pelmen, пельмень, pronounced [pʲɪlʲˈmʲenʲ]) are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough.

[6] Pelmeni can be served as a main dish for lunch or dinner, either smothered in butter or prepared Siberian-style, which involves sprinkling them with vinegar and adding freshly ground pepper for extra flavor.

They are commonly topped with sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, red onions or vinegar, all of which are traditional to the region and can be produced in the Siberian climate.

In the United States and Canada, the term pierogi or perogies is often used to describe all kinds of Eastern European dumplings, regardless of the shape, size, or filling.

They are cousins to the Armenian, Turkish and Kazakh manti, the Georgian khinkali, the Nepalese and Tibetan momo, the Uyghur and Uzbek chuchvara, the Korean mandu, the Japanese gyoza, the Italian tortellini and ravioli, and Swabian Maultaschen.

[9] The cooked pelmeni are served alone or topped with melted butter or smetana (sour cream), as well as condiments like mustard, horseradish, tomato sauce, and vinegar.

These pelmeni usually weigh around 15 grams (1⁄2 oz) each and look like a larger version of tortellini, which is why, for industrial production, Italian pasta machines are commonly used.

[12] Store-bought frozen pelmeni, including those catered for the Russian émigré community, are therefore only remotely related and fail to capture the qualities of the original dish.

[15][6] One theory suggests pelmeni, or stuffed boiled dumplings in general, originated in Siberia, possibly a simplified adaptation of the Chinese jiaozi (in some dialects it is called Bāomiàn "包麵/包面").

[1] This theory is corroborated by the fact that traditional pelmeni fillings are strongly flavored with black pepper and other spices that are not native to Russia.

[1] Pelmeni began to appear in restaurants in late 19th-century France at a time when Russian dishes had already made a considerable impact on haute cuisine.