Pierogi

Pierogi (/pɪˈroʊɡi/ pirr-OH-ghee; Polish: [pjɛˈrɔɡʲi] ^ⓘ, sg. pieróg [ˈpjɛruk] ^ⓘ) are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a filling and cooked in boiling water. They are occasionally flavored with a savory or sweet garnish. Typical fillings include potato, cheese, quark, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushrooms, fruits, or berries. Savory pierogi are often served with a topping of sour cream, fried onions, or both.

Dumplings under the name pierogi are a traditional Polish dish, holding considerable culinary significance in Poland. The recipe itself dates back to at least 1682, when Poland's first cookbook, Compendium ferculorum, albo Zebranie potraw, was published. Equivalent names for pierogi or similar dumplings exist across Central (maultasche, kreplach), Eastern (vareniki, pelmeni) and Southeastern Europe (manti). These dumplings, including the precursors to pierogi, most likely originated in Asia and came to Europe via trade in the Middle Ages. Pierogi are also popular in modern-day Canadian and American cuisines.

The Polish word pierogi is the plural form of pieróg, a generic term for one filled dumpling. It derives from Proto-Slavic *pirъ, 'feast'. While dumplings as such are found throughout Eurasia, the specific name pierogi, with its Proto-Slavic root and its cognates in the West and East Slavic languages, including Russian пирог (pirog, 'pie') and пирожки (pirozhki, 'small pies'), shows the name's common Slavic origins, antedating the modern nation states and their standardized languages. In most of these languages the word means 'pie'. However, a recent theory speculates that the words bierock, pierogi or pirog may be derived from Turkic bureg.

Among Ukrainians and their diasporas, they are known as varenyky (вареники). The word is the plural form of вареник (varenyk), which derives from Ukrainian вар (var) "boiling liquid", indicating boiling as the primary cooking method for this kind of dumpling. The same term is used in the Mennonite community, sometimes spelled varenikie or wareniki; and vareniki among Canadian Doukhobors.

Bryndzové pirohy is the Slovak term for dumplings filled with sheep milk cheese.

Colțunași is the Romanian term for filled dumplings. It is derived from Greek καλτσούνι, kaltsúni, itself a borrowing from Italian calzoni. A similarly named type of dumpling related to, or considered a variety of, pierogi, is known in Belarus as калдуны́, in Lithuania as Virtiniai-koldūnai, and in Poland as kołduny.

Because the exact origin of the pierogi is unknown and unverifiable, it is the subject of frequent debate. Dumplings most likely originated in China and became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages or later periods. Some claim that pierogi were spread by Marco Polo's expeditions through the Silk Road, thus suggesting a connection to Chinese mantou. Other sources theorize that in the 13th century, pierogi were brought by Saint Hyacinth of Poland from the Far East (Asia) via what was then the Kievan Rus'. These became characteristic to Central and East European cuisines, where different varieties (preparation methods, ingredients, fillings) were invented. According to another theory, the dish was adopted in the territories of contemporary Ukraine from Turks, whose cuisine has a similar speciality known as düs-vara.

Pierogi may be stuffed (singly or in combinations) with mashed potatoes, fried onions, quark or farmer cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushrooms, spinach, or other ingredients depending on the cook's preferences. Dessert versions of the dumpling can be stuffed with sweetened quark or with a fresh fruit filling such as cherry, strawberry, raspberry, bilberry, blueberry, apple, or plum; stoned prunes are sometimes used, as well as jam. For more flavor, sour cream can be added to the dough mixture, and this tends to lighten the dough.