So what's a dumpling?

I recently got into making homemade dumplings, trying out different variations and recipes. But the more I google about dumplings, the more I find more types coming from not just East Asia, but from the rest of the world. 

I began obsessively compiling every recipe I can find, and soon enough I've gotten overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that I felt I needed to properly compile and organize it. I thought of creating this blog for that very reason, and though I don't really know how far I can develop this, I hope in time it'll become of use to other people who love dumplings as well. So please understand too that this blog is in a state of continuous updating and improving. 

But we before we continue, it's pretty important that we define terms so we're all on the same page. What exactly is a dumpling? What elements does a food need to have to be considered a dumpling?

Personally, when I think of a dumpling, I immediately think of East Asian cuisine, ground meat wrapped in dough, and steamed in a bamboo basket. However, dumplings don't necessarily need meat in their filling, the dough isn't always thin, and not always cooked by steaming. 

Various online dictionary's have define a dumpling differently, but Google's (through Oxford Languages) define it as:

a small savory ball of dough (usually made with suet) which may be boiled, fried, or baked in a casserole.

with that definition, I will not be including in this site any non-savoury dumplings like a dessert or a pastry. I may include a special list eventually. We'll see.