Pierogis

WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR PIEROGI

Pierogi are of virtually untraceable Central or Eastern European origin; claims have been staked by the Polish, Romanians, Russians, Lithuanians, Chinese, Ukrainians, and Slovaks. Similarity to dumplings found in the Far East such as Chinese potstickers fuels speculation, well-founded or not, that the Mongols and Persians brought the recipe to the West.

[edit]Recipe variation

[edit]Ingredients

Pierogi are semi-circular dumplings of unleavened dough, stuffed with cheese, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, cabbage, onion, meat, hard-boiled eggs, dry cottage cheese (the last two are rather Mennonite-specific), or any combination thereof, or with a fruit filling. Mashed potatoes are the most common filling.

[edit]Cooking

They are typically fried, deep-fried or boiled until they float, and then covered with butter or oil; alternatives include the Mennonite tradition of baking and serving with borscht or with farmer's sausage and a creamy gravy called Schmauntfat in Plautdietsch, and the Polish way of boiling, then frying in butter. They are typically served with plenty of sour cream, and the savoury ones are topped with fried bacon or onions. The most popular of the Polish variety are savoury pierogi ruskie, stuffed with farmer's (aka dry cottage) cheese, mashed potatoes, and onion. Varenyky or vareniki (from varyt', "to boil") are the Ukrainian version of pierogi. One variation of the pierogi