National Pierogi Day
8 October is National Pierogi Day – the annual celebration of a delicious side-dish that can be enjoyed with almost anything.
‘Pierogi’ is the plural form of the rarely used Polish word ‘pierog’ and can be spelled in different ways, including ‘perogi’ and ‘pierogy’. But, however you choose to spell it, ‘pierogi’ are dumplings made of unleavened dough which is boiled before being baked or fried in butter.
They are usually semicircular in shape and traditionally stuffed with a mashed potato filling, potato and cheese, potato and onion, cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushroom, spinach or fruit. Pierogi are often served with melted butter, sour cream, fried bacon crumbles, sauteed mushrooms and onions and/or green onion.
If you have a sweet tooth, you can also make a dessert variety, which will have fillings like fruit and can be enjoyed topped with apple sauce, maple syrup, chocolate sauce and/or whipped cream. There are other similar types of dumpling-like dishes in other ethnic cuisines.
Pierogi were first popularised in the United States by the Eastern European immigrants. The dish was first known as family food among the immigrants and was also found in ethnic restaurants. By the 1960s, pierogi were being marketed in the frozen food aisles of grocery stores in many parts of the United States. While this dish is enjoyed as a main dish in other countries, Americans typically consider them to be a side-dish.
Some interesting Pierogi facts include:
• The Pittsburgh Pirates hold a pierogi race at every home game where six pierogi costume-wearing runners (Potato Pete, Jalapeño Hannah, Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Oliver Onion and Bacon Burt) race to the finish line between innings.
• Whiting, Indiana celebrates an annual Pierogi Fest each July.
• Glendon, in Alberta, Canada is home to a nearly 28kg pierogi which stands about 7,5m tall and is made of sturdy fibreglass and steel.
• Piercing the giant pierogi, which was build in 1991, is an equally giant fork.
Celebrate today by enjoying some pierogi and use #NationalPierogiDay to post on social media.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
