Pelmeni
|
|
Overview
Pelmeni (пельмени in Russian, singular pelmen, пельмень; пяльмені in Belarusian) are a national Eastern European (mainly Russian) dish - usually made with minced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough (made out of flour and eggs, sometimes with milk or water added). For filling, pork, lamb, beef or any other kind of meat can be used; mixing several kinds is popular. Traditional Ural recipe requires to make filling with 45% of beef, 35% of lamb and 20% of pork. Often various spices, such as pepper, onions, and garlic, are mixed into the filling.
Pelmeni are usually stored frozen and prepared immediately before eating by boiling in water until they float, and then 2-5 minutes more. The resulting dish is served with butter and/or sour cream (mustard, horseradish and vinegar are popular as well). Some recipes suggest to fry pelmeni after boiling until they turn golden brown.
Pelmeni belong to the family of dumplings. They are closely related to vareniki - Ukrainian variety of dumplings with filling made of mashed potatoes or cottage cheese. They are also similar to Chinese potstickers. The main difference between pelmeni and other kinds of dumplings is in their shape and size - typical pelmen' is roughly spherical and is about 2 to 3 cm in diameter, whereas most other types of dumplings are usually elongated and much larger. In United States, the term 'Pierogi' or 'Perogi' is often used to describe all kinds of Eastern European dumplings, regardless of shape, size or filling. This is a misnomer because the term 'Pierogi' is itself Slavic in origin and means "pies", which are baked or fried, never boiled.
History
The origin of pelmeni is not clear, and many versions exist. The most widely accepted one is that they were discovered in the Urals by Russian explorers and pioneers, who found that a similar dish (called pelnyan - literally "bread ear" in the native language), which consisted of pieces of meat wrapped in very thin bread, was being used by the native people of the region. Another theory is that pelmeni were invented by hunters, who were looking for light, easy-to-prepare and nourishing food to take with them on long hunting trips (besides, pelmeni can be kept frozen for very long periods of time without any loss of quality or flavor, and the water they are boiled in makes a pretty good soup). Yet another theory suggests that pelmeni originated in northwestern China (thus explaining the use of spices such as pepper, which are non-native in Russia and had to be imported). In any case, pelmeni are documented to have already existed in central Russia by 15th century.
External links
- History of pelmeni (in Russian) (http://www.eniki-beniki.ru/cookbook/history/)
- Pelmeni recipe (in Russian, with photos) (http://cook.h10.ru/view.php?r=5)
See also: