Joshpara

Joshparais a kind ofdumplingpopular inCentral Asia,South Caucasusand theMiddle East. They are made of unleavenedwheatdoughsquares filled withground meatand condiments.In observance of theIslamic dietary rules, the meat filling is usually withoutpork.
Joshmeans "to boil" whileparais a term for "bit" in early Persian.This word was commonly used prior to the 10th century, when it was replaced by the modern Persian namegosh e-barreh, meaning "lamb's ear". There are several variations of the name in other languages includingAzerbaijani(düşbərə,dushbara),Bashkir(сөсбәрә,süsbərə)Kazakh(тұшпара,tushpara),Kyrgyz(чүчпара,chuchpara),Tajik(тушбера,tushbera),Uzbek(chuchvara) andUyghur(چۆچۈرە,chöchürä).The Arabic wordshishbarak(Arabic:شيشبرك) orshushbarak(Arabic:شُشْبَرَك) is thought to be derived fromjoshparain pre-Islamic times.
Another theory about the words' etymology is that the word comes from the Turkic worddüşbərə.  The wordstoshanddashmean "filled up" and "spill out", andberekmeans "food" (dishes made from dough). This alludes to the fact thatdüşbərəshould 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.
The dish is found inAzerbaijani,Iranian,Tajik,Uzbek,Uyghur, and other Central Asian cuisines.
The dough for Central Asianchuchvaraortushberais made withflour,eggs,water, and salt. It is rolled into a thin layer, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with choppedonions,black pepper,saltandthyme, is placed at the center of each square, and the corners of the dumpling are pinched and folded. The dumplings are boiled in meatbrothuntil they rise to the surface.Chuchvaracan be served in a clear soup or on their own, with eithervinegaror sauce based on finely chopped greens,tomatoesand hot peppers. Another popular way of servingchuchvarais to top the dumplings withsyuzma(strainedqatiq) or withsmetana(sour cream). The latter is known as Russian-style.
In Azerbaijan, the dumplings are smaller and the dough is thicker.Düşbərəare typically made from dough (wheat flour, egg, water),mutton(boneless), onions, vinegar, driedmint, pepper, and salt. The dish is prepared either with water or meat broth. Mutton can be substituted withbeef, 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, makingshell-shaped figures. The dumplings are added into the boiling salty water and cooked until the dumplings come to the surface.Düşbərəare served with sprinkled dried mint. Vinegar mixed with shreddedgarlicis added or served separately to taste.5-8düşbərəstypically fit on a spoon; however, in rural areas ofAbsheron, they are made small enough that a spoon can hold as many as 20.
Shishbarakis prepared inIraq,Jordan,Lebanon,Palestine,Syria,Hejaz, and the northern area ofSaudi Arabia.After being stuffed with ground beef and spices, thin dough parcels are cooked inyogurtand served hot in their sauce.A part ofArab cuisinefor centuries, a recipe forshushbarakappears in the 15th century Arabic cookbook fromDamascus,Kitab al-tibakha.