All of us know what the famous Polish “pierogi” are. How many of us realize though, that this tasty dish was introduced during the 13th century by Jacek Odrowąż, who was a saint?
At least so the legend goes. Even though pierogi do remind most people of Poland, they originally arrived in our country from China, by way of Russia.
Back in the day, pierogi were usually only prepared for weddings or other special occasions such as Christmas or Easter. Nowadays we prepare them for all possible occasions. In order to make the dough, we need just 2 or 3 ingredients – flour, water and sometimes eggs. We roll the dough flat and shape it into a “pierogi circle” by using a glass or cup as a cutter. Then all we need to do is put the filling in the middle of the circle and fold it over. The last step is closing and sealing the pierogi, either by hand or with a special tool.
The delicate dough, combined with fillings made from various kinds of meat, potatoes or cabbage allowed millions of people around the globe – including Martha Stewart – to fall in love with and want to eat Polish pierogi! Their variations can be even more interesting, though – pierogi can be served with fillings made from strawberries and blueberries, chanterelles or feta and spinach, amongst others. You can eat them boiled, baked or fried, adding different toppings to round out their great taste.
An interesting fact about the word “pierogi” is that it can be pronounced in many different ways, depending on the region which they originate from: “pierogi, perogi, perogy, pirohi, piroghi, pirogi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, or pyrohy.”