Which cookbook author is linked to introducing “potstickers” to the West?

Buwei Yang Chao is the cookbook author linked to introducing “potstickers” to the West. Her English-language cookbook helped establish the term for pan-fried Chinese dumplings in American food vocabulary.

Yang Chao’s How to Cook and Eat in Chinese was first published in 1945 by the John Day Company. The book adapted Chinese recipes and cooking methods for American kitchens, explaining ingredients, equipment, menus, and techniques in accessible English. It was produced with substantial help from her husband, linguist Yuen Ren Chao, and their daughter, Rulan.

The book is also associated with popularizing “stir-fry” as an English culinary term. “Potsticker” describes the browned dumpling that adheres to the cooking vessel during pan-frying, corresponding to Chinese terms such as guotie or jianjiao. The dish itself was not invented in the West; rather, Yang Chao’s cookbook helped give its preparation a durable English name and audience.