Joshpara
{{Short description|Central Asian dumpling dish}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Joshpara
| image = Düşbərə yarımfabrikatı 1.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Düşbərə prepared for cooking
| alternate_name = Chuchvara, chüchüre, chüchpara, düshbärä, shishbarak, shushbarak, tatarbari, tushbera, tushpara
| type = Dumpling
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| region = West Asia, Central Asia
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| served = Hot or cold
| main_ingredient = Dough (flour, eggs, water, salt), ground meat, onions, herbs, salt, black pepper
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Joshpara is a kind of dumpling popular in Central Asia, South Caucasus and the Middle East. They are made of unleavened wheat dough squares filled with ground meat and condiments.{{cite book | author = Alan Davidson | title = The Oxford Companion to Food | page = 434 | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2014 | isbn = 9780199677337 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ&q=joshpara&pg=PA434 }}
Etymology
Josh means "to boil" while para is a term for "bit" in early Persian. This word was commonly used prior to the 10th century, when it was replaced by the modern Persian name gosh e-barreh, meaning "lamb's ear". There are several variations of the name in other languages including Azerbaijani (düşbərə, dushbara), Bashkir (сөсбәрә, süsbərə) Kazakh (тұшпара, tushpara), Kyrgyz (чүчпара, chuchpara), Tajik (тушбера, tushbera), Uzbek (chuchvara) and Uyghur (چۆچۈرە, chöchürä). The Arabic word shishbarak ({{langx|ar|شيشبرك}}) or shushbarak ({{langx|ar|شُشْبَرَك}}) is thought to be derived from joshpara in pre-Islamic times.{{citation|title=Recipes and remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean kitchen: a culinary journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan|first=Sonia|last=Uvezian|edition=illustrated|publisher=Siamanto Press|year=2001|isbn=9780970971685|page=261|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E2sgAQAAMAAJ&q=%22shish+barak%22}}
Another theory about the words' etymology is that the word comes from the Turkic word düşbərə. The words tosh and dash mean "filled up" and "spill out", and berek means "food" (dishes made from dough). This alludes to the fact that düşbərə should be added in when the water is boiling and spilling out of the saucepan.{{cite book | url = https://ebooks.azlibnet.az/book/PDqvxkMR.pdf | title = Azerbaijani Cuisine (A Collection of Recipes of Azerbaijani Meals, Snacks and Drinks) | last = Ministry of Culture and Tourism Republic of Azerbaijan | publisher = INDIGO print house | year = 2013 | isbn = 978-9952-486-00-1 | editor1 = Teymur Karimli | editor2 = Emil Karimov | editor3 = Afag Ramazanova | location = Baku | pages = 93 }}
A common Azerbaijani joke suggests that the word comes from “düş bəri”, which means "fall here": in other words, asking to fill the spoon with as many dumplings as possible.
Regional variations
= Turkic and Persian cuisines =
The dish is found in Azerbaijani, Iranian, Tajik, Uzbek, Uyghur, and other Central Asian cuisines.{{Cite web | url = https://www.onceinalifetimejourney.com/once-in-a-lifetime-journeys/best-azerbaijan-food/ | author = Mar | title = The Best Azerbaijan Food | publisher = Once in a Lifetime Journey | date = 2019}}{{cite book | editor = D. Rahimov | title = Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tajikistan | chapter = 6. Traditional Food | publisher = R-graph Publisher House | location = Dushanbe | year = 2017 | url = https://www.unesco-ichcap.org/eng/ek/sub2017_6/pdf_down/Tajik%20ICH%20promotional%20book(eng).pdf | access-date = 2020-08-30 | archive-date = 2023-05-07 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230507212831/https://www.unesco-ichcap.org/eng/ek/sub2017_6/pdf_down/Tajik%20ICH%20promotional%20book(eng).pdf | url-status = dead }}
The dough for Central Asian chuchvara or tushbera is made with flour, eggs, water, and salt. It is rolled into a thin layer, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with chopped onions, black pepper, salt and thyme, is placed at the center of each square, and the corners of the dumpling are pinched and folded. The dumplings are boiled in meat broth until they rise to the surface. Chuchvara can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with either vinegar or sauce based on finely chopped greens, tomatoes and hot peppers. Another popular way of serving chuchvara is to top the dumplings with syuzma (strained qatiq) or with smetana (sour cream). The latter is known as Russian-style.
File:Dushbara Azerbaijani cuisine.jpg
In Azerbaijan, the dumplings are smaller and the dough is thicker. {{lang|az|Düşbərə}} are typically made from dough (wheat flour, egg, water), mutton (boneless), onions, vinegar, dried mint, pepper, and salt. The dish is prepared either with water or meat broth. Mutton can be substituted with beef, or even with chicken. The broth is made from mutton bones, and the ground meat is prepared with onions and spices. The dough is then rolled, cut into small squares, and stuffed with ground meat. The squares are wrapped like triangles and the edges are pasted together, making shell-shaped figures. The dumplings are added into the boiling salty water and cooked until the dumplings come to the surface.{{Cite book|title=Azərbaycan kulinariyası, Азербайджанская кулинария, Azerbaijan Cookery - cookbook, in Azeri, Russian & English|last=Ahmedov|first=Ahmed-Jabir|publisher=Ishig|year=1986|location=Baku|pages=40}} {{lang|az|Düşbərə}} are served with sprinkled dried mint. Vinegar mixed with shredded garlic is added or served separately to taste. 5-8 düşbərəs typically fit on a spoon; however, in rural areas of Absheron, they are made small enough that a spoon can hold as many as 20.
= Arab cuisines =
Shishbarak is prepared in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Hejaz, and the northern area of Saudi Arabia.{{citation|title=1,001 Foods to Die For|first1=Corby|last1=Kummer|publisher=Madison Books, Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC|year=2007|isbn=9780740770432|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/1001foodstodiefo00andr|page=215}} After being stuffed with ground beef and spices, thin dough parcels are cooked in yogurt and served hot in their sauce.{{citation|title=The Middle Eastern Kitchen: A Book of Essential Ingredients with Over 150 Authentic Recipes|first1=Ghillie|last1=Basan|first2=Jonathan|last2=Basan|publisher=Hippocrene Books|year=2006|isbn=9780781811903|page=42}} A part of Arab cuisine for centuries, a recipe for shushbarak appears in the 15th century Arabic cookbook from Damascus, Kitab al-tibakha.
Related dishes
- Finno-Ugric peoples in Western Siberia were exposed to the dish by Iranian merchants during the Middle Ages and named it pelnan, meaning "ear bread". It was adopted in Russia in the 17th century, where the dish is referred to as pelmeni.
- Manti is another type of dumpling popular in Central and West Asia.
Gallery
File:Пельмени с мясом (неварёные).jpg
File:Chuchvara4.jpg
File:Pelmeni Russian.jpg
File:Домашние пельмени.jpg
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://azcookbook.com/ AZ Cookbook]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130404143736/http://www.orexca.com/cuisine_uzbekistan.shtml Chuchvara in Uzbek cuisine] (with a photograph)
{{Cuisine of Azerbaijan}}
{{Levantine cuisine}}
{{Dumplings}}
Category:Central Asian cuisine