History of Spring Rolls

There are a myriad of Asian-type rolls that nearly all have their origins in China. And everyone seems to have their own term for each roll that varies from spring roll, to egg roll, to summer roll (and I just did a Google search and found that fall rolls and winter rolls are also a thing – and they’re not the kind you develop from overindulging in holiday feasts). 

So allow me first to define what I consider to be spring rolls – In Vietnamese, the term is gỏi cuốn. Growing up in Southern California, just outside of Little Saigon, my family and every Vietnamese person I know has always referred to the non-fried, rice-paper-wrapped, stuffed with shrimp, pork and vermicelli rolls in English as spring rolls. Though through my research and from witnessing it on Americanized restaurant menus, I’ve also seen them referred to as summer rolls and salad rolls.

Spring rolls has been theorized to have come from Southern Vietnam. Due to the warm climate, locals would find fresh foods to help them stay cool. Spring rolls were made very similarly to how we enjoy them today but the dipping sauce originally consisted of sticky rice and fermented soybeans, producing a taste that was reminiscent of porridge. Nowadays in the US, spring rolls are served with either a fish sauce or a peanut-hoisin sauce.

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