(266-316), wrote about dumplings and other wheat-based foods (at the time called bing), which he believed were from the Han dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) or later. He described mantou as large meat-filled dumplings eaten at spring banquets. Other early sources mention the use of mantou in rituals.

In the Tang dynasty, (618-907) mantou were small, made with leavened dough, and eaten as dianxin. In the Song dynasty (960-1279), mantou