Pirog ( rus, пиро́г, p=pʲɪˈrok, a=Ru-пирог.ogg, pl. ''pirogi'' пироги ; be, піро́г; se, pirog; lv, pīrāgs, pl. ''pīrāgi''; uk, пиріг ''pyrih'', pl. ''pyrohy'' пироги; lt, pyragas, pl. ''pyragai''; fi, piirakka) is a baked case of dough with either sweet or savory filling.Darra Goldstein. ''A Taste of Russia: A Cookbook of Russian Hospitality'', "Russian pies", p.54. Russian Information Service, 1999, Вильям Похлебкин. ''Кулинарный словарь''
Пироги
Москва: Центрполиграф, 2007, (

William Pokhlyobkin William Vasilyevich Pokhlyobkin (August 20, 1923 – April 15 (burial date), 2000) (russian: Ви́льям Васи́льевич Похлёбкин, Viliyam Vasilievich Pokhlyobkin) was a Soviet and Russian historian specializing in Scand ...

. ''The Culinary Dictionary'', "Pirogi". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2007; in Russian) The dish is common in

Eastern European cuisine Eastern European cuisine encompasses many different cultures, ethnicities, languages, and histories of Eastern Europe. The cuisine of the region is strongly influenced by its climate and still varies, depending on a country. For example, countr ...

s. Pirogi (pl.) are characterized as "ubiquitous in Russian life" and "the most popular and important dish" and "truly national goods"Вильям Похлебкин. ''Большая энциклопедия кулинарного искусства''
Пироги русские
Москва: Центрполиграф, 2010, (

. ''The Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Art'', "Russian pirogi". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2010; in Russian) of

Russian cuisine Russian cuisine is a collection of the different dishes and cooking traditions of the Russian people as well as a list of culinary products popular in Russia, with most names being known since pre-Soviet times, coming from all kinds of social ...

. The name is derived from the ancient

Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the Attested language, unattested, linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately ...

word ''pir'', meaning "

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

" or "

festivity A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

Max Vasmer Max Julius Friedrich Vasmer (; russian: Максимилиан Романович Фа́смер, translit=Maksimilian Romanovič Fásmer; 28 February 1886 – 30 November 1962) was a Russo-German linguist. He studied problems of etymology in In ...

. ''Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Winter''. Heidelberg, 1953–1958 (in German)
Пирог
(in Russian) The Russian plural, ''pirogi'' (with the stress on the last syllable), should not be confused with

pierogi Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...

(stress on "ro" in Polish and English) in

Polish cuisine Polish cuisine ( pl, kuchnia polska) is a style of cooking and food preparation originating in or widely popular in Poland. Due to Poland's history, Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to be very eclectic, and it shares many similariti ...

, which are dumplings similar to

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

pelmeni Pelmeni (russian: пельмени—plural, ; pelmen, russian: пельмень, link=no—singular, ) are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough. It is debated whether they originated in Ura ...

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

varenyky Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...

Shape

Pirogi come in different shapes and forms: they are often oblong with tapering ends, but can also be circular or rectangular. Stechishin, S. (1989). ''Traditional Ukrainian Cookery''. Trident Press, Canada. They can be closed or open-faced with no crust on top.

Dough

Pirogi are usually made from

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

- raised

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...

, which distinguishes them from

pie A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), swe ...

s and

pastries Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ...

common in other cuisines. In former times, the dough for Russian pirogi was made predominantly of

rye flour Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

. Later it was mixed with

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

. Nowadays, mainly wheat flour is used. There are also variants made from

shortcrust Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche, pie, or (in the British English sense) flan. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicke ...

, flaky or

puff pastry Puff pastry, also known as ', is a flaky light pastry made from a laminated dough composed of dough (') and butter or other solid fat ('). The butter is put inside the dough (or vice versa), making a ' that is repeatedly folded and rolled out befo ...

. In East-Slavic languages, ''pirog'' is a generic term which denotes virtually any kind of pie, pastry, or cake. Тhus,

Karelian pastry Karelian pasties, Karelian pies or Karelian pirogs ( krl, kalittoja, singular ''kalitta''; Olonets Karelian: ''šipainiekku''; fi, karjalanpiirakat, singular ''karjalanpiirakka''; russian: карельский пирожок ''karelskiy pirozhok ...

(known as ''Karelian pirog'' in Russian), Jewish

knish A knish is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish snack food consisting of a filling covered with dough that is typically baked or sometimes deep fried. Knishes are often purchased from street vendors in urban areas with a large Jewish population, som ...

or charlotte cake are considered types of pirog in Eastern Europe.

Filling

The filling for pirogi may be sweet and contain

quark A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly o ...

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keeping ...

, fruits like

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

s or various

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

, as well as honey, nuts or

poppy seed Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum''). The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countries, ...

s. Savory versions may consist of meat, fish, mushrooms, cabbage, rice,

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...

groats, or potato. In

and

cuisines, pirogi (as well as their smaller versions called

pirozhki Pirozhki ( rus, пирожки́, r=pirožkí, p=pʲɪrɐʂˈkʲi, plural form of ; uk, пиріжки, ''pyrizhky'') are Russian and Ukrainian baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings. Pirozhki are a popular stre ...

) with a savory filling are traditionally served as an accompaniment with clear

borscht Borscht () is a sour soup common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word "borscht" is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukraine, Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients, wh ...

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

, or

consommé In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavoured stock or broth that has been clarified, a process that uses egg whites to remove fat and sediment. Consommé has three English pronunciations: traditionally in the UK, t ...

