Turns out that coming with a consistent definition of a dumpling is is really hard. My entire university class had a big argument about this and we never managed to settle it. The options above are some that were most heavily featured in the discussion.
On market close, I will create a poll for each of these dumplings. The options will be Yes, No, and Don't know. Each answer resolves YES if the sum of Yes answers exceeds the sum of No answers. The poll will come after a question that asks you for your definition of a dumpling, since I want your dumpling choices to make sense.
Some open dumpling questions:
Does a dumpling need to be fried, boiled, or cooked some other way?
Does a dumpling need to be closed?
Does a dumpling need to be savory?
Does the wrapper need to be made of dough?
Does it need to be wrapped in a certain way?
There will be another question about definitions if people are interested.
Related questions
I feel the need for a multi-factorial spreadsheet 😃
@shankypanky I notice the 4 featured dumplings are all wrapped -
Wraps, like pancakes or bread, seem to be similarly blander, probably cheaper foodstuffs, whose purpose is to hold and serve delectables
I added this because it's a very good edge case:
-On one hand, they're ubiquitously referred to and thought of as "dumplings", and are literally called that in American cuisine, I believe (like in a dish's title, "chicken with dumplings" or something, is often referring to Spatzle)
-On the other hand, they're just little homogenous pieces of egg noodles, without filling, and probably wouldn't meet any well-formulated criteria of what a dumpling needs to be.
They have that dumpling je ne sais quoi, but don't hold up to "dumpling rules"
@benshindel English is not my native language and I would never have guessed that these are called dumplings.
Getting a little bit too many added options that are obviously dumplings, or are functionally identical, like Piroshki and Pierogi. Might need to close to submissions is this continues. I was hoping to see more challenging edge cases (for example, what things might qualify if you don't neccesitate a dumpling to be closed?)
@Shump gotcha (I added some of those, sorry). Worth noting that in my experience, Piroshki and Pierogi are different things, though.
@benshindel agreed - we have a pretty popular Piroshki place here and I have never considered them dumplings, but they fit this list.
Wait, I don’t believe a dumpling must be wrapped as some have said.
Rather, they can be a batter, like matzoh balls or gnocchi (which I see are already listed), but must be boiled or fried or simmered or deep fried to give them a cohesive final consistency.
@SusanneinFrance This is dumpling anarchy! Falafels are not dumplings. Are french fries dumplings? Are baked Empanadas not dumplings while the fried version is?
@Shump Yet matzoh balls and gnocchi are surely dumplings? Must they be soft? Can they not be crunchy? Must they be filled (and wrapped), not homogeneous? Must they be immersed (in oil or whatever) but not pure hot air?
@Shump Actual potatoes cut into “fries” (long, roughly square or circular cross-section, often with ridges) are not dumplings but by some definitions the potato mash extruded into fry shapes might indeed meet the criteria of an immersively cooked batter.