By ERIN SHAW
Spring Roll Vs. Egg Roll: The Main Ingredient Differences
While spring rolls originated in China, egg rolls are said to have been created by Chinese-American restaurateurs. The main factors separating them are their wrappers and fillings.
Spring rolls are lighter than egg rolls, as they come in deep-fried wheat wrappers or raw, soft, translucent rice paper ones, both of which are less rich than egg roll wrappers.
Egg rolls are made with a specific wheat-based wrapper that contains eggs. When fried in hot oil, they puff up and bubble, gaining their signature texture and appearance.
Fried spring rolls usually break when bitten into, offering a pleasing crunch factor, while egg rolls start crunchy and then give you a chewy texture before you get to the filling.
Spring rolls are filled with spring veggies like carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. Egg rolls generally pair richer fillings, which are mostly meat, with the richer wrapper.
The vegetables in fried spring rolls will have a cooked texture, but spring rolls with rice-based wrappers are likely to be served cold, with thinly sliced raw vegetables inside.
You may sometimes find spring rolls filled with shrimp or even pork, but egg rolls are mostly filled with meat. Pork and cabbage, for example, is a standard pairing for egg rolls.