Workman Publishing Company, New York, 1977. Paperback. Fine. The word “dumpling” almost immediately inspires a sense of comfort, warmth, and craving–-no wonder, then, that it’s also used as a term of endearment. Many cultures have what might be called dumplings, but even at that, they are a wide-ranging category of eatable. Maria Polushkin’s The Dumpling Cookbook (1977) is a valiant effort at demonstrating the vast world of the doughy delectable. Categorizing them not by nationality but by type, Polushkin reveals how broadly the word “dumpling” can be applied. There are dropped dumplings (spaetzle, matzoh balls, albondigas, gnocchi), filled dumplings (shui-mai, chebureki, piroshki, ravioli, empanadas), fritters (Jamaican bean fritter, corn fritter, Vietnamese fritter, tempura), and sweet dumplings (apple fritters, buñuelos, calas, vareniki). And that’s only naming a few. Maybe the definition of what makes a dumpling is as up for debate as whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich, but fewer people will argue against their deliciousness, whatever we call them. Our copy is Fine and unused. Issued in paperback only.
