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Pelmeni (пельмени in Russian, singular pel’men’, пельмень; пяльмені pyal’meni in Belarusian; пилмән(нәр) pilmän(när) in Tatar) 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). Pork, lamb, beef or any other kind of meat can be used as a filling and mixing several kinds is popular. The traditional Ural recipe requires 55% of beef, 45% of pork to make the filling. Often various spices, such as pepper and onions are mixed into the filling.

Preparation of pelmeni

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, tomato sauce, and vinegar are popular as well). Some recipes suggest frying pelmeni after boiling until they turn golden brown.

Regional differences exist in the making of pelmeni. In the Urals they are always boiled in water, while in Siberia they are boiled in meat broth.

Pelmeni belong to the family of dumplings. They are closely related to Polish pierogi and vareniki - a Ukrainian variety of dumplings with a filling made of mashed potatoes or cottage cheese. They are also similar to Chinese jiaozi and 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.

A plate of pelmeni

Packed frozen pelmeni can be found everywhere Russian communities exist. Such pelmeni are made in industrial machinery, much of which is made by Italian companies such as Arienti & Cattaneo, Ima, Ostoni, Zamboni, etc.. These pelmeni usually weigh around 15 grams each but they look like a bigger tortelloni, that is why for industrial production Italian pasta machines are commonly used.

In the United States, the term 'Pierogi' or 'Perogi' is often used to describe all kinds of Eastern European dumplings, regardless of the shape, size or filling.

A 1952 Soviet poster advertising pelmeni.

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 Komi[1] language), which consisted of pieces of meat wrapped in very thin bread, was being used by the native people of the region. Consequently, farther west in Poland, pelmeni are called uszka, which also means ears. 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 16th century^{[citation needed]}.

• Ravioli - similar
• Kreplach
• Tortellini
• Wonton
• Syrniki
• Vareniki
• Pierogi
• Mandu
• Mantı
• Khinkali
• Jiaozi
• Gyoza

• Another article on pelmeni from the School of Russian and Asian Studies