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October 8th is National Pierogi Day.
Pierogi* are dumplings of Central and Eastern European origin, traditionally stuffed with cheese, fruit, ground meat, mashed potato or sauerkraut. They can be served boiled baked or fried/sautéed, usually in butter with sautéed onions.
Pierogi is the Polish word. In Russian the term is pelmeni (don’t confuse pierogi with pirog, the Russian word for pie); in Ukrainian it is varenyky.
The Polish word pierogi is plural. The singular form, pieróg, is rarely used since a typical serving consists of multiple pierogi.
The dumplings are usually semicircular, but in some areas are rectangular or triangular.
Here’s how to celebrate: 50 ways to eat pierogi, culled from a list of 100 ways at PolskaFoods.com.
Serve them as appetizers, in salads, on skewers, as mains, as pasta course, and as dessert.
> The history of pierogi.
> There are three additional Polish food holidays celebrated in the U.S. See them in the *footnote below.
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*Also spelled perogi, pierogy, perogy, pierógi, pyrohy, pirogi, pyrogie, or pyrogy.
PIEROGI & DIPS
Dipped in honey mustard or Dijon mustard
Dipped in Greek yogurt
Dipped in ranch dressing
Dipped in sour cream and hot sauce (spicy dip)
Dipped in sour cream and chopped green onions (onion dip)
PIEROGI TOPPERS
Boil, fry or sauté the pierogi and serve:
Topped with Alfredo Sauce
Topped with applesauce (cheese pierogi)
Topped with Bearnaise Sauce
Topped with butter and chives
Topped with caramelized onions in butter & paprika sour cream
Topped with caramelized onions, sage and jalapeño
Topped with caramelized onions and Polish sausage
Topped with caramelized onions, finely chopped bacon and garlic
Topped with caramelized onions and sour cream
Topped with chili con carne
Topped with Greek yogurt, dill, diced cucumber and red onion
Topped with green curry sauce
Topped with jelly or jam and optional sour cream (cheese pierogi)
Topped with mango peach salsa (cheese pierogi)
Topped with marinara sauce and cooked ground meat
Topped with melted butter
Topped with melted Cheddar cheese
Topped with mushroom sauce
Topped with pesto sauce
Topped with roasted eggplant and tomatoes
Topped with roasted tomatoes and garlic
Topped with salmon or whitefish caviar (cheese or potato pierogi)
Topped with sautéed apples
Topped with smoked salmon, thinly sliced onions and capers (cheese pierogi)
Topped with sour cream, fresh basil and green onion
Topped with sour cream and fresh salsa: chopped onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, lime
Topped with sour cream, garlic and chives
Topped with spicy salsa
Topped with whitefish, sable, smoked salmon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumbers, and capers (cheese pierogi)
Topped with yogurt, garlic and herb sauce
MORE ELABORATE PREPARATIONS
Bacon wrapped pierogi appetizers
Baked pierogi casserole with bacon, tomato and cheese
Pierogi casserole dish with your favorite casserole ingredients
Pierogi crostini topped with mushrooms, scallions and spicy fresh salsa
Pierogi tossed with garlicky string beans, onion, bell pepper and bacon
Pierogi “salad”: cold or hot pierogi on a bed of lettuce with honey Dijon mustard sauce or vinaigrette
Pierogi “salad” with other favorite ingredients (vegetables, ham, turkey, spinach, etc.)
Pierogi tossed with fried mushrooms, bacon and onions
Pierogi tossed with onions, peppers, and chicken sausage
Pierogi with melted mozzarella, caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms
Pizza Pierogi: potato or cheese pierogi with pizza sauce, melted mozzarella cheese and pepperoni
Salmon skillet with pierogi, onions, capers, lemon, dill, and garlic
Sautéed pierogi in butter, topped with chili, cheese, sour cream and habanero sauce
Sautéed pierogi in butter, topped with steamed broccoli and melted cheese
Sautéd pierogi in olive oil with onion, kale, fresh garlic, lemon and oregano
Sautéd pierogi in sesame oil with kale, fresh garlic, red bell pepper and sesame seeds
Vegetable pierogi frittata with asparagus and garlic
This should keep you busy through the next National Pierogi Day!
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*Polish holidays in addition to National Pierogi Day (October 8th) include Pączki Day, which is celebrated on Fat Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday), the day before Lent. Celebrants in Poland as well as Polish-American communities enjoy pączki, yeast doughnuts filled with jam or custard and dusted with powdered sugar.
Bagels have 4 holidays, the first of which is National Bagel Day on January 15th (here are the others). The bagel originated in 17th-century Poland within Jewish communities, evolving from the Polish ring-shaped bread obwarzanek.
National Vodka Day is October 4th. Both Poland and Russia have legitimate historical claims to vodka, and the origin remains debated. Poland has the earliest written record of the word wódka in a document from 1405, where it referred to medicinal and cosmetic preparations (early spirits were used as medicines). There is some evidence that the first grain-based vodka in Russia could have been distilled at the Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin by a monk called Isidore, around 1430.
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[1] Pierogi topped with melted Cheddar (photos #1, #2, #4, #5, #6, and #7 © Mrs. T’s).
[2] A classic garnish of butter and onions.
[3] Pierogi freshly made and ready to boil (photo © Karolina Grabowska | Pexels).
[4] One of our favorite ways to enjoy pierogi: topped with caramelized onions.
[5] For dessert: cheese or fruit pierogi à la mode with fruit sauce.
[6] For dessert or a side, especially with poultry: pierogi with sautéed apples.
[7] Mini pierogi on skewers. Serve them as a fun snack or appetizer with a dip.
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