Echpochmak tatar recipe history

Echpochmak: Tatar Triangular Meat Pie

Published: October 8, 2022

A symbol of Tatar culture and a pride of that nation, echpochmak is easily one of most recognizable foods from Tatar cuisine. This savory meat pie has its origins in the nomadic days of the Tatars but the crisp outside and juicy meat filling of the pie have guaranteed echpochmakโ€™s timeless popularity.

Today, echpochmak is enjoyed not only in Tatar homelands, but can be found throughout the former Soviet Union and in many areas where widespread Tatar diaspora has landed globally.

How Echpochmak Got Its Name

ะŸะพั‡ะตะผัƒ ะพะฝะธ ะฝะพััั‚ ั‚ะฐะบะพะต ะฝะฐะทะฒะฐะฝะธะต?

Echpochmak (tat. ำฉั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ ,rus. ัั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ) very literally means โ€œtriangleโ€ in Tatar, a reference to the signature shape of the meat pies. The word can be broken down into two parts with โ€œำฉั‡โ€ or och meaning โ€œthreeโ€ and โ€œะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบโ€ or pochmak translating as โ€œcorners.โ€

In Russian, echpochmak is usually directly transliterated as โ€œัั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ.โ€ However, it can be found translated as โ€œั‚ั€ะตัƒะณะพะปัŒะฝะธะบโ€ or treyugolnik.

This dish is also very popular among the closely related Bashkir who call it esbosmak (ำฉัะฑะพัะผะฐาก).

How and When to Eat Echpochmak

ะšะฐะบ ะฟั€ะฐะฒะธะปัŒะฝะพ ะตัั‚ัŒ ัั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ?

Echpochmak is usually served as part of a meal, usually lunch or dinner. Generally, echpochmak is served alongside broth or tea to help wash the pies down. If broth is available, some broth may be poured into the hole of the echpochmak to warm and moisten the pastry before eating.

Echpochmak is seen as being a remnant of Tatarsโ€™ nomadic past with the pies being a staple during military campaigns as they were easy to carry and convenient to eat. Today, the pies can be found in many bakeries and cafes which may serve them fully closed due to health codes and issues of shelf life. While today increasingly common, this is not traditional. When purchased this way, the pies are often eaten alone as a fast or to-go snack.

How to Prepare Traditional Echpochmak

ะšะฐะบ ะฟั€ะฐะฒะธะปัŒะฝะพ ะณะพั‚ะพะฒะธั‚ัŒ ัั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ?

The process for making the dough is very straightforward, and as some cooks will tell you, does not differ significantly from a basic yeast dough which may be used for other pies or pastries such as the Tatar and Bashkir fried meat pies, belyashi (tat. ะฟำ™ั€ำ™ะผำ™ั‡, rus. ะฑะตะปััˆ, bash. ะฑำ™ั€ำ™ะผะตั). The components of the dough are mixed together and left to rise. Some recipes opt to let the dough rise twice, preferring the thinner, crisper quality of the first rise.

The fillings tend to be similar across recipes and include meat, potatoes, and onion. The meat can be different, but most recipes use beef or lamb and others may use chicken or even goose. Before Tatars settled in the Volga region and began raising animals, it is likely that the meat would have been horse meat, a popular food for Tatars till this day. Newer recipes also may add spices such as cumin to the filling, but most call for simply salt and pepper. Even the salt and pepper, however, are likely older additions. The original pies would have likely used perhaps salt or perhaps no seasonings at all.

Todayโ€™s classic recipe which includes potatoes is also undoubtedly a variation of the original pie, as potatoes were imported to Russia only during the reign of Peter the Great, centuries after the Tatars first began making this national pie.

Some cooks today may pour melted butter into the opening instead of broth. Some people choose to pour the butter or broth into the echpochmak halfway through the bake, while others do so after the echpochmaks are taken out of the oven. It can also still be done before consumption.

Echpochmaks are usually better fresh and straight out of the oven. However, leftovers are nice to have to warm up for a snack later. Today you can buy echpochmak in bakeries or even frozen in grocery stores in Tatarstan.

Letโ€™s Cook!

ะ”ะฐะฒะฐะน ะฟั€ะธะณะพั‚ะพะฒะธะผ!

