Pelmeni

Since childhood, everyone has known the taste of this national Russian dish. Dumplings are loved by both adults and children. They have been very popular since ancient times, because it was not for nothing that in Russia there were even special dumplings in which you could try this tasty and healthy dish. And if everyone knows about its taste qualities, then almost no one knows about the benefits. But many have heard about the harmfulness of this wonderful product, especially the fair sex.

A bit of history

No one can say exactly when and how this dish was born. Some believe that the first dumplings were cooked in China, others say that Central Asia is considered their true homeland. But either one or the other statement is not worth talking about with certainty.

The famous historian, one of the greatest connoisseurs of Russian cuisine, William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin, points out in his writings that the first mention of this dish in Russia occurs at the end of the XNUMXth – beginning of the XNUMXth century. For a long time, dumplings were considered a regional dish of the peoples of the Urals and Siberia. They were the first to taste them, and they firmly entered their everyday life. Dumplings were frequent guests on the festive table, were an obligatory component of the rations of fishermen and hunters, due to the fact that they were remarkably stored in the harsh conditions of those parts.

And only by the middle of the XNUMXth century they appeared in the central and southern parts of Russia and became one of the daily and popular dishes of the Russian people. However, it is worth noting here that in Russian cookbooks, long before this time, there are references to some dishes that are very similar in composition to modern dumplings: shurubarks, ears. They were prepared from unleavened dough and finely chopped meat. It turns out that in the XNUMXth century it became common to call such dishes dumplings.

It is believed that the word “dumplings” came into the Russian language from the Finno-Ugric dialect, where it can be translated as “bread ear” (pelnyan: pel – ear, nyan – bread). The peoples of Udmurtia consider dumplings to be their original dish. The republic even holds a national holiday “World dumpling day”. They say that in the old days the famous Siberian Highway passed through that territory. And it was with his help that the dumplings came to Siberia, where they were reborn, receiving the name “Siberian dumplings.”

Types of dumplings

Almost all cuisines have their own types of this popular dish. For example, in China they are known as wontons, baozi, shui yao or jiaozi. In Central Asia and the Caucasus, they are called manty, momo, khinkali, poses, chuvara, mandu and choshura. The Jews also have their own analogue of this dish – kreplach. In Crimea, it is known as Tatarash, and in Italy – ravioli or tortellini. In German cuisine, dumplings are called maultaschen, and in Belarusian cuisine they are called sorcerers.

The composition and benefits of dumplings

Traditionally, this product consists of an unleavened dough made from flour and water with salt, eggs and sometimes milk, and a filling. As a filling, it is customary to use minced beef, pork or lamb. You can also use mushrooms, fish, seafood or poultry as it. True connoisseurs of hunting love to eat dumplings stuffed with game: venison, elk or bear meat. Often, raw ground onions, as well as hot spices, are added to the filling to give special taste.

Useful properties of dumplings depend solely on the valuable properties of the products included in its composition. For example, wheat flour, which is traditionally used to prepare this dish, is a rich source of fiber, and also contains B vitamins and vitamin PP. From the mineral component in it can be distinguished:

• magnesium;
• copper;
• zinc;
• phosphorus;
• iron.

The meat used to make dumplings is undoubtedly a rich source of protein. For example, pork is rich in lysine, which helps prevent osteoporosis and strengthens bone tissue. Beef or veal is very well absorbed by the human body and retains its useful and valuable composition even during heat treatment. They contain substances necessary for the life of the body, such as:

• vitamin E;
• ascorbic acid;
• vitamin A;
• choline;
• vitamins of group B;
• vitamin D;
• vitamin RR.

They saturate the dish with such useful minerals as potassium, magnesium, zinc and cobalt.

If the filling of dumplings includes fish or seafood, it will be a storehouse of iodine and phosphorus, as well as a wonderful vitamin complex that contains both the vitamin of youth and beauty – vitamin E, and anti-stress vitamins – group B vitamins, and many other useful substances.

Calorie content and nutritional value of the product

Calorie content, as well as nutritional value, also directly depend on the ingredients that make up the dish. So, for example, dumplings stuffed with meat will be much more nutritious than fish or vegetable dumplings. Accordingly, from meat types, dumplings stuffed with pork or lamb will be more high-calorie. By the way, a significant difference between pelmeni and dumplings is that dumplings always use raw stuffing, while dumplings use stuffing that has already undergone preliminary processing, for example, boiled.

On average, the energy value of this dish will be approximately 225 kcal per 100 grams of product. The content of proteins ranges from 6 to 14 grams, fat – from 4 to 15 grams, carbohydrates – from 20 to 35 grams per 100 grams of the finished product.

Homemade or shop

It’s no secret that today in supermarkets you can find countless ready-made semi-finished products. And after all, how convenient: you don’t need to waste time preparing dough and minced meat, you bought it, boiled it and you’re done! But will they be as useful as homemade, freshly prepared dumplings? To answer this question, it is worth referring to the composition of store semi-finished products. Often manufacturers use soy as an alternative to meat for their manufacture, and also use synthetic flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives, dyes and stabilizers in the production. Of course, you will not find all this in natural home products. Therefore, when choosing between purchased semi-finished products and homemade delicious dumplings, the choice should definitely be in favor of the latter.

