Chebureki

Chebureki came from Crimean Tatar cuisine and in the 20th century became popular throughout Russia. Thin dough is folded into a crescent around a meat filling with onion, tightly sealed, and fried in a large amount of oil or fat. The filling is placed in raw, so the meat juice is preserved inside, and a crispy crust with bubbles forms outside. Chebureki are eaten hot, immediately after preparation.

Chebureki are Crimean Tatar fried meat pies. It spread across the USSR in the mid‑20th century. Cheap «cheburechnaya» cafés became a popular Soviet fast food. Visitors vere offered chebureki and beer — and that’s it. The first Cheburechnaya was opened in Moscow in 1957. It was called Druzhba («friendship»). The name symbolized the friendship of two peoples: Russians and Crimean Tatars, the native population of Crimea, from whose cuisine the cheburek recipe was once borrowed.

You had to be skilled to eat a hot juicy cheburek. Keep it vertically so that the delicious broth does not leak out. It’s not very convenient to do this sitting down, and this is one of the reasons why cafes had high tables and chebureks were eaten standing up. The «professionals» in eating chebureks recognized each other already in the queue: they held three spoons in their hands — two to hold the hot cheburek, and the third to bite off a corner, pour the juice into it without spilling a drop, and drink it.

The main virtue of chebureki lies in the contrast of textures, combined with their temperature and juiciness. The dough must be crispy—whether it has bubbles or not, it absolutely has to be crisp, thin, and have just the right amount of substance. The filling should contain plenty of onion, some herbs and spices, and an abundance of juices
Alexander Volkov-Medvedev
represented by
Alexander Volkov-Medvedev
cooking
time 60 min
difficulty
level Medium
key
ingredients 8
Chebureki Chebureki

Ingredients

Dough
wheat flour
400-500  g
hot water
200-250 ml
vegetable oil
3-4  tbsp
salt
1 tsp
Filling:
ground meat (pork/beef)
300-400  g
onion medium
1-2 pcs
ice‑cold water
50-70  ml
salt, black pepper to taste
 
vegetable oil for frying (depth about 2-3 cm in a pan)
Portions: 10-12

Recipe

1.
Cooking

Put flour and salt in a bowl, pour in hot water and oil. Knead into a soft, non‑sticky dough, cover with cling film, and let rest for 30 minutes.
2.
Finely chop the onion and mix with the ground meat. Add salt, pepper, and ice‑cold water. Mix well until the filling is smooth and slightly looser but not watery.
3.
Divide the dough into 10-12 balls. Roll each ball into a thin circle, put filling on one half, fold over, and pinch the edge tightly (you can use a fork). Aim for about 15-20 cm diameter per cheburek.
4.
Pour enough oil into a pan or deep skillet to reach about 2-3 cm, heat to 170-180 °C (a drop of dough should sizzle). Fry the chebureki 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
5.
Serving

Hot, with pickled cucumbers, sour cream, or a spicy sauce.

where
to try

Moya Zvezda (My Star)
Moya Zvezda (My Star)
Sochi
A signature restaurant by Arkady Novikov on Olimpiysky Prospekt — located on the first coastline with a breathtaking sea view. Six halls of varying capacity (from 20 to 350 guests), a bright interior with abundant wood and live greenery, and a unique enoteca with an exclusive collection of Russian wines. The menu offers home-style cuisine from around the world, from oysters and pâté to steaks, crab pasta, and beef stroganoff with mushrooms.
Voskhod
Voskhod
Moscow
A restaurant in Zaryadye Park, in the very heart of Moscow, where nostalgia for the Soviet past meets a futuristic vision of the future. The interior is designed in a neo-futuristic «cosmic» style: floating flowerpots, vases with red carnations, bas-reliefs of workers and collective farm women, while the ceiling evokes the legendary Kosmos restaurant at the Rossiya Hotel. The kitchen presents a panorama of the cuisines of the peoples of the USSR, united into a single universe of modern Russian cuisine. A place where imperial grandeur and socialist abundance are transformed into a nostalgic fantasy of a great country.
Dom Rossiyskoy Kukhni (House of Russian Cuisine)
Dom Rossiyskoy Kukhni (House of Russian Cuisine)
Moscow
A food hall on the VDNKh grounds. 15 counters of regional cuisine from Kamchatka to Kaliningrad under one roof, cooking masterclasses and tastings throughout the day. A rare format: the gastronomy that usually takes a month of travel across the country — covered in a single lunch.
Mamai-Cale
Mamai-Cale
Sochi
A premium restaurant in the heart of Sochi National Park, where a mountain stream winds through century-old trees and a Tuscan garden. The interiors blend British neoclassicism with copper and leather, while the menu honours Russian culinary traditions — from hearty forest mushroom soups and slow-cooked game stews to dumplings with wild berries. House-pickled vegetables, homemade sour cream, and local herbs bring authentic country flavours to every dish. The wine collection is praised by Wine Spectator, and the open terrace cinema-bar screens films under the Caucasus forest canopy.
White rabbit
White rabbit
Moscow
One of Moscow’s most celebrated fine dining restaurants, famous for its panoramic city views and innovative interpretation of Russian cuisine. Chef Vladimir Mukhin has made White Rabbit an international gastronomic landmark.
Strana, kotoroi net (The Country That Doesn’t Exist)
Strana, kotoroi net (The Country That Doesn’t Exist)
Moscow
A nostalgic restaurant by Arkady Novikov, whose menu harmoniously combines the hits of Soviet cuisines, creating a kind of retro-fusion. You feel as if you are in a real Soviet restaurant: kutabs and khachapuri, varenyky and pelmeni, crab cutlets (a signature of Novikov’s establishments) and chicken schnitzel.
Modus
Modus
Sochi
A luxurious restaurant in the heart of Russia’s Olympic heritage, surrounded by greenery, at the intersection of the Formula 1 track and the Ice Cube. Spacious halls (up to 100 seats) and a summer terrace allow for events of any format — from business dinners to wedding banquets. The kitchen serves European, Italian, and Japanese cuisine. A place where contemporary architecture, signature cuisine, and high-level service create the perfect atmosphere for events of the highest calibre.
Café Pushkin
Café Pushkin
Moscow
One of Moscow’s most iconic restaurants, Café Pushkin recreates the atmosphere of a 19th-century aristocratic mansion. It is renowned for classic Russian cuisine served in beautifully preserved historic interiors.
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