The Dining Commons (DC) at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) hosted a Global Street food event on Nov. 10. The event was marketed as offering street foods from various countries around the world.
The food station “Flame” participated by tempting students with Chinese potstickers.
An information sign was listed at the station giving students information that potsticker recipes can be dated back to the Song Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.).
They were initially regular boiled dumplings cooked in a wok. A chef who was boiling dumplings forgot about them, and after the water boiled away, the dumplings stuck. Not knowing what to do, he pried the dumplings from the wok and served them.
Over the years, the Mandarin name for potstickers – guotie – stuck and was translated into English, since woks are the basic pot in a Chinese kitchen.