Changren Wontons (Tall-Man Wontons)

Changren wontons are a celebrated traditional snack of Wenzhou, with paper-thin skins and tender fresh filling; the bowl is lined with egg thread, seaweed, dried shrimp, scallion and pork floss, then filled with a clear savoury broth, generous in both noodle and garnish.

Changren wontons are said to date from the late Qing and early Republican era, their founder nicknamed "Tall Man" by neighbours for his height; his wontons won fame for their thin skins, fresh filling and abundant garnishes, handed down to become a century-old household name in Wenzhou, and entered the "Compendium of Chinese Snacks" in 1979.

Wrapped and boiled to order, served hot, one first sips the clear broth then lifts the thin-skinned wontons, the savoury notes of egg thread, seaweed and shrimp mingling with the tender parcels, eaten most often as breakfast or a late-night snack.

The cicada-wing wonton skin, the bowl brimming with egg thread, seaweed and shrimp, and the folk tale of the "Tall Man" are what make Changren wontons distinctive.