Types

Certain types of pirog are known by different names: *

Coulibiac A coulibiac (from russian: кулебя́ка, kulebyáka) is a type of pirog usually filled with salmon or sturgeon, rice or buckwheat, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, onions, and dill. The pie is baked in a pastry shell, usually of brioche or puff ...

, a middle-size Russian pirog of oblong shape with a complex filling; *

Kurnik Kurnik may refer to * Kurnik (pirog), a type of Russian pirog * PlayOK PlayOK, also known as kurnik ("chicken coop"), is a website of classic board and card games to play online against live opponents in real-time. It was created in 2001 by Marek ...

("chicken pirog"), also known as ''wedding pirog'' or ''

tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

pirog'', a dome-shaped savory Russian pirog, usually filled with chicken, eggs, onions,

kasha In English, kasha usually refers to pseudocereal buckwheat or its culinary preparations. In various East-Central and Eastern European countries, ''kasha'' can apply to any kind of cooked grain. It can be baked but most often is boiled, either in ...

or rice, and other optional components;Вильям Похлебкин. ''Кулинарный словарь''
Курник
Москва: Центрполиграф, 2007, (

. ''The Culinary Dictionary'', "Kurnik". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2007)Леонид Зданович. ''Кулинарный словарь''
Курник
Москва: Вече, 2001, (Leonid Zdanovich. ''Culinary dictionary'', "Kurnik". Moscow: Veche, 2001; in Russian) *

Poppy seed roll The poppy seed roll is a pastry consisting of a roll of sweet yeast bread (a viennoiserie) with a dense, rich, bittersweet filling of poppy seed. An alternative filling is a paste of minced walnuts, or minced chestnuts. It is popular in Cent ...

and

nut roll A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough (usually using milk) that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from ground nuts and a sweetener like honey, then rolled up into a log shape. This 'log' is either left lon ...

, popular throughout

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

, are considered types of pirog in Eastern Europe; *

Pirozhki Pirozhki ( rus, пирожки́, r=pirožkí, p=pʲɪrɐʂˈkʲi, plural form of ; uk, пиріжки, ''pyrizhky'') are Russian and Ukrainian baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings. Pirozhki are a popular stre ...

(Russian

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

, literally "small pirogi") or ''pyrizhky'' (Ukrainian), individual-sized

bun A bun is a type of bread roll, typically filled with savory fillings (for example hamburger). A bun may also refer to a sweet cake in certain parts of the world. Though they come in many shapes and sizes, buns are most commonly round, and are g ...

s that can be eaten with one hand; *

Rasstegai Rasstegai ( rus, расстегай) is a type of Russian pirog with a hole in the top. History and etymology The dish was very popular in Tsarist Russia. In rasstegai the filling is not hidden in dough, and in Russian means "unfastened" pies. ...

("unbuttoned pirog"), a type of Russian pirog with a hole in the top;Леонид Зданович. ''Кулинарный словарь''
Расстегай
Москва: Вече, 2001, (Leonid Zdanovich. ''Culinary dictionary'', "Rasstegai". Moscow: Veche, 2001; in Russian) * Shanga, a small or medium-size open-faced circular savory pirog endemic to and widespread in

Ural Ural may refer to: *Ural (region), in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ural Mountains, in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ural (river), in Russia and Kazakhstan * Ual (tool), a mortar tool used by the Bodo people of India *Ural Federal District, in Russia *Ural econ ...

and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

;

. ''Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Winter''. Heidelberg, 1953–1958 (in German)
Шаньга
(in Russian) "Shanga is a bakery product made of unleavened or yeast, wheat, rye or rye-wheat dough. The dish is of Finno-Ugric origin, spread from Karelia to the Ob, including the Russian North. It is part of the national cuisines: Komi cuisine, Mari cuisine, North Russian cuisine, Udmurt cuisine." *

Vatrushka Vatrushka () is an Eastern European pastry (pirog) formed as a ring of dough with Tvorog in the middle, sometimes with the addition of raisins or bits of fruit. The most common size is about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) in diameter, but larger ...

, a small sweet pirog, popular in all Eastern Slavic cuisines, formed as a ring of dough with quark in the middle.Леонид Зданович. ''Кулинарный словарь''
Ватрушка
Москва: Вече, 2001, (Leonid Zdanovich. ''Culinary dictionary'', "Vatrushka". Moscow: Veche, 2001; in Russian) Similar West Slavic pastries, such as Czech and Slovak Kolach, and Polish

Kołacz Kolach or kalach is a traditional bread found in Central and Eastern European cuisines, commonly served during various ritual meals. The name originates from the Old Slavonic word ''kolo'' (коло) meaning "circle" or "wheel". Korovai is some ...

, usually have sweet fillings. Koulibiak au saumon.jpg,

Karjalanpiirakka-20060227.jpg,

Karelian pasty Karelian pasties, Karelian pies or Karelian pirogs ( krl, kalittoja, singular ''kalitta''; Olonets Karelian: ''šipainiekku''; fi, karjalanpiirakat, singular ''karjalanpiirakka''; russian: карельский пирожок ''karelskiy pirozhok ...

Kurnik.jpg,

Bejgli1.jpg,

and

Piroshki.JPG,

Rasstegai s gorbushei.jpg,

Shangi.JPG, Shangi Vatrushka.jpg,

References

{{Pastries Belarusian cuisine Belarusian desserts Russian cuisine Russian desserts Swedish pastries Ukrainian cuisine Savoury pies Sweet pies National dishes

Shape

Dough

Filling

Types

See also

References