Mandu

Jjin-mandu (steamed dumplings)
Alternative names	Dumplings
Type	Dumpling
Place of origin	Korea
Associated national cuisine	Korean cuisine, Korean royal court cuisine
Similar dishes	Buuz Jiǎozi Khinkali Manti Momo Pierogi Pelmeni
Cookbook: Mandu   Media: Mandu

This article is part of a series on
Korean cuisine 한국 요리 조선 료리
Staples Bap Bibimbap Bokkeum-bap Gukbap Juk Mieum Guksu Naengmyeon Mandu
Ancillaries Pickled dishes Jangajji Jeotgal Kimchi Baek-kimchi Dongchimi Kkakdugi Nabak-kimchi Soups & stews Guk Tang Jeongol Jijimi Jjigae Banchan Bokkeum Buchimgae Jeon Bugak Gui Hoe Jjim Jokpyeon Jorim Muk Namul Pyeonyuk Po Seon Ssam
Desserts Hangwa Dasik Gwapyeon Jeonggwa Kkultarae Suksilgwa Yakbap Yeot Yeotgangjeong Yugwa Gangjeong Hangwa Yumilgwa Mandugwa Taraegwa Yakgwa Tteok Baekseolgi Bupyeon Gyeongdan Injeolmi Jeolpyeon Jeungpyeon Mujigae-tteok Siru-tteok Songpyeon
Drinks List of Korean drinks Cha Hwachae Sikhye Sul (alcoholic drinks) Sujeonggwa
Condiments Doenjang Ganjang Gukganjang Eoganjang Gochujang Honey Cheong Mustard sauce Oil Perilla oil Sesame oil Ssamjang Vinegar Persimmon vinegar Rice vinegar
Utensils Dolsot Onggi Siru Sujeo Ttukbaegi
Other Kimchi Field Museum Kimchi refrigerator List of Korean dishes List of North Korean dishes List of Korean beverages Korean regional cuisine Korean Chinese cuisine Korean royal court cuisine
Korea portal
v t e

Mandu (만두; 饅頭) are dumplings in Korean cuisine.^[1][2]Mandu can be steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. The styles also vary across regions in Korean Peninsula.^[3]Mandu were long part of Korean royal court cuisine, but are now found in supermarkets, restaurants, and snack places such as pojangmacha, bunsikjip throughout Korea.^[4]

Names and etymology[edit]

The name is cognate with the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings along the Silk Road in Central Asia, such as Uyghur manta (مانتا), Turkish mantı, Kazakh mänti (мәнті), Uzbek manti, and Armenian mantʿi (մանթի).^[5][6] Chinese mántou (馒头; 饅頭) is also considered a cognate, which used to mean meat-filled dumplings, but now refers to steamed buns without any filling.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]} Japanese manjū (饅頭) is another cognate, but it means a sweet, stuffed confection.^[6]

Mandu can be divided into gyoja (교자; 餃子) type and poja (포자; 包子) type.^[11] In Chinese, the categories of dumplings are called jiǎozi (饺子; 餃子) and bāozi (包子) respectively, which are cognates with the Korean words. In Japanese, the former-type dumplings are called gyōza (餃子), which is also a cognate. In Mongolian, the latter-type dumplings are called buuz (бууз), which is also a cognate.

History[edit]

Mandu are believed to have been first brought to Korea by Yuan Mongolians in the 14th century during the Goryeo Dynasty.^[12][13] The state religion of Goryeo was Buddhism, which discouraged consumption of meat. Mongolian incursion into Goryeo relaxed the religious prohibition against consuming meat, and mandu was among the newly imported dishes that included meat.

Another possibility is mandu came to Korea at a much earlier period from the Middle East through the Silk Road. Historians point out many cuisines based on wheat, such as dumplings and noodles originated from Mesopotamia and gradually spread from there. It also spread east along the Silk Road, leaving many versions of mandu throughout Central and East Asia.^[14]

A Goryeo era folk song Ssanghwajeom tells a story of mandu shop (ssanghwa meaning "dumplings", and jeom meaning "shop") run by a foreigner, probably of Central Asian origin.^[12][15]

Varieties[edit]

mul-mandu, boiled dumplings

kimchi-mandu, steamed kimchi dumplings

If the dumplings are grilled or fried, they are called gun-mandu (군만두); when steamed, jjin-mandu (찐만두); and when boiled, mul-mandu (물만두).^[16] In North Korea, mandu styles vary in different regions of the country.

• 
  Mul-mandu (물만두), it means "boiled mandu".^[17]


• 
  Gun-mandu (군만두) is pan-fried mandu, it's derived from guun-mandu 구운만두=>군만두 to mean "panned" dumplings. It's sometimes called by its Japanese name, yakimandu.^[18][19]


• 
  Jjin-mandu (찐만두) is steamed, either in a traditional bamboo steamer or modern versions.^[13]


• 
  Gullin-mandu (굴린만두), or called gulmandu is a variety of mandu in a ball shape without a covering. It is mainly eaten in summer.^[20]


• 
  Wang mandu (왕만두), is a bun stuffed with pork and vegetables, similar to the Chinese baozi.


• 
  Pyeonsu (편수), mandu stuffed with vegetables in a rectangular shape. It is mainly eaten in summer and a local specialty of Kaesong, North Korea.^[21]


• 
  Eo-mandu (어만두), mandu wrapped with sliced fish fillet. It was originally eaten in Korean royal court and yangban (noble class) families.^[22]


• 
  Saengchi-mandu (생치만두), mandu stuffed with pheasant meat, beef, and tofu, that was eaten in Korean royal court and in the Seoul area during winter.^[23]


• 
  Seongnyu-mandu (석류만두), literally "pomegranate dumpling" because of the shape ^[24]


• 
  So-mandu (소만두), mandu stuffed with only vegetables, that was originally eaten in Buddhist temples.^[25]


• 
  Gyuasang (규아상), mandu stuffed with shredded cucumber and minced beef in the shape of sea cucumber. It is mainly eaten in summer.^[26][27]


• 
  Kimchi-mandu (김치만두), the stuffing contains kimchi. The addition of kimchi gives it a spicier taste compared to other mandu.^[28]

Dishes made with mandu[edit]

Manduguk

Manduguk is a variety of Korean soup (guk) made with mandu in beef broth. In the Korean royal court, the dish was called byeongsi (餠匙) while in Eumsik dimibang, a 17th-century cookbook, it was called "seokryutang" (석류탕).^[29]

Similar food[edit]

In Korean cuisine, mandu generally denotes a type of filled dumpling similar to the Mongolian buuz and Turkish mantı, and some variations are similar to the Chinese jiaozi and the Japanese gyoza.

They are similar to pelmeni and pierogi in some Slavic cultures.

In popular culture[edit]

• In the 2003 South Korean film Oldboy, the protagonist Oh Dae-Su is fed a steady diet of fried mandu, the food that he detests the most, while he is imprisoned. After he is released, he visits various restaurants serving the dish to get clues and determine where he was held captive.^[30]


• 
  Wonder Girls' member, Ahn Sohee, is often referred to as Mandu due to her cheeks resembling the shape of mandu.^[31]

See also[edit]

• List of steamed foods


• Mandugwa

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• 
  Golden Mandu (Korean Dumplings) (Kate's Global Kitchen, by Kate Heyhoe)


• 
  Traditional Mandu Recipe, Korean-Cooking.com