A spring roll is a rolled appetizer first created in China. Its wrapper is made from flour and water, and it can be filled with various combinations of vegetables and meat. Spring rolls can be served fried or non-fried. The name "spring roll" derives from the appetizer’s origins as a dish served for Chinese New Year banquets, which signal the beginning of the spring season.

Different Asian countries have their own variations on the spring roll, with one of the most popular variants hailing from Vietnam. The Vietnamese spring roll—commonly called a “summer roll”—is an uncooked, fresh spring roll made with a rice-paper wrapper. You might find summer rolls in Vietnamese restaurants or in the sushi section at your local grocery store.

An egg roll is a variation of the spring roll that originated in American Chinese cuisine. In addition to flour and water, its wrapper batter also contains egg. Egg rolls are always fried and have a thicker, bumpier outer texture than spring rolls. While the egg roll’s exact origin is not authenticated, the most widespread belief is that a Chinese immigrant chef named Lum Fung invented the egg roll in 1930s New York City.

Spring roll fillings vary depending on geographic location, but combinations of vegetable and meat ingredients include mixes of bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, cabbage, shredded carrots, shrimp, ground pork, and chicken. Summer rolls—Vietnamese spring rolls—are often filled with vermicelli noodles, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, bean sprouts, shrimp, pork, and herbs like Thai basil, mint, or cilantro.

Egg roll fillings also vary, but the most common type of egg roll found in American-Chinese restaurants contains cabbage, shredded carrots, and roast pork.