What’s the difference between a dumpling, a momo, a dim sum, a wonton or its Italian counterparts – a ravioli or tortellini?
It’s not just us, even Vir Sanghvi can’t tell the difference.
As he notes: “It is tempting to say that the Chinese invented dumplings and sent them around the world. The people who made up that absurd story about Marco Polo taking noodles back to Italy from China and, therefore, assisting in the creation of spaghetti, could well have made a similar claim about dim sum and tortellini. But the truth is that most societies, once they got their hands on flour, created dumplings of some sort. If they had access to ovens, the dumplings became little pies. Otherwise, they were steamed or deep fried. We did it too. Just think about it: What is a kachori? Isn’t it a fried dumpling of some sort? So, you will find dumplings all over the world: Pierogi in Poland, mantu in Afghanistan, pelmeni in Russia and so on. Any dough-wrapped parcel with a savoury filling is a dumpling of some kind.”
On the other hand, another version states, that the dish originated in 14th Century in Nepal and travelled to China and other countries within China’s ‘sphere of influence’ when a Nepalese princess married a Tibetan king a century later.
None of that matters because the people of Delhi in particular are obsessed with their version, which they call momos. In fact, during Navratri, when much of the population is on vegetarian streak, they consume with relish (the emotion not the sauce) paneer momos with schezwan chutney and veg mayonnaise.
And the popularity of momos – in Delhi and other places – is thanks to our Tibetan brethren and sistren. The 14th Dalai Lama came to India in 1959 and a lot of Tibetans followed suit in the 1960s, settling in various parts of the country including Ladakh, Dharamshala, Sikkim and Delhi. And of course Calcutta, where even the CM is a huge fan and loves to make them. Momo-ta Banerjee indeed.
While chefs and foodies can argue about the origin of momos ad nauseam, there’s no doubt that Mother of Momos in Delhi is Dolma Tsering, a Tibetan woman credited with creating the first momo shop in Delhi.
She started the first stall in 1994, and now she has three shops, employs over 20 people and Dolma Aunty Momos is now an institution.
Of course, the going wasn’t easy. When Dolma Tsering first arrived in Delhi, people weren’t really lining up for momos. The prevailing wisdom was that it was too raw for the Indian palate. She also faced the glass ceiling like all female entrepreneurs but there's no stopping an idea (or dish) whose time has come.
In fact, some would say we’ve gone too far with our momo love given that we now have weird amalgamations (or abominations) like momo-burgers and momo-pizzas. But, as we learnt from Star Wars: There is no dish better than the original. So go ahead and enjoy a steamed momo or fried one.
