# Joshpara
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{{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](/source/Dumpling)
| course =
| country =
| region = [West Asia](/source/West_Asia), [Central Asia](/source/Central_Asia)
| creator =
| year =
| mintime =
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| served = Hot or cold
| main_ingredient = Dough ([flour](/source/flour), [eggs](/source/Egg_(food)), [water](/source/water), salt), [ground meat](/source/ground_meat), [onion](/source/onion)s, [herb](/source/herb)s, [salt](/source/salt), [black pepper](/source/black_pepper)
| minor_ingredient =
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}}
'''Joshpara''' is a kind of [dumpling](/source/dumpling) popular in [Central Asia](/source/Central_Asia), [South Caucasus](/source/South_Caucasus) and the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East). They are made of unleavened [wheat](/source/wheat) [dough](/source/dough) squares filled with [ground meat](/source/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 Persian.[{{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.[{{cite book |title=Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook |date=3 March 2020 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-1-4798-0081-0 |page=161 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Scents_and_Flavors/CgS5DwAAQBAJ?gbpv=1 |access-date=26 April 2026 |language=en |quote=This book does not give a shushbarak recipe and mentions it only in the nāṣiriyyah recipe}}]
According to historian [Daniel Newman](/source/Daniel_Newman_(academic)), it was possibly imported into Egypt by [Turkic tribes](/source/Turkic_peoples) from the [Central Asian Steppes](/source/Eurasian_Steppe).[{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Daniel |author1-link=Daniel_Newman_(academic) |title=Mediaeval Egyptian ravioli (شيشبرك, shishbarak) |url=https://eatlikeasultan.com/mediaeval-egyptian-ravioli-%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B4%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%83-shishbarak/ |website=Eat Like A Sultan |access-date=20 September 2025 |language=en |date=7 February 2021}}]
''Shishbarak'' ({{lang|ar|ششبرك}}) was described in the proceedings of the [International Congress of Orientalists](/source/International_Congress_of_Orientalists) from 1889-1891, which cite the cookbook 1885 ''Ustadh al-Tabbakhin'' by author {{ill|Khalil Khattar Sarkis|ar|خليل خطار سركيس}}. The dish is described as a small dumpling filled with meat, onions and coriander, which is cooked in meat broth and sour milk.[{{cite book |title=Actes du huitième congrès international des orientalistes tenu en 1889 à Stockholm et à Christiania |date=1891 |publisher=Brill |pages=366,376 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Actes_du_huiti%C3%A8me_congr%C3%A8s_internationa/SdIesB_ZiT4C?gbpv=1&pg=PA376&printsec=frontcover |access-date=22 December 2025 |language=de |trans-title=Proceedings of the Eighth International Congress of Orientalists held in 1889 in Stockholm and Christiania}}]
== Regional variations ==
=== Turkic and Persian cuisines ===
thumb|Uncooked ''chuchvara''
The dish is found in [Azerbaijani](/source/Azerbaijani_cuisine), [Iranian](/source/Iranian_cuisine), [Tajik](/source/Tajik_cuisine), [Uzbek](/source/Uzbek_cuisine), [Uyghur](/source/Uyghur_cuisine), 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 }}]
thumb|left|Uzbek ''chuchvara'' with tomato sauce and vegetables
The dough for Central Asian ''chuchvara'' or ''tushbera'' is made with [flour](/source/flour), [eggs](/source/Egg_(food)), [water](/source/water), and salt. It is rolled into a thin layer, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with chopped [onion](/source/onion)s, [black pepper](/source/black_pepper), [salt](/source/salt) and [thyme](/source/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](/source/broth) until they rise to the surface. ''Chuchvara'' can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with either [vinegar](/source/vinegar) or sauce based on finely chopped greens, [tomato](/source/tomato)es and hot peppers. Another popular way of serving ''chuchvara'' is to top the dumplings with [syuzma](/source/Strained_yogurt) (strained [qatiq](/source/qatiq)) or with [smetana](/source/smetana_(dairy_product)) ([sour cream](/source/sour_cream)). The latter is known as Russian-style.[{{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](/source/garlic) is added or served separately to taste.[{{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](/source/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](/source/Arab_cuisine) for centuries, a recipe for ''shushbarak'' appears in the 15th century Arabic cookbook from [Damascus](/source/Damascus), ''[Kitab al-tibakha](/source/List_of_medieval_cookbooks)''.[{{cite book |last1=Kassis |first1=Reem |author1-link=Reem Kassis |title=The Palestinian Table |date=23 October 2017 |publisher=Phaidon Press |isbn=978-0-7148-7496-8 |pages=29,204,284 |url=https://google.com/books/edition/The_Palestinian_Table/Pmm2tAEACAAJ |access-date=18 August 2025 |language=en}}]
''Al basha w asakro'' ({{langx|ar|الباشا وعساكره||The [pasha](/source/pasha) and his soldiers}}) is a Damascene dish made with [kibbeh](/source/kibbeh) and shishbarak cooked in the same yogurt.[{{cite news |last1=Fakhri |first1=Ibrahim |title=الباشا وعساكره... عن أطول سيرة للطعام في سوريا |url=https://www.alquds.co.uk/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%8A/ |access-date=8 December 2025 |work=Al-Quds |date=8 April 2022 |language=ar |trans-title=The Pasha and his soldiers... about the longest food biography in Syria}}][{{cite news |title=الباشا وعساكره... أكلة شعبيّة أم هجوم مسلح؟! |url=https://www.annahar.com/arabic/article/1213841-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A3%D9%83%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%85-%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%AD |access-date=8 December 2025 |work=[An-Nahar](/source/An-Nahar) |date=18 Jun 2020 |language=ar |trans-title=The Pasha and his soldiers... a popular dish or an armed attack?!}}][{{cite web |title=Kibbeh bi shish barak |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/kibbeh-bi-shish-barak |website=[TasteAtlas](/source/TasteAtlas) |access-date=8 December 2025}}]
== Related dishes ==
* [Finno-Ugric peoples](/source/Finno-Ugric_peoples) in Western [Siberia](/source/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](/source/Russian_cuisine) in the 17th century, where the dish is referred to as ''[pelmeni](/source/pelmeni)''.