The special dumplings that made a village famous
Print Edition
FILLED with fish, meat, sweets or vegetables, A Liu dumplings have been a time-honored household snack for more than 100 years in the Songjiang town of Sijing.
In 1905, Zhang Liuchu opened a dumpling store in the town, naming it after his childhood moniker A Liu. With fine hand skills and quality ingredients, he crafted thin dough skins filled with minced meat, delicately chopped vegetables and delicious broth. The dumplings quickly became a specialist dish in the town.
It was said that newspaper tycoon Shi Liangcai (1880-1934), a Sijing native, came to the shop for a bowl of dumplings each time he returned home.
During the 1950s, the store was transformed into a public eatery after shop owner Zhang Fengxiang, son of Zhang Liuchu, was assigned to work at an agricultural station.
“My father passed down the dumpling skills to two apprentices,” said Zhang Pinhua, 78, granddaughter of Zhang Liuchu. “But one quit because the process of making the dumplings to perfection was so time-consuming.”
Indeed, to make an A Liu dumpling requires deft skills in rubbing, kneading, pinching and twisting the dough, not to mention assembling the right fillings.
Like many other old traditions, such expert dumpling cuisine is dying out as heirs to the original process age and more people buy supermarket dumpling skins or ready-made dumplings.
Today, Zhang Pinhua and Zhang Yongquan, the apprentice who stuck with it, are the only remaining heirs of the tradition.
“There are many stores bragging they sell A Liu dumplings, but they are not authentic,” Zhang Pinhua said. “The original A Liu dumpling doesn’t have onions. In addition, the ratio of fat and lean meat is 3-to-7 or 4-to-6 — it’s not all lean meat.”
She said she wishes time-honored traditions weren’t allowed to disappear.
“I heard that Old Sijing Town is going to be redeveloped into a new tourism attraction,” she said. “Food culture is a big part of tourism, and I hope A Liu dumplings return to dining tables.”
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