Epic Eastern European Dumplings You Must Try
Andrew Villone | Savor the Experience Tours
I was considering calling this “When You Love Ravioli But Aren’t in Italy,” but then I thought, maybe some of these dishes pre-date the ravioli—Georgia’s entry on this list probably does. And besides, everyone knows what a dumpling is. So, if you like eating them or just want a few ideas of what comfort foods await you on your next trip to Eastern Europe, dive into these…
Khinkali — Georgia
Dearest revered Georgian dumpling, we humans can only marvel at your epic deliciousness, your juiciness that bursts out with each single bite, your spices that mingle so perfectly with meat, your twisted knobs of dough that rise up to the heavens. We might not be worthy, but we will devour you nonetheless.
The divine khinkali
Image | Trish Feaster
Zlikrofi — Slovenia
From Idrija, the Slovenian mining town that gave Europe mercury and lace (now there’s a unique pairing), comes the potato-filled dumpling that looks a bit like a Japanese gyoza. It tastes great whether covered in lamb goulash or with a healthy dose of pork cracklings on top.
Zlikrofi
Image | Matej Tomazic
Pelmeni — Russia
When you find yourself in Russia and your taste buds aren’t really down with pickled vegetables or pickled herring, then you can’t go wrong with these little round dumplings, usually filled with a pork-and-beef mix, and topped with a dollop of sour cream. Bonus points for getting the deep-fried version (thank you Tallinn for this introduction) which is quite possibly the best beer/pub snack food ever invented.
Pelmeni
Image | Aliona Gumeniuk
Perogi — Poland
This popular treat is a half-moon shaped Polish delight that, like all edibles in Poland, ranks high on the comfort-food scale. In Krakow’s Jewish district of Kazmierz, there’s a cafe that has more than 30 different varieties—a perfect solution to those bored with the standard potato & cheese or pork ones. The Greek-inspired perogies with feta and olives are delish!
Perogi perfection
Image | Andrew Villone
Manti — Ukraine, Central Asia and Caucasus
Turkic dumplings can be found wherever there are Tatars, Turks or in most former Soviet countries. My first taste was at a Tatar cafe in Kiev, and I followed that up a week later with a little hands-on cooking class with a Tatar family in Crimea (before it got swallowed up by Putin’s goons). They’re filled with spiced meat and bring the best of many worlds togethert. If a pelmeni and a khinkali had a love child, this would be it. It had been awhile, but Manti and I were able to reconnect with each other in Baku last year. We had a lot of catching up to do.
Image | Sterilgutassistentin
