The origin of pelmeni is not clear, and many versions exist. The most widely accepted one is that they were discovered in the Urals by Russian explorers and pioneers, who found that a similar dish (called pelnyan - literally "bread ear" in the native language), which consisted of pieces of meat wrapped in very thin bread, was being used by the native people of the region. Consequently, farther west in Poland, pelmeni are called "uszka," which also means ears. Another theory is that pelmeni were invented by hunters, who were looking for light, easy-to-prepare and nourishing food to take with them on long hunting trips (besides, pelmeni can be kept frozen for very long periods of time without any loss of quality or flavor, and the water they are boiled in makes a pretty good soup). Yet another theory suggests that pelmeni originated in northwestern China (thus explaining the use of spices such as pepper, which are non-native in Russia and had to be imported). In any case, pelmeni are documented to have already existed in central Russia by 16th century. ( taken from Wikipedia )
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