Cooking application

Traditionally, it is customary to boil dumplings in a sufficiently large amount of water with the addition of salt, spices and spices. Often they are used as a soup, along with the broth in which they were cooked. They are served with vinegar, sour cream, mustard or butter. Some people like to add various sauces to this dish, such as mayonnaise or ketchup. You can also find dumplings fried after cooking, or simply fried in a large amount of oil.

Recipe for making dumplings at home

For this dish you will need:

• wheat flour – 3 glass;
• water – 1 glass;
• beef – 500 grams;
• onion – 1 piece;
• salt;
• Bay leaf;
• black pepper.

Salt, flour and water are mixed and the dough is kneaded. Leave in a cool dark place for half an hour. For the filling, you need to grind the meat and onions in a meat grinder, add salt and pepper, mix thoroughly. For sculpting dumplings, you can use a special dumpling, with which their cooking is greatly simplified. You can also sculpt them in the traditional way. To do this, the dough is rolled out in the form of a thin sheet and small circles are cut out of it. An ordinary glass works well for this. The filling is placed in the middle of each such circle and the edges of the dough are pinched tightly.

Dumplings are cooked either steamed or in water with the addition of salt, bay leaf and black peppercorns. Cooking time is usually five minutes after boiling. When cooking steam dumplings, the cooking time increases significantly and is approximately 15-25 minutes.

Traditionally, dumplings are served with a 3% vinegar solution, black pepper and mustard.

Dumplings on a diet

It seems unrealistic to use such an absolutely non-dietary product during a period of intensive weight loss. Many, on the contrary, are confident in a sharp weight gain when eating this dish and often refuse to eat it even on ordinary days. But it turns out that dumplings on a diet are far from a curiosity. This is a really high-calorie dish, and if possible, it is still better to abandon it in favor of healthy vegetables and nutritious proteins. But if the love of dumplings overpowers the arguments of reason, then you can leave it in the daily diet. But, it is important at the same time to follow some rules so as not to nullify all efforts. So, when losing weight, you need to use dumplings only under such conditions:

• do not exceed the daily allowance of 1200 calories;
• distribute food in small portions and consume it at least 4 times a day;
• do not eat after six in the evening;
• in a serving, the number of dumplings should not exceed 10 pieces;
• it is strictly forbidden to serve dumplings with high-calorie additives – with butter, ketchup or mayonnaise;
• use healthy yogurt or low-fat sour cream as a sauce for a dish;
• cook dumplings from whole grain flour and dietary ground beef or turkey with vegetables.

If we take these few simple rules as a basis, then eating delicious homemade dumplings will not lead to weight gain, but will even contribute to the loss of several kilograms.

Harm and Hazardous Properties

All the harm of this dish lies in the high calorie content of the product. Naturally, it is not recommended to use this dish with a tendency to be overweight. You should also give preference to natural homemade dumplings, which are made from quality products. Store-bought counterparts may contain chemical preservatives and dyes that are harmful to the body. Of course, high-quality home-made products should not be consumed in excessively large quantities, otherwise it may have a bad effect on the body.

How to choose and store dumplings

If, nevertheless, the choice is made in favor of store semi-finished products, then you need to know how to choose the right more or less quality product. First, you should pay attention to the composition. The ideal dough-meat ratio would be approximately 40/60, 50/50 or 60/40, that is, they should be contained in the dish in almost equal proportions.

Look carefully at the packaging: it is better to take the one where the composition of these products is written separately in percentage terms. If, nevertheless, the ingredients are listed in a row, then you should be aware that they are listed in descending order. That is, if beef is listed first, then pork, and so on, then pork is found there most of all.

You should pay attention to the fact that the product does not include vegetable protein, and the color of the dough does not take on a grayish or yellowish tint. This will mean that dumplings contain various additives in the form of emulsifiers, dyes, thickeners or other synthetic preservatives. It can also be an indicator of improper storage of the product.

The product keeps very well frozen. The shelf life of such semi-finished products can be several months.

Conclusions

Pelmeni is a very tasty, nutritious and at the same time quite healthy national Russian dish. Its history spans quite a few centuries, and during this time it has gained even more fans. Despite the fact that dumplings are quite a high-calorie dish, they have captivated the hearts and followers of a healthy lifestyle. The thing is that this dish is quite diverse. It can be prepared from dough and a wide variety of fillings, including healthy, low-calorie ones. If, for example, they use fish, seafood or vegetables, as well as dietary meats, then dumplings will bring useful minerals and vitamins contained in their composition to the body and will not add problems with being overweight. Now in stores there are a lot of various ready-made semi-finished products that will reduce labor costs and time when preparing the product. But such dumplings may contain unnecessary preservatives or soy in their composition. Therefore, if you choose between delicious homemade and store-bought dumplings, then the choice should be made in favor of homemade ones. This dish will be prepared from high-quality natural products, and then we can confidently talk about its beneficial properties. Dumplings are wonderfully stored in the freezer for several months, and the only harm they can bring is overeating. Which most likely will entail an increase in body weight and a set of extra pounds. Just using it, you need to observe moderation, and then there will be no negative consequences.