Jiaozi are a kind of Chinese dumpling, commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. They are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year and year-round in the northern provinces.
These dumplings typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping.
One of the special crafts organised by the International Women's Organisation in Limerick was a demonstration of dumpling making. Susan kindly hosted the event in Croagh.
Upon arrival, we were treated to a session on the art of tea making and its significance.
Then we were shown how to make the dumplings. Traditionally, jiaozi were thought to be invented during the era of the Eastern Han (AD 25 - 220)] by Zhang Zhongjing who was a great practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. Jiaozi were originally referred to as "tender ears" because they were used to treat frostbitten ears. Zhang Zhongjing was on his way home during wintertime when he found many common people had frostbitten ears. This was because they did not have warm clothes and sufficient food. He treated these poor people by stewing lamb, peppers, and some herbal medicine in a pot. The broth was set aside and the mixture was then chopped up and used to fill small dough wrappers. He boiled these dumplings and gave them with the broth to his patients, until the coming of the Chinese New Year
Jiaozi may also be named because they are horn-shaped. The Chinese word for "horn" is jiao (Chinese: 角; pinyin: jiǎo), and jiaozi was originally written with the Chinese character for "horn".
Jiaozi look like yuan bao silver or gold ingots used as currency during the Ming Dynasty, and as the name sounds like the word for the earliest paper money, serving them is believed to bring prosperity. Many families eat these at midnight on Chinese New Year's Eve.
Once everything was cooked, we sat down for a most delightful lunch.
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