''Mandu'' (), or mandoo, are

dumplings Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

. * ''Mandu'' can be steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. The styles also vary across regions in the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. ''Mandu'' were long part of

Korean royal court cuisine Korean royal court cuisine (''Joseon Wangjo Gungjung yori'') was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery s ...

, but are now found in supermarkets, restaurants, and snack places such as ''

pojangmacha ''Pojangmacha'' (포장마차) is form of commercial establishment based out of a small tent (sometimes on wheels) or street stall found in South Korea. These establishment sell popular street foods, such as ''hotteok'', ''gimbap'', ''tteokbokki ...

'' and ''

bunsik ''Bunsik'' () is a generic term used to refer to inexpensive Korean dishes available at ''bunsikjeom'' (분식점) or ''bunsikjip'' (분식집) snack restaurants. Since the term ''bunsik'' literally means "food made from flour," foods such as ' ...

jip'' throughout Korea.

Names and etymology

The name is

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

with the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings along the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

, such as Uyghur ''

manta Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Br ...

'' (), Turkish ', Kazakh '' mänti'' (), Uzbek ', Afghan ' and Armenian '' mantʿi'' (). Chinese ''

mántou ''Mantou'' (), often referred to as Chinese steamed bun, is a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun popular in northern China. Folk etymology connects the name ''mantou'' to a tale about Zhuge Liang. Description ''Mantou'' are typ ...

'' (; ) is also considered a cognate, which used to mean meat-filled dumplings, but now refers to steamed buns without any filling. ''Mandu'' can be divided into ''gyoja'' () type and ''poja'' () type. In Chinese, the categories of dumplings are called ''

jiǎozi ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' are ...

'' (; ) and ''

bāozi Baozi (), Pao-tsih or bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steaming, steamed. They are a variation ...

'' () respectively, which are cognates with the Korean words. In Japanese, the former-type dumplings are called ''

gyōza ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' are ...

'' (), which is also a cognate. In Mongolian, the latter-type dumplings are called ''

buuz Buuz ( mn, Бууз; /''Buuza'', , Chinese: 包子/Baozi) is a type of Mongolian steamed dumpling filled with meat. An example of authentic Mongolian and Buryatian cuisine, the dish is traditionally eaten at home during Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar N ...

'' (), which is also a cognate.

History

''Mandu'' are believed to have been first brought to Korea by Yuan Mongolians in the 14th century during the reign of the

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

.Mandu
at

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (두산동아). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (동아원색세계대백과사전), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be p ...

The state religion of Goryeo was

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, which discouraged consumption of meat. The Mongolian incursion into Goryeo relaxed the religious prohibition against consuming meat, and ''mandu'' was among the newly imported dishes that included meat. Another possibility is ''mandu'' came to Korea at a much earlier period from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

through the

. Historians point out many cuisines based on wheat, such as dumplings and

noodles Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, Indo ...

which originated from

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

and gradually spread from there. It also spread east along the Silk Road, leaving many versions of ''mandu'' throughout Central and East Asia. A Goryeo-era folk song, "''Ssanghwajeom''", tells a story of a mandu shop (''ssanghwa'' meaning 'dumplings', and ''jeom'' meaning 'shop') run by a foreigner, probably of

n origin.

Varieties

If the dumplings are grilled or pan-fried, they are called ''gun-mandu'' (군만두); when steamed, ''jjin-mandu'' (찐만두); and when boiled, ''mul-mandu'' (물만두). In North Korea, mandu styles vary in different regions of the country. In particular, Pulmuone is releasing cheese dumplings, sweet seed dumplings with sugar and spicy dumplings. *''Mul-mandu'' (물만두) means "boiled ''mandu''". *''Gun-mandu'' (군만두) is pan-fried ''mandu''. It is derived from guun-mandu 구운만두=>군만두 to mean "panned" dumplings.'. *''Jjin-mandu'' (찐만두) is steamed, either in a traditional bamboo steamer or modern versions. *'' Gullin-mandu'' (굴린만두), also called ''gulmandu'', is a variety of ''mandu'' in a ball shape without a covering. It is mainly eaten in summer. *''Wang mandu'' (왕만두) is a bun stuffed with pork and vegetables, similar to the Chinese ''

baozi Baozi (), Pao-tsih or bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of '' m ...

''. *''

Pyeonsu ( ko, 편수) is a square-shaped ''mandu (food), mandu'' (dumpling) in Korean cuisine. It is a food typically served in summer, served chilled, and dipped in soy sauce and vinegar. The city of Gaeseong in North Hwanghae Province is famous for it ...

'' (편수), mandu stuffed with vegetables in a rectangular shape. It is mainly eaten in summer and a local specialty of

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. *''

Eo-mandu ''Eo-mandu'' (; "fish dumpling") is a half-moon-shaped '' mandu'' (dumpling) prepared with filleted whitefish, most typically brown croakers, instead of flour dough as the wrapping. In the past, it formed part of Korean royal court cuisine, ...

'' (어만두), mandu wrapped with sliced

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

fillet Fillet may refer to: *Annulet (architecture), part of a column capital, also called a fillet *Fillet (aircraft), a fairing smoothing the airflow at a joint between two components *Fillet (clothing), a headband *Fillet (cut), a piece of meat *Fille ...

