Bundles of Joy

As a food writer and reviewer, raised in England and across Europe, formerly based in Canada, and now itinerant, I found my interest piqued by What We Talk about When We Talk about Dumplings precisely because I have eaten so few dumplings in my life. How does this lowly foodstuff warrant its own book, I wondered.

Dumplings, in my mind, have always been a starchy way to fill empty stomachs, to use up leftovers, to quiet the demands of hundreds of hungry preteens at boarding school. I remember them arriving pale and putty-coloured, floating atop the twice-monthly stew. They were best avoided, even by the cafeteria dustbin (me).

Now the allure of the humble dumpling has become clear to me, partly because it is a staple on the menu of every restaurant in southern Austria and northern Italy, where I am currently...