Eat this Word: Gyoza

by jbfauthor on February 26, 2010

WHAT? Japanese potstickers. Like many Japanese culinary traditions—chopsticks, noodles, and soy sauce, to name a few—gyoza, or pan-fried pork dumplings, were borrowed from the Chinese. Even the Japanese name is derived from the Mandarin jiaozi. A relative newcomer, it's believed gyoza arrived in Japan sometime in the 1930s, after the Japanese invasion of China, and were popularized around the country during the 1940s. Today, the Japanese dumplings have a more heavily seasoned filling and thinner dough than their Chinese cousins. Fried on one side until crisp then steamed until tender, gyoza are one of the few non-noodle dishes found on menus in ramen shops in Japan, where they are served with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame or chili oil. There are also gyoza restaurants. True gyoza lovers should find their way to Ikebukuro's Sunshine City complex where part of the Namco Namjatown amusement

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