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Pierogi
pierogisay pyeh-ROH-gee
Half-moons of potato, cheese and onion.
DLDated textFamily C · Slavic & Baltic boiled pocket
About
Poland's national dumpling. The first printed recipes appear in Czerniecki's 1682 cookbook (sweet, and veal kidney). The famous ruskie (potato and curd cheese) filling came later.
Tastes of
- potato
- twaróg cheese
- fried onion
- skwarki
Texture
- soft
- buttery, crisp edges when fried
How to eat it
Top with fried onion and butter or sour cream.
When
Wigilia (Christmas Eve); Kraków's August festival.
Did you know Poles say "Święty Jacku z pierogami!" ("St Hyacinth and his pierogi!") after a legend about the saint.
History
First recipes in Czerniecki's 1682 Compendium Ferculorum (sweet, plus veal kidney, nutmeg; no potato). St Hyacinth 1238 Kościelec legend; the 14th-c. Vita of Hyacinth doesn't mention pierogi; "Święty Jacku z pierogami!" saying
Where
- OriginPoland · country · Poles
Sources
This entry is drawn from the World Dumpling Atlas, §6.15, the project's source report. Its grade, D dated text, says how far that has been checked against a primary source. How grading works.
Related
Pierogi ruskie (potato and twaróg pierogi)
How to fold: Half-moon
1 Roll a thin round of dough
2 Spoon the filling into the middle
3 Fold it in half over the filling
4 Press the edge firmly to seal it
Placeholder diagram. The atlas's illustrated fold animations will replace it.
Ingredients for 4
Dough
Filling
To serve
Method
- Boil the peeled potatoes in salted water until soft. · timer 20 min
- Meanwhile, fry the diced onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and golden. · timer 10 min
- Drain the potatoes and mash or rice them while hot. Let them cool a little.
- Crumble in the twaróg, add the fried onion, salt and plenty of pepper, and mix. Taste; the filling should be well seasoned. Let it cool completely.
- For the dough, mix the flour and salt, then pour in the hot water and oil and stir with a spoon until it comes together.
- When cool enough to handle, knead until soft, smooth and elastic. · timer 8 min
- Cover the dough with an upturned bowl and let it rest. · timer 30 min
- Roll a quarter of the dough thin, about 2 mm, keeping the rest covered.
- Cut rounds about 7–8 cm across with a glass.
- Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of each round.
- Fold over into a half-moon and pinch the edges firmly closed, pressing out any air. Crimp or fold the edge into a rope pattern if you like.
- Lay them on a floured cloth, not touching. Re-roll the scraps and repeat.
- For the topping, fry the onions in the butter slowly until deep golden. · timer 15 min
- Bring a wide pot of salted water to the boil and add a splash of oil.
- Cook about 12 pierogi at a time. Once they float, boil 2–3 minutes more. · timer 3 min
- Lift out with a slotted spoon and spoon over the buttery onions. Serve with sour cream or bacon if you like.
- Leftovers can be fried in butter until golden the next day.
Notes. "Ruskie" refers to Red Ruthenia (Ruś Czerwona, today's western Ukraine and south-east Poland), not Russia; Ukrainians make the same dumpling as varenyky. Dough recipes vary: some use hot water and oil (soft and easy to roll), others add an egg or egg yolk, or use only flour, water and salt. Other classic Polish fillings are sauerkraut and wild mushroom (for Christmas Eve), minced cooked meat (z mięsem), sweet twaróg with sugar and vanilla, and summer fruit such as blueberries or strawberries served with sweet cream. Pierogi appear in Stanisław Czerniecki's 1682 cookbook Compendium Ferculorum.
Written for the atlas from several sources, cross-checked: Pierogi ruskie, Ania (AniaGotuje.pl); Pierogi ruskie, Kasia and Zosia Pilitowskie (Kukbuk); Pierogi Ruskie with Potato, Farmer Cheese, Black Pepper and Brown Butter, Michał Korkosz (Rozkoszny); Potato and Cheese Pierogi (Pierogi Ruskie), Polish Housewife. Not yet kitchen-tested.
The tagline and story are editorial; facts trace to the atlas research. History sources are from the atlas and not yet independently checked.
Family C
