In China they’re crescent shaped and filled with pork and cabbage, in Nepal they’re called momos and are fried with buffalo meat. In Ireland they’re soaked in Guinness gravy, and Italians fill them with spinach and call them gnocchi. They can be steamed or fried and are found all over the world. I’m talking, of course, about dumplings.
Dumplings are a group of dishes where a filling is wrapped inside pieces of cooked dough. They’re basically dough envelopes with a filling inside. Fillings can be anything from meat and fish to vegetables, tofu or cheese. And the dough is usually based on a starchy grain like wheat, rice, corn or potato. In fact, the English word, ‘dumpling’, comes from a 17th century adjective, dump, meaning ‘dough- like’.
The really amazing thing about dumplings is that they’re found all over the world. Over the centuries, different countries and regions have experimented with flavours and fillings to create something unique. Wherever in the world you are there’s probably a special kind of dumpling for you!
In this programme, we’ll be sampling a dumpling from the West African country of Ghana. And, as usual, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
Great! But first I have a question for you, Beth. Probably the most famous British dumplings, suet dumplings, are cooked on top of a chicken or beef stew. They’re made from suet… but what exactly is that? Is suet: a) wheat? b) potato? or, c) animal fat?
OK, Beth, we’ll find out if that’s the correct answer later in the programme. The origins of dumplings are a mystery. Historians think the dish is very old, but no- one knows for sure when or where the first dumpling was cooked. One theory puts the birthplace of the dumpling along the Silk Road, linking China with Central Asia, and Turkey.
One way or another, the dumpling journeyed through the Middle East and across Africa to Ghana, where today it’s a favourite way of adding carbohydrates to a dish, as well as soaking up sauce and juices. Kafui Adzah is a businesswoman and fan of the Ghanian dumpling called, kenkey.
Now we have to eat kenkey with what we call shito – chilli sauce. OK. But we also have the black sauce… it's like with shrimps, fish, and all sort of proteins in it. And then... Yum Yum! You go at it! You dig in!
It is very satisfying, in fact kenkey is loved by most people who do manual work because it fills the tummy and it takes you almost a whole day before you feel hungry again.
Kenkey dumplings are made from maize sourdough and eaten across Ghana. For some tribes, kenkey is their staple food – a basic and important type of food that is regularly eaten by a large portion of the population. In Britain for example, bread and eggs are staple foods.
Kenkey takes time to make - the maize needs to be soaked in water for a week. But when they’re ready and served with a hot chilli sauce, Kafui uses two phrases to show it’s time to eat. Yum yum! is used to say that food tastes or smells very good, and dig in! is another exclamation meaning: don’t wait, start eating and eat as much as you like.
For Ghanaians, kenkey is comfort food, something which is enjoyable to eat and makes you feel happier. And what’s more, it fills your tummy or stomach.
Whatever type you eat and wherever in the world you eat them, dumplings are a great way to spread a little love, including in Britain!
无论您吃什么类型，无论您在世界何处食用它们，饺子都是传播一点爱的好方法，包括在英国！
Neil(尼尔)
Ah yes, it looks like we’re back to my earlier question. I asked you what the traditional British suet dumpling is made from. Beth guessed it was animal fat, which was… the correct answer! Suet dumplings aren’t the healthiest, but for some Brits they’re certainly comfort food - food that makes you feel happier because it tastes good, or because it reminds you of home.
OK, let's recap the rest of the vocabulary we've learned in this programme, starting with the idiom hits the spot, meaning that something is satisfying and exactly what you wanted.
好，让我们回顾一下我们在这个节目中学到的其余词汇，从谚语 Hits the spot 开始，意思是某件事是令人满意的，正是你想要的。
Neil(尼尔)
A staple food is a basic and important type of food that is regularly eaten by a large portion of the population.
主食是一种基本且重要的食物，很大一部分人经常食用。
Beth(贝丝)
The exclamation yum yum! is used to say that food tastes or smells delicious.
感叹号 yum yum！用于表示食物的味道或闻起来很美味。
Neil(尼尔)
If you say dig in! you’re inviting someone to start eating as much as they want.
如果你说 dig in！你是在邀请某人开始吃他们想吃多少就吃多少。
Beth(贝丝)
And finally, tummy is an informal word for stomach. Once again our six minutes are up, but remember to join us again next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!
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