Word Net

wonton

1 a Chinese dumpling filled with spiced minced pork; usually served in soup [syn: won ton]

2 a soup with won ton dumplings [syn: won ton, wonton soup]

English

Noun

1. A Chinese dumpling, often stuffed with varieties of meat or seafood and vegetables.

Translations

• Mandarin: 馄饨 (pinyin: húntún)

A wonton (also spelled wantan, wanton, or wuntun in transcription from Cantonese; the Mandarin pronunciation is huntun) is a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese cuisines.

History

The wonton is belived to date back to 206 BCE. Others suggest it was introduced by the Qing Dynasty. The term wonton is believed to be origin for Japanese udon

North American Chinese cuisine

In American Chinese cuisine (and in Canada as well), wontons are served in two ways: in wonton soup (wontons in a clear broth), and as an appetizer called fried wontons. Fried wontons are often served without filling and eaten with duck sauce or Chinese mustard. Compared to the Far East versions, fried wontons are eaten dry. They resemble the cheese-filled crab rangoon. In Minnesota, Louisiana, California, Florida, and parts of Iowa, fried wontons are often filled with cream cheese.

In Canada wonton soup in eateries not catering to Chinese have porked fill wontons with spagetti like noodle, BBQ pork and vegetables in a clear chicken broth.

Chinese names

In Mandarin Chinese, the name of the food is written as 馄饨 (pinyin: húntun; roughly meaning "irregularly shaped dumpling"). However, the English name derives from the Cantonese ''wan4tan1.

In Cantonese, , (pinyin: yúntūn), is a popular variant written form that literally means "swallowing clouds". Both terms are in Cantonese.

See also

• Jiaozi
• Kalduny
• Kreplach
• Mandu (dumpling)
• Mantı
• Maultasche
• Ravioli
• Youtiao

Reference