From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
A Chinese dumpling consisting of one or two thin sheets of dough enclosing a small amount of chopped, seasoned meat or seafood (often barbecued pork or shrimp) and/or vegetables, or, less-commonly, a sweet dried-fruit and nut mixture, in the center. Wontons may be boiled, simmered in soup or steamed; cooked this way, they stay chewy, soft and pale. They may also be deep-fried until the wonton wrapper is bubbled, crisp and golden; they are then served with dipping sauce. Like other dumplings from other cultures, wontons might well have been invented to stretch the scarcest, most precious ingredients, such as meat.
