Name a country, and they will no doubt have their own version of meatballs, and certainly more than one. They are traditional foods for millions, consumed during religious and festive festivals, enjoyed with meats, bathed in sauce, served as desserts, or simply on their own as a light meal. They can be dipped, stuffed, boiled, fried, or steamed.

Meatballs are an ancient food. Historians believe that cavemen actually prepared some version. (Perhaps the ground dinosaur was formed into a ball and dropped into boiling water, once they figured out how to create fire.) Stuffed dumplings were probably developed centuries later, known as iiaozi, probably around 2,000 years ago. Credit for its creation is given to a man named Zhang Zhongjian, a renowned doctor of herbal medicine during the Han Dynasty. Many poor people in his hometown suffered from low temperatures and frost stung their ears. He made large jars of boiled vegetable soup, added herbs, then added meatballs and fed the concoction to the population. (This was surely the precursor to chicken soup for colds and flu.) The meatballs were made from thin slices of wheat and chopped vegetables. Herb soup was hearty, relaxing, and helped defrost the locals. In reality, they resembled the same shape and size that you see in Chinese restaurants today.

Although they had been consumed for centuries in China, during the 13th century Turkish merchants knew manti dumplings in Mongolia. They resembled traditional Chinese, a thin dough filled with meats and vegetables and then steamed, often served with garlic and yogurt, pickled cabbage, or cucumber. The Turks took them back to the Middle East and from there they headed to Western Europe, where each country created its own version. Italians first introduced the concept of meatballs with their light potato-based gnocchi sometime in the 15th century. Sadly for the explorer Marco Polo, who lived several hundred years earlier, he missed this glorious Italian specialty and had to limit his consumption of dumplings to trips to China. (A long way to go for takeout.) Eventually tortellini and ravioli pasta were created, similar to Chinese wonton.

India has many versions of dumplings, which vary by region and by traditional festivals and religious holidays. Africa also features a multitude of cooking types and methods, from one country to another. Spanish empanadas are a favorite in many South American countries, including Mexico and the Caribbean. They can be fried or steamed, with sweet or savory fillings. The English and Irish often put them in stews. In the Czech Republic and other Slavic countries, bread dumplings are the most popular, made with a yeast dough, formed into a large ball of dough that resembles a soccer ball, and boiled until cooked . Light and delicious, they are served with sauce or sauerkraut. Fruit dumplings, a favorite dessert or light meal, are made by wrapping the dough around a plum or apricot and boiling until done, then topped with melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and served hot.

For the settlers, meatballs were somehow an easy way to stretch soups and stews. And there is some evidence that even Native American Indians had some shape before colonial settlements, probably made with cornmeal. They could take almost any meat or vegetable, chop it up, wrap it in dough or some old bread, and pour it into the boiling pot over the hearth. As thousands of ethnic immigrants flocked to New York City, they brought their own recipes and traditional versions with them, turning the country’s melting pot into just that: full of meatballs. In the Midwest and South, where chickens abounded and Sunday dinner was a tradition, chicken and dumplings took center stage after a morning at church. This popular dish is still accepted and enjoyed by millions and is as traditional as apple pie, or making those apple dumplings. It is very likely that the enthusiastic President Thomas Jefferson enjoyed Sunday dinners of chicken and meatballs at the White House, as well as at his home, Monticello.

Many restaurants and towns across the country celebrate Dumpling Week, and entire restaurants include them in their name. (The Dumpling House is a popular restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, where a large population of Slovak and German descent resides.)

If there is a common food that unites the whole world, it is meatballs. So did cavemen start the trend? Or was it the Chinese? It’s up to you. The Japanese said it best: “Dumplings are better than flowers.”