Recently updated on April 30th, 2024 at 05:51 pm
Also calledperogiorperogy, Polishpierogi(pronouncedpih-ROH-ghee)or homemade pierogies aresmall half-moondumplings. They’re alsochock-full offabulousfillings.
Interestingly, the wordpierogiisactuallyplural. But the singular formpierógis hardly ever used.Perhaps that’sbecause it’ssimply impossibleto eat just one.Forget it.
Here’s all you need to know about Poland‘s favouritedish:
A brief history
Many believe that Poland’s rib-stickingly good national dish has its roots inthe Far East. A version of Chinese dumplingsbrought back toEurope, via Italy,by Marco Poloin the thirteenth century.Othersthinkthe Tatars brought pierogiwest from the former Russian Empire. Popular legend, however,creditsSaint Hyacinth, the patron saint ofpierogi, for bringingpierogito Polandfrom Kievian Rus, now Ukraine.Whoever, whenever – we clearly have a great deal to thank them for.
Whilethe exact origin of the dish remainsunknown, it’slikelyto haveoriginated somewhere in Centralor Eastern Europe. We now see similar dishes across the globe, for example,Italianravioli, Japanesegyozaand Mexicanempanadas.
Pierogiby any other name wouldtaste as good
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You can find versions of Poland’sfavourite dumplingsthroughoutEurope, most notablyin neighbouringBelarus, Slovakia and Ukraine. Each of these has its own name or variation of spelling for these moreish snacks.You’ll be orderingpirohyin Slovakia andpiroggein Germany – while Canadians and Americans, who trace their roots back to Poland and Ukraine, have developed a long term love affair with homemadeperogies.
In fact, Canadians loveperogiesso much, that the small town of Glendon in Alberta, erected a 27-foot tall statue of aperogyin1993.The United States went as far as declaring 8 October ‘NationalPierogiDay’. This gives you an ideaof this much-loved dish’s popularity and heritage.
Regardless of how you choose to spell it,pierogiare the very definition of comfort food. Think pillow-soft dumplings, oozing butter, filled with deep flavours and often served with a smorgasbord of toppings or sides(often crispy bacon and sour cream).
Baked, boiledor fried pierogies
With an endless array of cooking styles, flavours and fillings, Polishpierogiwill not disappoint.People have been experimenting with different variations of homemadepierogifor hundreds of years.Eat them warm, cold, baked, fried or boiled, whatever’s your poison.
Perhaps the most popular method, however, is to boil the dumplings beforesautéeing themin a pan. Add to that lashings of butter (we did say comfort food after all), and you’ve got one soul warming snack.
You can also bake Polish pierogies in the oven, which leaves them golden brown and crisp on the outside.
Apierogifor every occasion
The wordpierogi(and its half-dozen variant spellings)comes from the Slavic word‘pir‘ meaning ‘festivity’or‘festival’, And there’s no doubt that Polishpierogiis a favourite dish for anycelebration.Christmaspierogiare often filled with sauerkrautand mushrooms, whilst Easterpierogiare stuffed potato and cheese. Important events like weddings or wakes, also call fortheir ownspecial type of pierogi.
Best of all, seasonal fruits likeplums,apricots,blueberries, cherriesand strawberries can elevate humble homemade pierogies to a whole new level of deliciousness. Just add a dollop of creamand a sprinkle of sugar, and you’ve got the perfect dessert, come winter or summer.
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The secret to perfect Polishpierogi
The secret todelicious homemadepierogies, baked or fried, is in the dough.For the softest, lightest dough (whatever combination of flour, water, eggs, salt orbutterthe recipe calls for), remember toknead gently.Perogiesthat are ‘over-handled’ will tend to be heavy and chewy. So, make sure you apply the deftesttouch and knead as gently as possible before allowing the dough to rest.
Don’t be put off. Althoughpierogifans insist the technique is easy to learn, you might want to leave it to the experts.Homemade pierogieseaten in Poland are hard to beat, but not as tough to eat.
Finally, our favourite fillings? Try these irresistible combinations:
- Mashed potatoes and cream cheese(also known as‘Ruskiepierogi’or ‘Russianpierogi’). Or with cheese and onion. Or with sauerkraut.
- Cookedmincemeat with sauerkraut and mushrooms.
- Slow-roasted meat (of your choice) andpotato.
- Potato, mushroom and caramelised onion.
- Cheddarpierogiwith sage butter sauce.
- Spinach andartichokepierogi.
- Lemon blueberrypierogiwith sugar and cream.
GET INSPIRED BY: Best of Poland
Have you sampled traditional Polishpierogi? We want to know all about it. Let us in on your favourite fillings in thecomments below…
