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.
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 servedpierogi 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.
