Pirog ( rus, пиро́г, p=pʲɪˈrok, a=Ru-пирог.ogg, links=yes; , , ; ; ; , ; , ; ; ) 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. ''The Culinary Dictionary'', "Pirogi". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2007; in Russian) The dish is common in Eastern European cuisines. The name is derived from the ancient

Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...

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 inc ...

" or " festivity".Вильям Похлебкин. ''Большая энциклопедия кулинарного искусства''
Пироги русские
Москва: Центрполиграф, 2010, ( William Pokhlyobkin. ''The Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Art'', "Russian pirogi". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2010; in Russian)

Max Vasmer Max Julius Friedrich Vasmer (; ; 28 February 1886 – 30 November 1962) was a Russian and German linguist. He studied problems of etymology in Indo-European, Finno-Ugric and Turkic languages and worked on the history of Slavic, Baltic, ...

. ''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 Leavening, unleavened dough around a Stuffing, filling and cooked in boiling water. They are occasionally flavored with a savory or sweet garnish. Typical fillings include potato, cheese, ...

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

Polish cuisine Polish cuisine ( ) is a style of food preparation originating in and widely popular in Poland. Due to History of Poland, Poland's history, Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to be very eclectic, and shares many similarities with other ...

, which are dumplings similar to Russian pelmeni or varenyky.

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 (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

- raised

dough Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is 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 ...

, which distinguishes them from pies and pastries common in other cuisines. In former times, the dough for Russian pirogi was made predominantly of rye flour. Later it was mixed with

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common 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 ...

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

puff pastry Puff pastry, also known as , is a light, flaky pastry, its base dough () composed of wheat flour and water. Butter or other solid fat () is then layered into the dough. The dough is repeatedly rolled and folded, rested, re-rolled and folded, encas ...

. In East-Slavic languages, ''pirog'' is a generic term which denotes virtually any kind of pie, pastry, or cake. Тhus, Karelian pastry (known as ''Karelian pirog'' in Russian), Jewish

knish A knish or knysh ( or , ) is a traditional food of Eastern European origin, characteristic of Ukrainian and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It typically consists of a filling covered with dough that is baked or sometimes deep fried. In most tradi ...

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

Filling

The filling for pirogi may be sweet and contain tvorog or cottage cheese, fruits like

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

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 fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

, as well as honey, nuts or

poppy seed Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the poppy plant (''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. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

groats, or potato. In Ukrainian and Russian cuisines, pirogi (as well as their smaller versions called pirozhki) with a savory filling are traditionally served as an accompaniment with clear

borscht Borscht () is a sour soup, made with meat stock, vegetables and seasonings, common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word ''borscht'' is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red b ...

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 ...

Types

Certain types of pirog are known by different names: * Coulibiac, a middle-size Russian pirog of oblong shape with a complex filling; * Kurnik ("chicken pirog"), also known as ''wedding pirog'' or ''

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

pirog'', a dome-shaped savory Russian pirog, usually filled with chicken, eggs, onions, kasha or rice, and other optional components;Вильям Похлебкин. ''Кулинарный словарь''
Курник
Москва: Центрполиграф, 2007, ( William Pokhlyobkin. ''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 and nut roll, popular throughout Central 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. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, are considered types of pirog in Eastern Europe; * Pirozhki (Russian

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word 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, and sometimes to belittle s ...

, literally "small pirogi") or ''pyrizhky'' (Ukrainian), individual-sized buns that can be eaten with one hand; * Rasstegai ("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 and

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

;

. ''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 Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...

to the Ob, including the Russian North. It is part of the national cuisines: Komi cuisine, Mari cuisine, North Russian cuisine, Udmurt cuisine." * Vatrushka, 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, usually have sweet fillings. Koulibiak au saumon.jpg, Coulibiac Karjalanpiirakka-20060227.jpg, Karelian pasty Kurnik.jpg, Kurnik Bejgli1.jpg,

and nut roll Piroshki.JPG, Pirozhki Rasstegai s gorbushei.jpg, Rasstegai Shangi.JPG, Shangi Vatrushka.jpg, Vatrushka

References

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

Shape

Dough

Filling

Types

See also

References