The LuLac Edition #5, 685, June 14th, 2026

 

PIEROGIES

This past weekend the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival took place. As always there was a huge crowd that enjoyed the many varieties. More than 31 million pierogies are consumed each year. 68% of them come from the Mid Atlantic and mid-western states. Cities like Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee Pennsylvania and New York  have the highest Polish-Slavic population.

The Polish word pierogi is the plural form of pieróg, a generic term for one filled dumpling. It derives from Proto-Slavic *pirъ, 'feast'.[4] While dumplings as such are found throughout Eurasia, the specific name pierogi, with its Proto-Slavic root and its cognates in the West and East Slavic languages, including Russian пирог (pirog, 'pie') and пирожки (pirozhki, 'small pies'), shows the name's common Slavic origins, antedating the modern nation states and their standardized languages. In most of these languages the word means 'pie'. However, a recent theory speculates that the words bierock, pierogi or pirog may be derived from Turkic bureg.

Because the exact origin of the pierogi is unknown and unverifiable, it is the subject of frequent debate. Dumplings most likely originated in China and became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages or later periods. Some claim that pierogi were spread by Marco Polo's expeditions through the Silk Road, thus suggesting a connection to Chinese mantou.Other sources theorize that in the 13th century, pierogi were brought by Saint Hyacinth of Poland from the Far East (Asia) via what was then the Kievan Rus'.These became characteristic to Central and East European cuisines, where different varieties (preparation methods, ingredients, fillings) were invented. According to another theory, the dish was adopted in the territories of contemporary Ukraine from Turks, whose cuisine has a similar specialty known as düs-vara.

The United States has a substantial pierogi market because of its large Central and Eastern European immigrant populations. Unlike other countries with newer populations of European settlers, the modern pierogi is found in a wide selection of flavors throughout grocery stores in the United States. Many of these grocery-brand pierogi contain non-traditional ingredients to appeal to American tastes, including spinach, jalapeño, and chicken.[citation needed]

Pierogi enjoyed a brief popularity as a sports food when Paula Newby-Fraser adopted them as her food of choice for the biking portion of the 1989 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. For more than a decade thereafter, Mrs. T's (the largest American pierogi manufacturer) sponsored triathlons,[some professional triathletes and "fun runs" around the country. For many triathletes, pierogi represented an alternative to pasta as a way to boost their carbohydrate intakes.

According to pierogi manufacturer Mrs. T's, based in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, pierogi consumption in the United States is largely concentrated in a geographical region dubbed the "Pierogi Pocket", 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 percent of annual US pierogi consumption.

I have been eating homemade pierogies since I was a kid. Our Christmas Eve suppers were punctuated by the ‘rogies and continue to this day. My favorites are the Farmer’s Cheese, sauerkraut, cabbage and combo of cheese and potato.

Since the food is high in calories, I moderate. But twice a year I doo a pierogie treat. I take Sauerkraut Mrs. T’s, parboil them, then put them under the broiler. I let them brown with no butter.

In the meantime I make a cheese sauce of Cooper cheese, a smattering of butter and Fat Free milk. I then warm all three in a small sauce pan until the cheese is melted. I then take the broiled lightly charred ‘rpgies. Put them on a plate and then pour the cheese sauce over them and serve.

Pieogies are ‘dobre! Don’t let anyone tell you different.

 

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