As We Eat

EP 50 Dumplings Around the World: The Great American Dumplings Showdown

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Episode notes

Whether served fried, steamed, or boiled, dumplings can tell the story of a geography by how it's cooked and eaten . As We Eat concludes its three-part series exploring the global cuisine of dumplings with our third installment examining the twin stories of the “dumpling” darling of a classic American comfort food. Are you Team Fluffy or Team Slick?

As we’ve discovered in our three-part series, dumplings reign as a perpetual favorite in cuisines all over the world, and North America is no different. Here in the States, two different formulations of dumplings form the backbone to an All-American classic dish: Chicken & Dumplings. In many ways, the popularity of that dish is no real mystery - people have been enjoying meat stewed with vegetables for centuries - but it definitely gains an advantage from a fluffy soft or slick chewy dumplings.

Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode 

Don't Call Chicken and Dumplings Depression-Era Cheap Eats

Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson

Books We Think You’ll  Enjoy Reading

The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph

The Kentucky Housewife by Lettice Brian

Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge

Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Kabel Tyre

Recipes You Really Need to Try

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie from a Coal Cracker in the Kitchen

Southern Chicken and Dumplings from Pastry Chef Online

Nothing says comfort like homemade chicken and dumplings - Chesterfield Observer

Chicken Soup with Butter Dumplings from Chez Us

Episode Transcript

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