Traveling along the Tran-Siberian railroad from Beijing to Moscow, from the Great Wall to the Kremlin Wall, from the challenges of Beijing to Orthodox churches of Moscow, is an experiential and cultural adventure. Exploring traditional regional cuisine along the way – is one of the highlights of any Trans-Siberian trip.

Almost every stop along the Trans-Siberian journey from Beijing to Moscow offers its own recipe of dumplings: Chinese "dim sums" in Beijing, steamed "pozy" in Mongolia, Siberian "pelmeni" in Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk. Russian pelmeni, Ukrainian vareniki, Uzbek manti, Italian ravioli-they are all believed to be varieties of Chinese dumplings, what makes them the most popular dish in the world, in each nation that adopted the base recipe has turned it into its own specialty.

Dumplings arrived in Russia simultaneously from both East and West. Mongols brought them the southern regions of the Russia in the XII century but they came earlier than that to the Russia by way of Trans-Siberian caravans and fur traders. Siberian tribes such as the Chukcha, Yakut, Komi, Kazan and others had these delicious little dumplings for centuries. They use meats such as venison, caribou, duck, goose, ptarmigan, seal, bear, fish and liver as the filling along with berries, bits of dried fruits.

The famous Italian traveler of the XIII century, Marco Polo, brought home dumplings among other Chinese delicacies. Italians, with their passion for mealy food renamed them "ravioli" and began experimenting with various fine fillings. In the second half of XVIII century they arrived in Russia, together with pasta. At the same time dim sums made their way from China, providing spicy and piquant competition to tender and delicate ravioli. The historical meeting took place in Siberia, so now every Siberian regards pelmeni as their national dish.

Since then, a dumpling revolution swept across the whole Ex-Soviet Union space. In the Caucasus region they are called "hinkali" and made of very thin dough and stuffed with mince mixed with broth. In Mongolia and Buryatia people eat large steamed "pozy", containing chopped spiced meat and onions, with their hands. Central Asian "manti" are usually stuffed with lamb, beef, horse and camel meat. Uzbek "chuchvara" is usually halal and served with broth. Ukrainian vareniki is the only sweet variety in the list-they usually have a filling of sweet cottage cheese, fruit and berries.

The Russian favorite, pelmeni, usually has a filling of beef or mixed meats and onion-such pelmeni are called "Siberian". The stuffing may vary from mushrooms, salmon, and venison to cage, holy or chicken. In Siberia and the Ural meat pelmeni are made in large portions just before the winter and then frozen so they do not lose their taste right through the spring. Modern Siberian restaurant offer a novelty pelmeni, which are first boiled, then fried. Biting through the crispy dough into the hot succulent stuffing makes eating this traditional dish really an unforgettable experience.

Take on a Trans-Siberian adventure and explore the flavors of traditional cuisine along the way!