Udmurt cuisine facts for kids

Udmurt cuisine is the traditional food of the Udmurt people who live in Udmurtia, a region in Russia. Their food uses many ingredients found locally. People in Udmurtia have always used grains and flour a lot. They especially use rye, barley, wheat, and buckwheat.

Meat, vegetables, and dark bread are very important foods for Udmurt people. These are called their "staple foods" because they eat them often. Other popular foods include dumplings called pelmeni, pancakes, pastries, and small tarts. Milk is not always easy to find there. When they do have milk, they often make it into a drink called ayran. This is a type of sour milk, a bit like yogurt.

The Udmurt people have a long history of farming and raising animals. They raise cattle and pigs. Hunting is also a part of their traditions. Many Udmurts also practice beekeeping, which means they keep bees to make honey. They grow a lot of potatoes, other vegetables, and flax.

Pelmeni: Udmurt Dumplings

Udmurt pelmeni are often shaped like ears.

The most famous Udmurt dish is a type of dumpling called pelmeni. In the Udmurt language, these dumplings are called pelnan. This word means "ear bread." The name comes from their shape, which looks a bit like an ear.

Pelmeni are made with different fillings. These can include mushrooms, berries, meat, or cabbage. Traditionally, Udmurt families would make many pelmeni in the autumn. They would then store them in the cold. This way, they had food to eat all through the winter.

Pelmeni are so important to Udmurt culture that they even have a monument! In 2004, a special statue was put up in Izhkar (Izhevsk), the capital city of Udmurtia. The monument shows a giant pelmeni, about one meter wide. It is stuck on the end of a very long fork, three meters tall! This shows how much the Udmurt people love their pelmeni.