. It was originally eaten in Korean royal court and

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats ...

(noble class) families. *''Saengchi-mandu'' (생치만두), mandu stuffed with pheasant meat, beef, and tofu, that was eaten in Korean royal court and in the Seoul area during winter. *'' Seongnyu-mandu'' (석류만두), literally "

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

dumpling" because of the shape. *'' So-mandu'' (소만두), mandu stuffed with only vegetables, which were originally eaten in Buddhist temples. *'' Gyuasang'' (규아상), mandu stuffed with shredded cucumber and minced beef in the shape of a

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuria ...

. It is mainly eaten in the summer. *''Kimchi-mandu'' (김치만두), mandu with stuffing which contains kimchi. The addition of kimchi gives it a spicier taste compared to other ''mandu''. *''Napjak-mandu'' (납작만두), a

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

specialty. As the name suggests (''napjak'' in Korean means 'flat'), the mandu is not as plump as the other types. A small amount of chopped glass noodles and chopped vegetables go inside the mandu. The mandu is then boiled once and pan-fried once, finished off with a dipping sauce made with soy sauce and red pepper powder, and garnished on top with vegetables. Pork ravioli, Hangang, Paris 002.jpg, ''Gun-mandu'' (pan-fried dumplings) Jjin-mandu 3.jpg, ''Jjin-mandu'' (steamed dumplings) Mulmandu (boiled dumplings).jpg, ''Mul-mandu'' (boiled dumplings) Wang-mandu.jpg, ''Wang-mandu'' (steamed bun dumplings) 10미-납작만두.jpg,

''napjak-mandu'' (flat dumplings) Korean mandu dumplings.jpg, Common dumplings sold in Korean street restaurants

Dishes made with mandu

'' Manduguk'' is a variety of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

soup (''

guk ''Guk'' (), also sometimes known as ''tang'' (), is a class of soup-like dishes in Korean cuisine. ''Guk'' and ''tang'' are commonly grouped together and regarded as the same type of dish, although ''tang'' can sometimes be less watery than ...

'') made with ''mandu'' in beef broth. In the Korean royal court, the dish was called ''byeongsi'' () while in the ''

Eumsik dimibang The ''Eumsik dimibang'' or ''Gyugon siuibang'' is a Korean cookbook written around 1670 by Lady Jang (張氏, 1598~1680) from Andong Clan, Gyeongsang Province during the Joseon Dynasty. The author was in the noble ''yangban'' class and the book ...

'', a 17th-century cookbook, it was called ''"seokryutang"'' (석류탕).

Similar food

In Korean cuisine, ''mandu'' generally denotes a type of filled

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

similar to the Mongolian ''

'' and Turkic ''

mantı Manti is a type of dumpling popular in most cuisines of the South Caucasus, Balkans, Central Asia, and Afghanistan. Manti is also popular among Chinese Muslims, and it is consumed throughout post-Soviet countries, where the dish spread from the ...

'', and some variations are similar to the Chinese ''

jiaozi ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' ar ...

'' and the Japanese ''

gyoza ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' ar ...

''. They are similar to ''

pelmeni Pelmeni (russian: пельмени—plural, ; pelmen, russian: пельмень, link=no—singular, ) are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough. It is debated whether they originated in Ura ...

'' and ''

pierogi Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...

'' in some Slavic cultures.

In popular culture

* In the 2003 South Korean film '' Oldboy'', the protagonist Oh Dae-Su is fed a steady diet of fried ''mandu'', the food that he detests the most, while he is imprisoned. After he is released, he visits various restaurants serving the dish to get clues and determine where he was held captive. *

Wonder Girls Wonder Girls () was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in February 2007 with the single "Irony" and 5 members: Yeeun, Sunye, Sunmi, Hyuna and Sohee. After Hyuna's departure in July, Yubin was added into th ...

member

Ahn Sohee Ahn So-hee (born June 27, 1992), better known by the mononym Sohee, is a South Korean actress and singer. As a singer, she is best known as a former member of the South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. As an actress, she is best known for her per ...

is often referred to as ''Mandu'' due to her cheeks resembling the shape of ''mandu''.Sohee hates nickname Mandu
Joy News 24, 2008-01-14 *In the 2020

DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

animated series ''

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts ''Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts'' is an animated television series created by Radford Sechrist and developed by Bill Wolkoff, adapted from Rad's 2015 webcomic ''Kipo''. The series is produced by American company DreamWorks Animation Televisi ...

'', Kipo finds a mutated pig and names it ''Mandu'' because it resembles the dumpling.

References

External links

Golden Mandu (Korean Dumplings)
(Kate's Global Kitchen, by

Kate Heyhoe Katherine Evelyn Heyhoe (born April 9, 1955) is an American editor and food writer. She is the author of numerous gourmet cookbooks. Career Heyhoe has been a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) since 1994, wh ...

)
Traditional Mandu Recipe
Korean-Cooking.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Mandu (Dumpling) Dumplings Korean cuisine Steamed foods Street food in South Korea