So you want to learn about pierogi?

What is a pierogi?

Simplest answer: a pierogi is a half-circular dumpling, made with unleavened dough, and stuffed with potato, cheese, sauerkraut, meat or fruit. They are traditionally boiled and then pan fried.

The pierogi is one of the many types of dumplings that can be found around the world. Other common dumplings include the the Italian ravioli, Chinese wonton/shumai/xiaolongbao, Mexican tamales, Japanese gyoza, Indian samosas, Filipino lumpia, and Nepali Momo. The list goes on and on.

Pierogi are one of the most recognizable Polish foods. The word, pierogi  comes from the Slavic word, pir, meaning “festivity.” This makes sense as pierogi are often associated with, and served during the holidays.

You’re also meant to eat a LOT of them, because the word pierogi is plural. FUN FACT: the singular would be pierog, but it is almost never used. Pierogi are usually served two or more, so for that reason the plural term is usually associated with this dumpling. 

Anatomy of a Pierogi:

History lesson:

The origins of the pierogi are often disputed. 

Some believe the pierogi came from China and through Italy via Marco Polo’s expeditions.

Another popular origin story involves Saint Hyacinth, who is often considered the patron saint of pierogi. According to this story, Saint Hyacinth brought the pierogi to Poland from Kievian Rus, now Ukraine. When Saint Hyacinth visited Kościelec in 1238, a storm came and destroyed all the crops. Hyacinth told everyone to pray and the next day the crops grew back. As a sign of gratitude towards Hyacinth, the people made pierogi out of the crops.

The word pierogi first appeared in Polish cookbooks and literature in the late 17th century. 

In the United States:

Pierogi arrived in the United States with the eastern European immigrants in the early 1900s. The first documented sale of pierogi in the U.S. was in 1928 at the Marton House Tavern in Cleveland when proprietor Andrew Marton served pierogi to unemployed steel mill workers in the area.

In the post-World War II era, pierogi became a staple of fundraisers by Polish churches. By the 1960’s, pierogi was a common frozen supermarket item in many parts of the United States and Canada, thanks in large part to Mrs. T’s.

Want to know who eats the most pierogi in the U.S.? According to Mrs. T’s Pierogies, the "Pierogy Pocket of America," is an area including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, Detroit, parts of the northern Midwest and southern New England which accounts for 68% of annual U.S. pierogi consumption.

Traditions and holidays:

The tradition of eating vegan pierogi on Christmas Eve came from the Roman Catholic Church’s mandate of a strict fast be observed the day before Christmas. 

So on Christmas Eve, many Polish Catholics celebrate Wigilia (pronounced: vee gee lee a) or The Vigil (representing waiting for the arrival of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) It is a meatless family feast. Besides potato or sauerkraut pierogi, it’s common to have fish and beet soup, known as borscht.

October 8th is National Pierogi Day. Who knew such a day existed!