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An Eggroll is a small, cooked roll served as a starter. It is made by wrapping a thin piece of dough around a filling, and deep frying it. They are meant to be served hot.

The fillings can be vegetable, or vegetable and meat. Westernized versions have lots of cabbage in them. Eggrolls are very similar to spring rolls, though spring rolls are smaller and more delicate.

It's somewhat of a mystery how they came to be called "Eggrolls" in English. The Chinese name does not contain the word "egg" at all (see Language Notes below), nor do the Chinese use any eggs in the filling. (Some North American versions will occasionally have some scrambled egg in them.) There is a very small amount of egg in an egg roll wrapper, and that may be the origin of the English name.

The Chinese do make an actual egg roll -- the wrapper, though, instead of being a piece of dough, is an actual omelette made of eggs, which is then rolled up with a stuffing in it.

Literature & Lore
The Chinese name for "Eggroll", "cha chuen guen", does not contain the word egg in it at all. "Cha" means "fried"; "chuen" means
"circle"; "guen" means "roll".

See Also:

Spring Rolls

Other entries for:

Spring Rolls
Chiko Rolls, Eggrolls, Fresh Spring Rolls, Fried Spring Rolls, Steamed Spring Rolls, Yuba Maki

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Savoury Dishes
Alfredo Sauce, Béaltaine Caudle, Boiled Dinners, Bouchées à la Bénédictine, Bouchées à la Périgourdine, Chop Suey, Crappit Heids, Curry, Darioles, Favetta, Fondue, French Fries, Koromo, Pancakes, Pies & Tarts, Pizza, Porridge, Relish Trays, Sandwiches, Soups, Steak Tartare, Sushi, Tenkas, Teriyaki, Timbales, TV Dinners, Yakimono, Zakuska

Other entries for: Dishes

Desserts, Dumplings, Salads