Forget about love and Esperanto. Dumplings are the universal language. Nearly every culture has a variation on the theme, from Afghan aushak to Japanese gyoza, Jewish kreplach, Korean mandu, and Vietnamese banh bot loc. You can also count doughier cousins like the Indian samosa and Brazilian coxinha. Wherever you go, filled wrappers are beloved. You can travel around the world to try them, or you can simply take the T.

For the first stop we’ll stay close to home, with the chicken and dumplings of the American South. This seems like a dish that should be on every fall menu of every restaurant that has embraced pimento cheese, chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits in recent years. Yet it’s surprisingly scarce. We find it on the new menu at State Park in Cambridge, a hipster dive bar with pinball and shuffleboard, gumbo poutine and Memphis BBQ spaghetti. The bowl is filled with tender bites of chicken, chunks of carrot, and a deeply flavorful, thick, and very salty broth. The dumplings, however, are anything but traditional — tube-shaped and gnocchi-esque rather than dropped biscuits. House-made hot sauce comes on the side. 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617-848-4355, www.statepark.is

Now we head to Europe. First stop: Lithuania, homeland of Liquid Art House founder Ruta Laukien. A section of chef Rachel Klein’s menu at the ambitious, upscale restaurant-slash-gallery is devoted to dumplings. They are perhaps not the most traditional versions: Lithuanian farmers’ cheese with aged Gouda and Asian pear, wild mushroom with porcini cream and shiitake chips, sour cherry with foie gras, pistachios, and rose. But they are beautifully plated and very delicious. 100 Arlington St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-457-8130, www.liquidarthouse.com


For something more traditional, Cafe Polonia serves savory, hearty Polish dishes. Pierogi come boiled or fried, hefty little dumplings filled with cheese, potato and cheese, cabbage and mushroom, or meat. But the specialty here is pyzy, advertised on the counter by an adorable/terrifying statue of a jolly (perhaps crazy?) little man holding a sign advertising meat-stuffed potato dumplings. Pyzy are made with a combination of raw and cooked potatoes. 611 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, 617-269-0110, www.cafepolonia.com


In Somerville, Bronwyn specializes in the food of Germany and Central Europe. Chef Tim Wiechmann is also behind T.W. Food in Cambridge, and like its sister restaurant, Bronwyn is highly seasonal. This means the menu changes frequently, but dumplings are a staple, on their own or incorporated into main dishes. You might find Swabian spaetzle with collard greens, Brussels sprouts, and cheddar (feel free to argue that this boiled, unfilled dumpling is actually a noodle) or knackwurst with sauerkraut and kale knodel, a bread dumpling. 255 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville, 617-776-9900, www.bronwynrestaurant.com

The North End is home to countless tortellini, agnolotti, and cappellacci. But the big cheese of Italian dumplings here is the raviolo di uovo at Prezza. The supersized pasta comes one per plate. Bathed in brown butter, sage, and Parmigiano, each raviolo is filled with egg yolk that runs out when the rich package is cut open. 24 Fleet St., North End, Boston, 617-227-1577, www.prezza.com

A ravioli di ouvo (ravioli stuffed with ricotta and egg yolk tossed with butter and sage) at Prezza, in the North End. DINA RUDICK/GLOBE STAFF/Globe Staff

Among the Turkish specialties at Pasha in Arlington, you will find manti, adorably wee pinched dumplings filled with tiny lamb and beef meatballs. The comforting and starchy bites are lightly spiced, sauced with tomato, yogurt, and butter. 669a Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, 781-648-5888, www.pashaturkish.com.


Of the Nepalese momos I have eaten around town, I would say 75 percent have been dull and overcooked. Not so at Masala in Somerville, where these dumplings are subtly spiced and tender without being mushy. With umbilical closures at one end, they look a bit like jellyfish without the tentacles. Filled with chicken or vegetables, they come in two styles: mo-mo chile, swathed in bright orange, sweet-spicy sauce, or unadorned with delicious golden chutney for dipping. 1127 Broadway, Teele Square, Somerville, 617-718-0703, www.masalaboston.com

Now we arrive at the heart of things: China, where dumplings are an art, with manifold regional varieties. Therefore, we must taste several.

First, to Cambridge, where Northern Chinese restaurant Qingdao Garden is famous for its dumplings, handmade and delightful. They are available with vegetarian fillings, and the Three Delight With Shrimp is good too. But everyone’s favorite is the pork and leek, the perfect mix of flavors and textures. 2382 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-492-7540, www.qingdaogarden.com

Next, to Chinatown, where a dumpling lover could go on a serious bender. Start with soup dumplings — a.k.a. xiao long bao or (on local menus) mini juicy dumplings or buns — and you might never get any farther. Delicate skins filled, magically, with soup, they are so good you want to order steamer after steamer. Two places have a particular following: Gourmet Dumpling House and Dumpling Cafe. I think Dumpling Cafe has the edge, but you should certainly try both and come to your own conclusion. Then try again just to be sure. Both restaurants offer the dumplings filled with pork or a mix of pork and crab. Gourmet Dumpling House, 52 Beach St., Chinatown, Boston, 617-338-6223. Dumpling Cafe, 695 Washington St., Chinatown, Boston, 617-338-8858. www.dumplingcafe.com


Many restaurants only serve dim sum at selected times, wheeling around their delicacies in carts. At Winsor Dim Sum Cafe, there are no carts and dim sum is always available. Stuffed with shrimp and chives or pork and peanuts, in wrappers made from rice or wheat, steamed or fried, shaped like half-moons or pleated rounds, they are all delicious. Finish the meal with little buns filled with sweet, bright yellow custard. 10 Tyler St., Chinatown, Boston, 617-338-1688

For one last stop and one last continent, it’s off to Roslindale to visit Nigerian restaurant Suya Joint. Fufu is a big, starchy dumpling that can be made from yam, cassava, wheat, and more. Choose a kind, then a soup to dip it in, from the melon stew egusi to the creamy, rich peanut-based taushe. 25 Poplar St., Roslindale, 617-327-8810, www.suyajoint.com

Then head home and sleep off all those dumplings. You’ve traveled far, but your bed is only a few miles away.

Fufu (at right) with oxtail pepper stew at Suya Joint, in Roslindale. DINA RUDICK/GLOBE STAFF

Related coverage:

- Cheap eats: Dumpling House comes to Cambridge

- Nepalese chicken dumplings

- Recipe for vegetarian lentil soup with dumplings


- How a veggie obsession led Sue Liang to dumplings

Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @devrafirst.