Mandu due to her cheeks resembling the shape of mandu.[19]
- In the YouTube reality television series, "K-Town," the word 'mandu' is used as a figurative term by the cast members to refer to short, fat Korean girls (the term could be extrapolated for use on short, fat girls of other races).[citation needed]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Goldberg, Lina "Asia's 10 greatest street food cities" CNN Go. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-11
- ^ Favorite foods, Korean Tourism Organization
- ^ (Korean) Mandu, Hankook Ilbo, 2009-01-21
- ^ (Korean) Mulmandu recipe, Naver kitchen
- ^ (Korean) Gunmandu, Naver dictionary
- ^ (Korean) Yakimandu, Naver dictionary
- ^ (Korean) Gullin mandu at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ http://124.158.109.150/ebooks/Korean%20Phrasebook.pdf
- ^ (Korean) Pyeonsu at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ (Korean) Eomandu at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ (Korean) Saengchi mandu at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ (Korean) The three aesthetics of mandu, Lee Mi-jong (이미종), Yeoseong Chosun, 2008-02-14.
- ^ (Korean) Somandu at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ (Korean) Gyuasang at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ (Korean) Gyuasang at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ^ (Korean) Kimchi mandu at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ^ (Korean) Manduguk at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ^ (Korean) Old Boy mandu, Yonhap News, 2005-03-21
- ^ (Korean) Sohee hates nickname Mandu, Joy News 24, 2008-01-14
External links [edit]
