However, bear in mind that ‘spring’ rolls refers to a type of food (a thin pastry) that was used for offering to Spring God in the ‘ancient’ days in China – I see no sense that there is something called ‘spring roll’ in the West.

Did Adam send you the second photo showing an earthenware gdra del trid?

Those sheets of trid are further cooked by steaming.

I don’t get how thin pastry is an ‘invention’ and how cooking pastry on griddles an ‘invented’ technique, especially when comparing it all to the inventions of light bulbs? Food has origins, several origins even at separate stages in human history since more than 30,000 years ago with the evolvement of agriculture. It’s almost like discussing who invented and transferred fried rice whereas frying is a common technique of cooking rice, just as griddling is a common technique of making (thin) pastry. The history of cooking wheat product in China can be traced as far back as 220 AD with the ‘invention’ of a type of flatbread called Guokui – literally means Pot Helmet. Legend has it that during the Chinese warring period, helmets were used to bake bread – a primitive griddling technique you may say. Also a tandoor-type oven originated in Persia to cook flatbread brought in by a general warrior who conquered Xinjiang and westwards into Central Asia a little earlier than 220 AD.

Popiah is literally ‘thin cake/pastry/bing’ in Hokkien dialect (spoken by Fujianese in Fujian province, south of China). Its origins go back nearly 1300 years ago and it was also called ‘Spring cake’ as it was a traditional food of offering to Spring God. Hence the origin of ‘spring rolls’. These thin pastries traditionally come in two versions – fried and non-fried. Traditionally it is served non-fried as it can be eaten at room temperature and is easier to prepare. As Robyn said, that’s how they made their way to Malaysia. Popiah is not an equivalent of ‘spring rolls’ or ‘egg rolls’– rolls is just how it is eaten, the common technique of wrapping in stuffing, rolling it and eating. That should explain Nancy’s question how Vietnamese cha gio (called Vietnamese spring rolls) is made with rice flour and unrelated to thin pastry made with wheat.

As for the origins of noodle/dumpling – my understanding is archaeologist has established that pasta originated in China at least more than 1000 years before Italy.

Link to Clifford Wright’s article about the origins of bastila.

http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/66/