ะญั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ/ำจั‡ะฟะพั‡ะผะฐะบ Echpochmak
ะ˜ะฝะณั€ะตะดะธะตะฝั‚ั‹

ะ”ะปั ั‚ะตัั‚ะพ

  • ะœัƒะบะฐ โ€“ 1 ะบะณ
  • ะœะพะปะพะบะพ (ั‚ะตะฟะปะพะต) โ€“ 300-400 ะณ
  • ะ”ั€ะพะถะบะธ โ€“ 30 ะณ
  • ะฏะนั†ะพ โ€“ 2 ัˆั‚.
  • ะกะปะธะฒะพั‡ะฝะพะต ะผะฐัะปะพ (ั€ะฐัั‚ะพะฟะปะตะฝะฝะพะต) โ€“ 150 ะณ
  • ะกะฐั…ะฐั€ โ€“ 30 ะณ
  • ะกะพะปัŒ โ€“ 15 ะณ

ะ”ะปั ะฝะฐั‡ะธะฝะบะธ

  • ะœััะพ (ะณะพะฒัะดะธะฝะฐ ) โ€“ 800 ะณ
  • ะšะฐั€ั‚ะพั„ะตะปัŒ โ€“ 1 ะบะณ
  • ะ›ัƒะบ โ€“ 3 ะณะพะปะพะฒะบะธ
  • ะกะปะธะฒะพั‡ะฝะพะต ะผะฐัะปะพ โ€“ 150 ะณ
  • ะกะพะปัŒ ะธ ะฟะตั€ะตั† ะฟะพ ะฒะบัƒััƒ
  • ะ‘ัƒะปัŒะพะฝ โ€“ 200 ะณ
  • ะฏะนั†ะพ โ€“ 1 ัˆั‚.

ะŸั€ะธะณะพั‚ะพะฒะปะตะฝะธะต:

1.ย ย ย ย  ะขะตะฟะปะพะต ะผะพะปะพะบะพ ั€ะฐะทะผะตัˆะฐั‚ัŒ ั ะดั€ะพะถะบะฐะผะธ, ัะพะปัŒัŽ, ัะฐั…ะฐั€ะพะผ, ัะนั†ะฐะผะธ. ะ”ะพะฑะฐะฒะธั‚ัŒ ะผัƒะบัƒ ะธ ะฟะตั€ะตะผะตัˆะฐั‚ัŒ. ะ’ะปะธั‚ัŒ ั€ะฐัั‚ะพะฟะปะพะฝะฝะพะต ะผะฐัะปะพ, ะฟั€ะพะดะพะปะถะฐั ะทะฐะผะตัˆะธะฒะฐั‚ัŒ ั‚ะตัั‚ะพ.

2.ย ย ย ย  ะŸะพัั‚ะฐะฒะธั‚ัŒ ั‚ะตัั‚ะพ ะฒ ั‚ะตะฟะปะพะต ะผะตัั‚ะพ ะธ ะดะฐั‚ัŒ ั‡ะฐั ะฟะพะดะฝัั‚ัŒัั.

3.ย ย ย ย  ะ”ะปั ะฝะฐั‡ะธะฝะบะธ, ะผััะพ ะธ ะบะฐั€ั‚ะพั„ะตะปัŒ ะฝะฐั€ะตะทะฐั‚ัŒ ะผะตะปะบะธะผะธ ะบัƒัะพั‡ะบะฐะผะธ. ะœะตะปะบะพ ะฝะฐั€ะตะทะฐั‚ัŒ ะปัƒะบ ะธ ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธั‚ัŒ ะบ ะผัััƒ ะธ ะบะฐั€ั‚ะพั„ะตะปัŽ ะฒะผะตัั‚ะต ั ะผะฐัะปะพะผ. ะŸะพัะพะปะธั‚ัŒ, ะฟะพะฟะตั€ั‡ะธั‚ัŒ ะธ ั…ะพั€ะพัˆะพ ะฟะตั€ะตะผะตัˆะฐั‚ัŒ.

4.ย ย ย ย  ะขะตัั‚ะพ ั€ะฐะทะดะตะปะธั‚ัŒ ะฝะฐ ั‡ะฐัั‚ะธ ะธ ั€ะฐัะบะฐั‚ะฐั‚ัŒ ะฝะตะฑะพะปัŒัˆะธะต ะบั€ัƒะถะพั‡ะบะธ.

5.ย ย ย ย  ะ’ ั†ะตะฝั‚ั€ ะบะฐะถะดะพะณะพ ะบั€ัƒะถะพั‡ะบะฐ ะฒั‹ะปะพะถะธั‚ัŒ ะฝะตะผะฝะพะณะพ ะฝะฐั‡ะธะฝะบะธ, ั‚ะตัั‚ะพ ะฟั€ะธะฟะพะดะฝัั‚ัŒ ั ั‚ั€ั‘ั… ะฟั€ะพั‚ะธะฒะพะฟะพะปะพะถะฝั‹ั… ัั‚ะพั€ะพะฝ ะธ ัะพะตะดะธะฝะธั‚ัŒ ะฒ ั„ะพั€ะผะต ั‚ั€ะตัƒะณะพะปัŒะฝะธะบะฐ. ะžัั‚ะฐะฒะธั‚ัŒ ั†ะตะฝั‚ั€ ะพั‚ะบั€ั‹ั‚ั‹ะผ.

