Wenlou Soup Dumplings

Wenlou Soup Dumplings

　　Wenlou Soup Dumplings are named after Wenlou, an ancient town in Huai'an. Wenlou was built in the eighth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1828), located on the east side of the canal in the ancient town of Hexia, facing Quxiang Tower in Xiaohu Lake across the water. Climbing to Wenlou and admiring the lake view brings a sense of tranquility and delight, making it a frequent gathering place for literati and scholars—hence the name “Wenlou” (literally “Literary Tower”).

　　When Wenlou first opened, it ran a teahouse, sold small snacks, and served dishes such as fried egg, braised pork, and boiled shredded dried tofu, which gained great popularity throughout Chuzhou. Later, the owner Chen Haixian modified the yeast-leavened dough soup dumplings from Wulou into water-based dough soup dumplings. The wrappers were so thin they could be ignited easily. The filling inside was made from twelve ingredients including pork skin, diced chicken, meat chunks, crab roe, dried shrimp, bamboo shoots, spices, and Shaoxing wine. These were first heated into a liquid, then cooled and solidified. The frozen filling was placed inside the wrappers, steamed, and once out of the steamer, the filling inside the dumplings became liquid again. The dumplings were served by scooping the filling into a dish, adding vinegar, sprinkling minced ginger, and garnishing with coriander. Diners would pierce the dumpling with utensils and sip the broth directly—it was deliciously flavorful, gaining fame even in the capital and beloved for centuries.