Jiaozi (饺子), is a Chinese dumpling, widely popular in China, Japan, and Korea as well as outside of East Asia, particularly in the United States.
The corresponding Chinese characters for "Jiaozi" refer to the arrival of the Chinese New Year at midnight. According to the Chinese calendar system, "Tiangan Dizhi" (Heavenly stems and Earthly branches) is used to designate the time in accordance to the Chinese zodiac. "Jiao" in Chinese means "join," while "zi" is a reference to the first and eleventh hour (branch) of Dizhi - midnight on the Western clock.
Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton: jiaozi have a thicker, chewier skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while wontons have thinner skin, are sphere-shaped, and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.
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