Joshpara is a kind of
dumpling
Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...
popular in
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
,
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...
and the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. They are made of unleavened
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
dough
Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops). Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes ...
squares filled with
ground meat
Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, incl ...
and condiments.
Etymology
''Josh'' means "to boil" while ''para'' is a term for "bit" in 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'' () or ''shushbarak'' () is thought to be derived from ''joshpara'' in pre-Islamic times.
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.
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
Iranian () may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Iran
** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran
** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia
** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
,
Tajik,
Uzbek,
Uyghur, and other Central Asian cuisines.

The dough for Central Asian ''chuchvara'' or ''tushbera'' is made with
flour
Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...
,
eggs,
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
, and salt. It is rolled into a thin layer, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with chopped
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
s,
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
,
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
and
thyme
Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...
, 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
Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...
until they rise to the surface. ''Chuchvara'' can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with either
vinegar
Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
or sauce based on finely chopped greens,
tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es and hot peppers. Another popular way of serving ''chuchvara'' is to top the dumplings with
syuzma (strained
qatiq) or with
smetana (
sour cream
Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...
). The latter is known as Russian-style.

In Azerbaijan, the dumplings are smaller and the dough is thicker.
' 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
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
, 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
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
-shaped figures. The dumplings are added into the boiling salty water and cooked until the dumplings come to the surface.
' are served with sprinkled dried mint. Vinegar mixed with shredded
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
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
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
,
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
,
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
,
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
,
Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
, and the northern area of
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
.
After being stuffed with ground beef and spices, thin dough parcels are cooked in
yogurt
Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...
and served hot in their sauce.
A part of
Arab cuisine for centuries, a recipe for ''shushbarak'' appears in the 15th century Arabic cookbook from
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
, ''Kitab al-tibakha''.
Related dishes
*
Finno-Ugric peoples in Western
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
were exposed to the dish by Iranian merchants during the Middle Ages and named it ''pelnan,'' meaning "ear bread". It was adopted in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
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
*
List of dumplings
This is a list of notable dumplings. Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources) wrapped around a filling, or of dough with no filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour or pota ...
*
List of stuffed dishes
References
External links
AZ CookbookChuchvara in Uzbek cuisine(with a photograph)
{{Dumplings
Arab cuisine
Azerbaijani cuisine
Caucasian cuisine
Central Asian cuisine
Dumplings
Iraqi cuisine
Jordanian cuisine
Kazakh cuisine
Kyrgyz cuisine
Lebanese cuisine
Middle Eastern cuisine
Palestinian cuisine
Stuffed dishes
Syrian cuisine
Tajik cuisine
Uyghur cuisine
Uzbek dishes