Celebrated annually on September 26th, National Dumpling Day is a holiday that brings attention to these doughy pockets that so many people around the world enjoy regularly. Although dumplings come from very humble origins, they are probably one of the most widely eaten types of food in the world today.

The History of National Dumpling Day

This holiday was first created in 2015 by the TMI Food Group. This food company manufactures a wide assortment of Asian food products, including noodles, appetizers, and, unsurprisingly, dumplings. Although this holiday isn’t very old, it’s becoming increasingly popular with each passing year.

The History of Dumplings

It can be extremely difficult to pin down the exact origins of this dish since, at its most basic level, dumplings are nothing more than boiled pieces of dough, and surely people have been boiling dough for many thousands of years. Even so, researchers believe that dumplings are more than 1,800 years old and have their origins in China.

The first dumpling recipe to survive is in an ancient Roman cookery text known as Apicius. This cookbook is believed to have been compiled during the 1st century AD and was written in Vulgar Latin.

The dumpling recipe in this book was called Isicia Omentata — or Dumplings of Pheasant, and it featured lightly roasted pheasants mixed with fat and seasoned with reduced wine or broth and pepper. It was then shaped into spoon dumplings and poached in water seasoned with garum—a fermented fish sauce—or boiled in seawater.

A Quick Look at Some Dumpling Varieties

It’s truly amazing how many different types of dumplings are made all over the world. We were so intrigued by some of them; we wanted to introduce anyone looking to celebrate this holiday to just a few varieties of them.

• Pierogi
• Gnocchi
• Khinkali
• Kobarid
• Wonton
• Samosa
• Knödel
• Ravioli
• Chicken Dumplings

A Few Dumpling Dishes to Consider

Below are just a small sample of some of the dishes that can be made from dumplings. Of course, this is an extremely small sample of some of the dumpling dishes we’ve found. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other dishes made with these small boiled, fried, or baked pieces of dough.

• Pork & Shiitake Pot Stickers
• Chicken & Dumplings
• Shrimp Mandu
• Pork Dumpling Soup
• Bánh Bột Lọc
• Buuz
• Coxinhas
• Empanadas
• Gyoza

Celebrating National Dumpling Day

As one can imagine, looking at all the different dumpling varieties, it should be no problem for anyone to celebrate this holiday. All they have to do is choose their favorite type of dumpling and serve it up with just a plain sauce or incorporate it into their favorite dish. People can also celebrate this holiday by using the hashtag #NationalDumplingDay on their social media to spread the word about these tasty pieces of cooked dough.