資深吃貨：dumplings究竟爲何物？

There's something extraordinarily satisfying about biting into a perfect dumpling—the tug of dough, the burst of steam, that first hit of flavorful filling. And the history of the dumpling is a noble one, a tale of transforming meager ingredients, typically expensive animal proteins, into hearty, substantial meals with the help of a little flour and water.
咬一口美味的餃子就會有一種無比享受的滿足感：勁道的麪皮、蒸汽的孕育、味蕾與美味餡料的觸碰。餃子的歷史是非常神聖和崇高的，它是個將少數幾種材料（通常是昂貴的動物蛋白、麪粉和水）轉變爲美味佳餚的故事。

But in a galaxy of won tons and potstickers, knishes and kreplach, empanadas and ravioli, knowing where a dumpling begins and ends can get a little complicated. Like the chicken and the egg, the true nature of the dumpling remains shrouded in at least a healthy amount of debate.
但是餃子種類繁多，包括混沌、鍋貼、猶太餡餅、三角混沌、肉餡捲餅和意大利餃子，要知道餃子的始末有些困難。就像雞和蛋的故事一樣，餃子的來源也依然是未解之謎……或者至少是一場有意義的爭論。

So when we set out to chart some of the world's greatest dumplings, we found ourselves faced with a single all-consuming question. What is dumpling?
所以，當我們打算聊一聊世界上最偉大的餃子時，我發現我們面臨一些很耗費精力的問題。餃子是什麼？

Ultimately, while the word "dumpling" may have many different meanings—and in China, the dumpling capital of the world, no meaning at all—we've been forced to make some difficult decisions. As we embark on the epic project of classifying our planet's vast array of dumplings, we've opted to count only those foods made by wrapping dough around a filling. And, to simplify matters further, we're including only those foods intended to be consumed in three bites or fewer. Quibble if you must, but items like gnocchi and matzo balls won't appear here. Likewise, with an upComing guide to Italian pastas in the works, your tortellini, agnolotti, and ravioli haven't been included in this particular list.
儘管單詞"dumpling"可能有很多不同的意思，尤其是在中國，世界餃子之都，根本沒有什麼意義，最終我們不得不做出一些困難的決定。當我們着手將世界上的所有的餃子歸類這一偉大的壯舉時，我們已經選擇只把那些帶餡的麪食計算在內。而且我們只討論那些能在三口之內吃完的帶餡麪食。如果非要狡辯的話，麪粉或馬鈴薯做的糰子也不會出現在這裏。同樣地，以後會介紹的意大利麪食、意式餃子、肉餃和混沌並不包括在這個苛刻的清單中。

Join us on a journey from China to India, Nepal, Russia, and beyond, as we explore the great wide world of dumplings. (Coming soon!)
加入我們的餃子之旅吧！從中國到印度、尼泊爾、俄羅斯和其它地方，探尋來自世界各地的餃子。（即將登場，敬請期待！）