egg roll

File: A typical egg roll.png

The origins of the egg roll are unclear and remain disputed. Egg rolls are very similar to, but distinct from, the spring rolls served in mainland China, and were first seen in the early 20th century in the United States.

Andrew Coe, author of Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States, has stated that the modern American egg roll was probably invented at a Chinese restaurant in New York City in the early 1930s, by one of two chefs who both later claimed credit for the creation: Lung Fong of Lung Fong's, or Henry Low of Port Arthur. According to Coe, Low's recipe, printed in a 1938 cookbook, Cook at Home in Chinese, included "bamboo shoots, roast pork, shrimp, scallions, water chestnuts, salt, MSG, sugar, palm oil, and pepper," but notably did not include cabbage, which is the main filling ingredient in modern egg rolls.{{cite web |url=http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m0406M15.htm|title=Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes|publisher=Hungrybrowser.com|access-date=22 October 2017}}

Despite the name, egg rolls do not typically contain egg in the filling.{{cite web|url=http://thewoksoflife.com/2014/11/takeout-egg-rolls/|title=Copycat Takeout Egg Rolls - The Woks of Life|date=10 November 2014|publisher=Thewoksoflife.com|access-date=22 October 2017}} It is unclear how the word "egg" appeared in the name, since the predominant flavor in American egg rolls is cabbage, not eggs. A 1979 article in The Washington Post offered two theories: 1) that the word for "egg" in Chinese, (蛋, Mandarin:dàn, Cantonese:daan6), sounded similar to the word for "spring", (春, Mandarin:chūn, Cantonese:ceon1), and 2) that southern Chinese chefs used eggs in the thin wrapper skin.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/01/25/inside-the-egg-roll/0b41235d-5f79-4580-8c5b-c291c1ae3bfc/ |title=Inside the Egg Roll |first=Melissa |last=Davis |date=25 January 1979 |access-date=22 October 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Another possible origin of the name is from a recipe for "egg roll" (also labeled as "dan gun") in the 1917 cookbook The Chinese Cook Book by Shiu Wong Chan. This recipe called for meat and vegetables rolled inside a layer of fried egg rather than a flour-based wrapper. {{cite web |url=https://www.mashed.com/1234586/the-original-egg-roll-recipe-contained-this-salty-ingredient|title=The Original Egg Roll Recipe|date=21 March 2023 |publisher=mashed.com|access-date=21 June 2024}}

Nom Wah Tea Parlor in New York City claims the oldest or original egg roll. The restaurant has been in operation since 1920 and states they have been making their very large egg rolls using a thin omelette or 'egg crêpe' wrapper since 1929 (unlike modern variations which use a wheat dough wrapper). {{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maridelreyes/2014/10/13/best-egg-roll-new-york-fung-tu/ | title=What's Inside New York's Hautest Egg Roll? | website=Forbes }}

While there are many types of spring rolls native to East Asia and available in authentic Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants in the United States,{{cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/the-differences-between-egg-rolls-spring-rolls-popiah-and-lumpia|title=Beyond Egg Rolls: 9 Spring Rolls Everyone Should Know About|first=Perry|last=Santanachote|date=29 April 2015|publisher=Thrillist.com|access-date=22 October 2017}} American egg rolls are distinctive.{{cite web|url=https://www.chowhound.com/post/egg-rolls-chinese-split-ontario-board-740255|title=Are egg rolls Chinese? (split from Ontario board) - General Discussion - Chinese|date=13 October 2010|website=Chowhound.com|access-date=22 October 2017}} A typical "New York–style" egg roll measures two inches in diameter by six inches in length, with a thick, chewy, crispy, bumpy exterior skin.{{cite web|url=https://www.chowhound.com/post/recipe-egg-rolls-allegedly-york-style-348271|title=Recipe for egg rolls (allegedly New York-style) - Home Cooking - Eggs|date=4 December 2006|website=Chowhound.com|access-date=22 October 2017}} Egg rolls, like other Americanized Chinese food specialties,{{cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/chinese-food-history-how-american-chinese-cuisine-is-different-thrillist-nation|title=10 little-known historical facts about American Chinese food|first=Adam|last=Lapetina|date=14 January 2014|website=Thrillist.com|access-date=22 October 2017}} may contain ingredients and flavors that are not common in China,{{cite web|url=http://goldentigerfoodservice.com/egg-rolls/|title=Egg rolls authentic flavor complete any menu with simple satisfaction.|website=Goldentigerfoodservice.com|access-date=22 October 2017|archive-date=1 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701112048/http://goldentigerfoodservice.com/egg-rolls/|url-status=dead}} including broccoli. A particularly American variety of egg roll is the pizza log, which is not associated with American Chinese cuisine, instead being filled with pepperoni pizza ingredients and served as a deep-fried tavern appetizer.{{Cite web |last=Bond |first=Francesca |date=2025-05-13 |title=How 25 million pizza logs a year are made in Niagara County |url=https://buffalonews.com/life-entertainment/local/article_a5f4ec87-5d39-43fb-bb82-a74089d4a88f.html |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=The Buffalo News |language=en}}

Restaurants that serve egg rolls occasionally also offer spring rolls as a separate menu option, and these spring rolls may be served with a cold filling wrapped in Banh trang rice paper wrappers (particularly at Vietnamese restaurants that serve both egg rolls and spring rolls as appetizers), or fried, as seen in some Thai and Chinese eateries. When fried, spring rolls served in Asian restaurants in the United States usually have a smaller diameter and a lighter, crispier skin made out of thinner sheets of wheat or rice dough.{{cite web|url=https://www.chowhound.com/post/spring-roll-egg-roll-moved-austin-board-396938?page=2|title=Spring roll v Egg Roll [moved from Austin board] - General Discussion - Eggs|page=2|date=30 April 2007|website=Chowhound.com|access-date=22 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://tay.kinja.com/great-food-debate-egg-rolls-vs-spring-rolls-1615820343|title=Great Food Debate: Egg Rolls vs. Spring Rolls|website=Tay.kinja.com|access-date=22 October 2017|archive-date=12 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212080120/https://tay.kinja.com/great-food-debate-egg-rolls-vs-spring-rolls-1615820343|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://oureverydaylife.com/difference-between-vegetable-spring-rolls-egg-rolls-38470.html|title=What Is the Difference Between Vegetable Spring Rolls & Egg Rolls?|website=Oureverydaylife.com|access-date=22 October 2017}}

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• Brik
• Chả giò
• Chiko Roll
• Crab Rangoon
• Gyeran-mari
• List of deep fried foods
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• Lumpia
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• Popiah
• Sambousa
• Spring roll
• Summer roll
• Yaka mein

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Category:Appetizers

Category:American Chinese cuisine

Category:Deep fried foods

Category:Stuffed dishes

Category:American snack foods