{{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 | course = | country = | region = West Asia, Central Asia | creator = | year = | mintime = | maxtime = | served = Hot or cold | main_ingredient = Dough (flour, eggs, water, salt), ground meat, onions, herbs, salt, black pepper | minor_ingredient = | variations = | serving_size = | calories = | calories_ref = | protein = | fat = | carbohydrate = | glycemic_index = | similar_dish = | other = }}
'''Joshpara''' is a kind of dumpling popular in Central Asia, South Caucasus and the Middle East. They are made of unleavened wheat dough squares filled with ground meat and condiments.<ref name="Davidson">{{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 }}</ref>
== Etymology == ''Josh'' means "to boil" while ''para'' is a term for "bit" in Persian.<ref name="Davidson" /> 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'').<ref name="Davidson" /> The Arabic word ''shishbarak'' ({{langx|ar|شيشبرك}}) or ''shushbarak'' ({{langx|ar|شُشْبَرَك}}) is thought to be derived from ''joshpara'' in pre-Islamic times.<ref name="Davidson" /><ref name="Uvezianp261">{{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}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Ministry">{{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 }}</ref>
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.<ref name="Ministry" />
==History==
''Shishbarak'' is mentioned in 13th and 15th Century Egyptian cookbooks.<ref name="Uvezianp261" /><ref name="newman"/> The 13th-century Arabic cookbook Kitab al-Wuslah ila l-habib references the name and shape of ''shushbarak'' but does not provide a recipe for it.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
According to historian Daniel Newman, it was possibly imported into Egypt by Turkic tribes from the Central Asian Steppes.<ref name="newman">{{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}}</ref>
''Shishbarak'' ({{lang|ar|ششبرك}}) was described in the proceedings of the 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.<ref name="ICO1889">{{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}}</ref>
== Regional variations ==
=== Turkic and Persian cuisines === thumb|Uncooked ''chuchvara''
The dish is found in Azerbaijani, Iranian, Tajik, Uzbek, Uyghur, and other Central Asian cuisines.<ref name="Davidson" /><ref name="Mar">{{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}}</ref><ref name="TajikHeritage">{{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 }}</ref>
thumb|left|Uzbek ''chuchvara'' with tomato sauce and vegetables The dough for Central Asian ''chuchvara'' or ''tushbera'' is made with flour, eggs, water, and salt. It is rolled into a thin layer, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with chopped onions, black pepper, salt and 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 until they rise to the surface. ''Chuchvara'' can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with either vinegar or sauce based on finely chopped greens, tomatoes and hot peppers. Another popular way of serving ''chuchvara'' is to top the dumplings with syuzma (strained qatiq) or with smetana (sour cream). The latter is known as Russian-style.<ref name="TajikHeritage" />
thumb|Azerbaijani ''düşbərə'' served in broth In Azerbaijan, the dumplings are smaller and the dough is thicker.<ref name="Mar"/> ''{{lang|az|Düşbərə}}'' 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, or even with chicken.<ref name="Ministry" /> 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-shaped figures. The dumplings are added into the boiling salty water and cooked until the dumplings come to the surface.<ref name="Ministry" /><ref>{{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}}</ref> ''{{lang|az|Düşbərə}}'' are served with sprinkled dried mint. Vinegar mixed with shredded garlic is added or served separately to taste.<ref name="Ministry" /> 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.<ref name="Ministry" />
=== Arab cuisines === thumb|Levantine ''shishbarak'' served in yogurt sauce thumb|Lebanese style kibbeh with shushbarak
''Shishbarak'' is prepared in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Hejaz, and the northern area of Saudi Arabia.<ref name="Kummerp215">{{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}}</ref> After being stuffed with ground beef and spices, thin dough parcels are cooked in yogurt and served hot in their sauce.<ref name="Basanp42">{{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}}</ref> A part of Arab cuisine for centuries, a recipe for ''shushbarak'' appears in the 15th century Arabic cookbook from Damascus, ''Kitab al-tibakha''.<ref name="Uvezianp261"/>
In some areas in Palestine, such as Hebron, it is called ''dnein qtat'' ({{langx|ar|دنين قطاط|translation=cat ears}}) because of their shape, and they are traditionally made with kashk or jameed.<ref name="kassis">{{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}}</ref>
''Al basha w asakro'' ({{langx|ar|الباشا وعساكره||The pasha and his soldiers}}) is a Damascene dish made with kibbeh and shishbarak cooked in the same yogurt.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 |date=18 Jun 2020 |language=ar |trans-title=The Pasha and his soldiers... a popular dish or an armed attack?!}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kibbeh bi shish barak |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/kibbeh-bi-shish-barak |website=TasteAtlas |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref>
== Related dishes == * Finno-Ugric peoples in Western 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 in the 17th century, where the dish is referred to as ''pelmeni''.<ref name="Davidson" /> * Manti is another type of dumpling popular in Central and West Asia.
== See also == * List of dumplings * List of stuffed dishes
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://azcookbook.com/ AZ Cookbook] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130404143736/http://www.orexca.com/cuisine_uzbekistan.shtml Chuchvara in Uzbek cuisine] (with a photograph)
{{Cuisine of Azerbaijan}} {{Levantine cuisine}} {{Dumplings}}
Category:Arab cuisine Category:Azerbaijani cuisine Category:Cuisine of the Caucasus Category:Central Asian cuisine Category:Dumplings Category:Iraqi cuisine Category:Jordanian cuisine Category:Kazakh cuisine Category:Kyrgyz cuisine Category:Lebanese cuisine Category:Middle Eastern cuisine Category:Palestinian cuisine Category:Stuffed dishes Category:Syrian cuisine Category:Tajik cuisine Category:Uyghur cuisine Category:Uzbek dishes