Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 4th 2007, 11:54am By Courtney Bajdas

Editor's Note: The following story appears in the September issue of Buffalo Rising Magazine, and should list Courtney Bajdas as the author.

There are so many characteristics that differentiate cultures; language, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions are just a few. Still, as individuals we are more alike than different, and the commonalities that transcend cultural lines include things like art, music, and well, dough pockets.

Many individual cultures have come to realize the convenience and versatility of a meal contained in a hand-held, filled dough pocket. The larger versions, like Asian samosas or Latino empanadas, can encapsulate an entire meal. Other cultures have adapted the pocket by wrapping meat, cheese, vegetables or a combination of these items into neat little shapes that are then heated in sauce or water.

From a contemporary and broad American perspective, dough pockets immediately make us think of pierogi, ravioli, samosas, won tons, pot stickers, tortellini, and empanadas. That quick list encompasses filled dough pockets that stretch from Eastern Europe, to the Mediterranean, South East Asia, Latin and South America, and East Asia. But surely there must be more.

The very long list of dough pockets typical in East Asian diets could be the focus of a doctoral dissertation. Eaten on their own or in soup, with dough ranging from thick and opaque to transparent and sticky, Asian cultures have the dumpling manifestation of the filled dough pocket all wrapped up. There are common crescent-shaped dumplings such as gyoza (Japan), mandoo (Korea), banh bot loc (Vietnam), and jiao zi (China). Other varieties include siu mai, a basket-shaped, pork-filled dumpling from China; ba wan, a circular, meat and veggie filled version from Taiwan; and the above mentioned won ton, a Chinese meat-filled pocket that has an irregular shape and is often served fried or boiled. But, the list really goes on and on. In China alone there are hundreds of different types of dumplings--dim sum anyone?

The dubious dumpling aside, one of my favorite dough pockets (and Buffalo’s too) is the Polish pierogi. Traditional pierogi usually contain cheese, potato, sauerkraut, onion, or fruit and occasionally meat. Pierogi are similar, if not synonymous to varenyky (Ukraine), kolduny (Belaruse/Russia), derelye (Hungary), and aushak (Afghanistan). There's also maultasche (Bavaria/Alsace) which resemble large square ravioli, as opposed to pelmeni (Russia) and kreplach (Jewish), which look like smaller, rounder ravioli. If we were to continue searching the globe for bite-sized pockets, we’d find ourselves in the Middle East as well, where manti are part of the food culture of Uzbekistan, Turkey, Armenia, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Shisbarak is the version most commonly found in Iran and Lebanon.

The dough pocket all-star is definitely the empanada, as at least 18 different countries have their own take on this adaptable and delectable pocket. If you've never had an empanada, they're similar to Italian panzerotti or pastelillos from Puerto Rico. Empanadas are baked or fried, and depending on location, the dough is made from corn based flour, potato flour, wheat flour, or rice flour. Of course they can be filled with anything, but traditionally they consist of a combination of beef or chicken, onions, chopped egg, olives, raisins, and peas. Naturally, in coastal areas you'll find conch, oyster, clam, codfish, tuna, trout, shrimp, or other seafood fillings. The list of vegetable fillings is endless too: mushrooms, yams, pumpkin, peppers, sweet potato, black beans, heart of palm, spinach. And, if you're on a 6-hour bus ride through Ecuador and a vendor hops aboard with a basket of “Mystery Empanada” it is sometimes best not to ask; just take a bite, and let the guessing begin.

The size of the empanada also differs regionally. Some are as large as a plate, but more often they approximate the size of your hand. Peruvian empanadas tend to be smaller, while Panamanian empanadas are so small they're considered more of an appetizer. Empanadas can be eaten for lunch, dinner, appetizers, snacks, or dessert. Dessert empanadas can be filled with sweet cheese, chocolate or fruit, and then covered with sugar or jam. Drooling yet?

Here in WNY, we have a bevy of delicious dough-filled pockets to choose from. In 2006, Buffalo had the proud distinction of being named Mrs. T's Pierogy Pocket of America. Kuni’s To Go serves delicious little wasabi shumai, and Niagara Street plays host to many a good pastelillo. Additionally, the region’s strong Italian population means that handmade ravioli abounds. The Pasta Peddler supplies a fantastic version to Guercio’s, Scime’s and Premier, while all of the flavors handmade by Gondola Macaroni are worthy of an article all on their own, especially the lobster-filled. Baked, pan-fried, boiled, or deep fried; circular, square, rectangular, crescent shaped, or tetrahedral--whatever you choose, you cannot deny the sheer ingenuity and deliciousness of filled dough pockets.

Author's Note: Spellings vary between locations and translations. A special thanks to Emily Chong, for expanding the narrow world of my dumpling experiences.

Please note that a link can be made to the post on Gondola by rdominguez, http://www.buffalorising.com/story/transport_your_tastebuds_visit_1#sca