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. ''The Culinary Dictionary'', "Pirogi". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2007; in Russian) The dish is common in Eastern European cuisines. 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, ( William Pokhlyobkin. ''The Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Art'', "Russian pirogi". Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2010; in Russian) of Russian cuisine. 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" 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 ...

. ''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, ...

(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 pelmeni or Ukrainian 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. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to consti ...

- raised dough, 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 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 ''brea ...

. 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 chicken ...

, 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 bef ...

. 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, s ...

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 common ...

or cottage cheese, fruits like

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

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 ...

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, rasp ...

, as well as honey, nuts or poppy seeds. Savory versions may consist of meat, fish, mushrooms, cabbage, rice, buckwheat 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 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 beetroots as one of the main ingredients, which g ...

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.

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 ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the te ...

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 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 Russia, wh ...

, are considered types of pirog in Eastern Europe; * Pirozhki (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-form ...

, 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 ( ; 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 o ...

;

. ''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 Kolach is the Slavonic term for a number of traditional baked products, such as: *Kolach (bread), a circular bread, most often made as a sweet dish *Slavski kolač, a Serbian variant of the kolach, made for the celebration of Slava *Kolach (cake), ...

, 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 Proto-Slavic, Old Slavonic word ''kolo'' (коло) meaning "circle" or "wheel". K ...

, usually have sweet fillings. Koulibiak au saumon.jpg, Coulibiac Karjalanpiirakka-20060227.jpg, Karelian pasty Kurnik.jpg, Kurnik Bejgli1.jpg, poppy seed and nut roll Piroshki.JPG, Pirozhki Rasstegai s gorbushei.jpg, Rasstegai 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