A common legend goes that dumplings were first invented in the era of
the Three Kingdoms, around 225 AD. The Jiaozi is a common Chinese
dumpling which generally consists of minced meat and finely chopped
vegetables wrapped into a piece of dough skin. The skin can be either
thin and elastic or thicker. Popular meat fillings include ground meat,
shrimp, and even fish. Popular mixtures include pork with Chinese
cabbage, pork with garlic chives, pork and shrimp with vegetables,
pork with spring onion, garlic chives with scrambled eggs. Filling
mixtures vary depending on personal tastes and region. Jiaozi are
usually boiled, steamed or fried and continue to be a traditional dish
eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve, the evening before Chinese New
Year, and special family reunions. Particularly, in Northern China,
people generally eat dumpling on the Winter Solstice, a custom
signifying a warm winter. Extended family members may gather
together to make dumplings, and it is also eaten for farewell to family
members or friends.
