The delicious Japanese dumplings: gyozas
Gyoza is one of the most popular dishes in Japan, a country with a huge culinary culture. Gyoza is also already very present around the globe. But what do we really know about this little Japanese dumpling? Where does it come from, what is it and taste like? We will tell you all about this specialty to eat on the go, steamed, grilled, or fried.
The origins of gyoza
Gyoza is typical of Japan in that Japanese cuisine has adapted the traditional Chinese dumpling recipe to the taste of the Rising Sun. This Japanese dumpling, therefore, descends directly from the jiaozi of the Middle Kingdom, which consists of an envelope of wheat-based dough sealed around pork and vegetable stuffing.
It seems that the adoption of gyoza by the Japanese people is recent: it dates back to the Sino-Japanese war, from the beginning of the 1930s. It was during the invasion of Manchuria in particular that the Japanese learned the recipe for dumplingi from the Chinese.
Traditionally, gyozas are stuffed with ground pork mixed with scallions, scallions, cabbage, ginger, and garlic. But today, some establishments offer different stuffings - especially with shrimp or seafood - and experiment with different tastes. You can even find cheese gyozas in some specialty restaurants!
Gyozas: how to taste them?
Whoever never feasted on gyoza before must quickly remedy it by running to an izakaya (traditional Japanese daily restaurant), a ramen restaurant, or for the new generation, to a "gyoza bar"! They are usually served by six or twelve and are eaten with vinegar soy sauce and/or spicy sesame oil (rayu). Some gyozas can be enjoyed only with spicy oil, so as not to alter their taste. This is the case with those with shrimps, which do not go well with vinegar.
Gyozas are usually served as an accompaniment to the main dish (bowls of noodles or rice most of the time) but more and more "gyoza bars" are offering a menu based solely on variations of dumplings. The stuffing and different possible cooking options of gyoza allow you to develop flavorful menus that will delight the curiosity of all taste buds.