6.ย ย ย ย  ะขั€ะตัƒะณะพะปัŒะฝะธะบะธ ะฒั‹ะปะพะถะธั‚ัŒ ะฝะฐ ัะผะฐะทะฐะฝะฝั‹ะน ั ะผะฐัะปะพะผ ะฟั€ะพั‚ะธะฒะตะฝัŒ ะธ ัะผะฐะทะฐั‚ัŒ ะฒะทะฑะธั‚ั‹ะผ ัะนั†ะพะผ.

7.ย ย ย ย  ะ’ั‹ะฟะตะบะฐั‚ัŒ 20-25 ะผะธะฝัƒั‚ ะฟั€ะธ 180 ะณั€ะฐะดัƒัะพะฒ. ะŸะพัะปะต ัั‚ะพะณะพ ะฒ ะบะฐะถะดั‹ะน ั‚ั€ะตัƒะณะพะปัŒะฝะธะบ ะฒะปะธั‚ัŒ ะฝะตะผะฝะพะณะพ ะฑัƒะปัŒะพะฝะฐ ะธ ะฒั‹ะฟะตะบะฐั‚ัŒ ะฒ ะดัƒั…ะพะฒะบะต ะตั‰ั‘ 30 ะผะธะฝัƒั‚.

8.ย ย ย ย  ะะฐ ัั‚ะพะป ะฟะพะดะฐั‚ัŒ ะฒ ะณะพั€ัั‡ะตะผ ะฒะธะดะต, ัะผะฐะทะฐะฒ ั ะผะฐัะปะพะผ.

Ingredients

For the dough

  • Flour โ€“ 1 kg
  • Milk (warm) โ€“ 300-400 g
  • Yeast โ€“ 30 g
  • 2 eggs
  • Butter (melted) โ€“ 150 g
  • Sugar โ€“ 30 g
  • Salt โ€“ 15 g

For the filling

  • Meat (beef) โ€“ 800 g
  • Potatoes โ€“ 1 kg
  • 3 onions
  • Butter โ€“ 150 g
  • Salt and pepper to personal taste
  • Broth โ€“ 200 g
  • 1 egg

Preparation:

1.ย ย ย ย  Mix the warm milk with the yeast, salt, sugar, and eggs. Add flour and knead. Add the melted butter and knead the dough again.

2.ย ย ย ย  Let the dough rise for 1 hour in a warm place.

3.ย ย ย ย  For the filling, cut the meat and potatoes into small pieces. Finely chop the onions and add them to the meat and potatoes along with a little butter. Salt and pepper it and mix well.

4.ย ย ย ย  Divide the dough into parts and, using a rolling pin, roll them into small circles.

5.ย ย ย ย  Put some filling in the center of each circle and fold the edges of the dough from three opposite sides so that it forms a triangle. Leave the center of the triangle open.

6.ย ย ย ย  Lay the triangular pies on an greased baking tray and brush the tops with an egg wash.

7.ย ย ย ย  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. After that, take them out and pour some broth into each triangle and put them back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

8.ย ย ย ย  The ready echpochmaks should be buttered and served warm

ย 

Our Favorite Echpochmak Videos

Although the video is a bit lengthy, the instructions are detailed and thorough. In particular, the cook shows in detail how to do the plait on the side of the echpochmak which may be challenging for people making these pies for the first time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cud9GJXGI0

ย 

This cook uses a more traditional recipe that calls for broth, but also offers a substitute made with butter and water if you do not have broth at hand.

ย 

This video comes with English subtitles and the cook shows how to make the Tatar broth or shulpa in addition to the echpochmak. In this video the broth is served alongside the pies rather than poured into them as others may choose to do.

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About the author

Maryam Moghaddami

Maryam Moghaddami

Maryam Moghaddami, at the time she wrote for this site, was an undergraduate at the University of Oregon double majoring in Cinema Studies and Psychology with a minor in Russian Studies. She has ethnic Volga Tatar heritage and is a Russian heritage speaker. Her articles on this site were produced as part of an SRAS Online Research Internship.

Program attended: Online Internships

View all posts by: Maryam Moghaddami