Wang San Dumplings

Wang San Dumplings

　　 Wang San, originally named Wang Shaoxian, was nicknamed Wang San because he was the third child in his family. He opened three dumpling restaurants in Zhoukou City, where his dumplings became famous for their delicious taste, attracting a constant stream of customers and making his business thrive. People praised him as the “Dumpling King.”

　　Wang San’s ancestors were originally from Beijing. During the early Qing Dynasty, when Zhoujiakou (now Zhoukou) was a bustling commercial hub, his family relocated from Beijing to Zhoukou — a move that dates back about 300 years. His family had a long tradition of running food businesses. His great-grandfather, grandfather, and father successively operated restaurants in locations such as Erbanqiao, Hujiaji, and Dadukou in Zhoukou, serving noodles, guokui (a type of flatbread), and dumplings, with dumplings being the main specialty. Around the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, they gained some local fame selling dumplings south of the old Zhoukou Bridge. After 1979, Wang San returned to the family trade, focusing exclusively on dumplings. He boldly innovated by using only green onions and ginger in the filling, replacing other ingredients with an appropriate amount of glutinous rice. The result was an extraordinarily delicious flavor that caused a sensation. Customers flocked to his shop from near and far, and his sales soared.

　　The signature features of Wang San Dumplings are: thin wrappers with generous fillings, chewy skin with crispy filling; meatballs that hold together and melt in your mouth; rich but not greasy, fragrant and tasty; free from fishy or muttony odors, yet bursting with deliciousness and unique flavor. In 1989, Wang San Dumplings were recognized as a City-Level Quality Flavor Snack; in 1990, they were again honored as a Regional Quality Flavor Snack. (Zhoukou)