Prepared Foods
Peanut Butter Dumplings
A unique take on Szechuan dumplings is now a Montreal specialty.
If you haven’t heard of peanut butter dumplings, you’re not alone. These steamed meat dumplings—topped with a sauce of peanut butter, soy sauce, Szechuan peppercorns, and sugar—hail from Montreal’s Chinese restaurants. While the dish has spread to other parts of Quebec, it largely remains a local specialty.
Fans of the dumpling theorize that its lineage traces to similarly sauced Szechuan dumplings. The addition of Kraft-brand peanut butter (only available in Australia and Canada) was likely an adjustment to North American tastes. The result is a rich fusion specialty. According to Saveur, the first establishment to serve recognizable peanut butter dumplings was the long-closed Montreal restaurant Le Piment Rouge, where well-dressed waiters served peanut butter dumplings alongside expensive wine. These days, though, peanut butter dumplings are a more everyday specialty, and they are heavy enough to be welcome after a night of drinking.
Where to Try It
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Chez Maxim Oriental
1059 St-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, H2Z 1J6, CanadaThis Chinatown venue seves peanut butter dumplings.
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This long-running Chinese restaurant is famed for its peanut butter dumplings.
Written By
![Anne Ewbank](https://img.atlasobscura.com/vuewdKWr9icnOawLJLtFD5VUCffpsfjIwaT7nfsk8Q4/rs:fill:41:41:1/g:ce/q:81/sm:1/scp:1/ar:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdGxh/cy1kZXYuczMuYW1h/em9uYXdzLmNvbS8y/MDE4LzAyLzA3LzEz/LzU3LzU1LzI1ZTc0/OTMyLWJkYjEtNGMy/NS04YTExLThkNWJl/NzAyNDE5Zi9mb3Rv/LmpwZw.jpg)