Egg Roll

American invention, Chinese inspiration

The egg roll is a Chinese-American creation, not a Chinese one. It developed in the Chinese-American restaurant kitchens of New York and San Francisco in the early 20th century, adapted for American palates from the Chinese spring roll. The wrapper is thicker and egg-enriched, producing the blistered, chewy-crispy exterior distinctive to the dish.

Egg roll vs. spring roll

These are related but different:

Feature	Egg Roll	Spring Roll
Wrapper	Thick, egg-enriched	Thin, delicate
Texture	Crispy-chewy, blistered	Shatteringly thin and crisp (or soft if fresh)
Origin	Chinese-American	Chinese (various regions)
Size	Large (15 cm)	Smaller

Spring rolls can also be served fresh (not fried) with rice paper wrappers — a separate category entirely.

Filling

The standard American-Chinese filling is shredded napa cabbage, julienned carrot, bean sprouts, and pork seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. Shrimp versions are common. Vegetarian versions use tofu.

Dipping sauces

Sweet and sour sauce and Chinese hot mustard are the traditional American-Chinese accompaniments. Duck sauce (a plum-based sauce) is also common in the northeastern US.