 Düşbərə prepared for cooking | |
| Alternative names | Chuchvara,chüchüre,chüchpara,düshbärä,shishbarak,shushbarak,tatarbari,tushbera,tushpara |
|---|---|
| Type | Dumpling |
| Region or state | West Asia,Central Asia |
| Serving temperature | Hot or cold |
| Main ingredients | Dough (flour,eggs,water, salt),ground meat,onions,herbs,salt,black pepper |
Joshpara is a kind ofdumpling popular inCentral Asia,South Caucasus and theMiddle East. They are made of unleavenedwheatdough squares filled withground meat and condiments.[1]
Josh means "to boil" whilepara is a term for "bit" in Persian.[1] This word was commonly used prior to the 10th century, when it was replaced by the modern Persian namegosh e-barreh, meaning "lamb's ear". There are several variations of the name in other languages includingAzerbaijani (düşbərə,dushbara),Bashkir (сөсбәрә,süsbərə)Kazakh (тұшпара,tushpara),Kyrgyz (чүчпара,chuchpara),Tajik (тушбера,tushbera),Uzbek (chuchvara) andUyghur (چۆچۈرە,chöchürä).[1] The Arabic wordshishbarak (Arabic:شيشبرك) orshushbarak (Arabic:شُشْبَرَك) is thought to be derived fromjoshpara in pre-Islamic times.[1][2]
Another theory about the words' etymology is that the word comes from the Turkic worddüşbərə. The wordstosh anddash mean "filled up" and "spill out", andberek means "food" (dishes made from dough). This alludes to the fact thatdüşbərə should be added in when the water is boiling and spilling out of the saucepan.[3]
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.[3]
Shishbarak is mentioned in 13th and 15th Century Egyptian cookbooks.[2][4]
According to historianDaniel Newman, it was possibly imported into Egypt byTurkic tribes from theCentral Asian Steppes.[4]
Shishbarak (ششبرك) was described in the proceedings of theInternational Congress of Orientalists from 1889-1891, which cite the cookbook 1885Ustadh al-Tabbakhin by authorKhalil Khattar Sarkis [ar]. The dish is described as a small dumpling filled with meat, onions and coriander, which is cooked in meat broth and sour milk.[5]
The dish is found inAzerbaijani,Iranian,Tajik,Uzbek,Uyghur, and other Central Asian cuisines.[1][6][7]
The dough for Central Asianchuchvara ortushbera is made withflour,eggs,water, and salt. It is rolled into a thin layer, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with choppedonions,black pepper,salt andthyme, is placed at the center of each square, and the corners of the dumpling are pinched and folded. The dumplings are boiled in meatbroth until they rise to the surface.Chuchvara can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with eithervinegar or sauce based on finely chopped greens,tomatoes and hot peppers. Another popular way of servingchuchvara is to top the dumplings withsyuzma (strainedqatiq) or withsmetana (sour cream). The latter is known as Russian-style.[7]
In Azerbaijan, the dumplings are smaller and the dough is thicker.[6]Düşbərə are typically made from dough (wheat flour, egg, water),mutton (boneless), onions, vinegar, driedmint, pepper, and salt. The dish is prepared either with water or meat broth. Mutton can be substituted withbeef, or even with chicken.[3] 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, makingshell-shaped figures. The dumplings are added into the boiling salty water and cooked until the dumplings come to the surface.[3][8]Düşbərə are served with sprinkled dried mint. Vinegar mixed with shreddedgarlic is added or served separately to taste.[3] 5-8düşbərəs typically fit on a spoon; however, in rural areas ofAbsheron, they are made small enough that a spoon can hold as many as 20.[3]
Shishbarak is prepared inIraq,Palestine,Lebanon,Syria,Jordan,Hejaz, and the northern area ofSaudi Arabia.[9] After being stuffed with ground beef and spices, thin dough parcels are cooked inyogurt and served hot in their sauce.[10] A part ofArab cuisine for centuries, a recipe forshushbarak appears in the 15th century Arabic cookbook fromDamascus,Kitab al-tibakha.[2]
In some areas inPalestine, such asHebron, it is calleddnein qtat (Arabic:دنين قطاط,lit. 'cat ears') because of their shape, and they are traditionally made withkashk orjameed.[11]
Al basha w asakro (Arabic:الباشا وعساكره,lit. 'Thepasha and his soldiers') is a Damascene dish made withkibbeh and shishbarak cooked in the same yogurt.[12][13][14]
