Pirozhki (, ; , ) are Russian baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings. Pirozhki are a popular

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

and

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a ...

. They are also popular in other countries. The word ''pirozhki'' is a

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 ...

of ''

pirog 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'', "Russia ...

'', the Russian name for pie.

Terminology

The stress in is on the last syllable: . ( rus, пирожо́к, r=pirožók, p=pʲɪrɐˈʐok, a=Ru-пирожок.ogg, singular) is the

form of Russian ''

'', which means a full-sized

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), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...

. The word is derived from ''pir'', meaning "feast". Pirozhki are not to be confused with the Polish

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, ...

(a cognate term), which are called or ''pyrohy'' in Ukrainian and Doukhoborese, and ''vareniki'' in Russian.

Variations

A typical pirozhok is boat- or rarely crescent-shaped, made of yeast-leavened dough, with filling completely enclosed. Similar Russian pastries (

s) of other shapes include

coulibiac A coulibiac ( ) 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 pastry. In the early part of the 20th ce ...

, kalitka,

rasstegai Rasstegai () 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. Another version: in Mo ...

, and

vatrushka Vatrushka ( ) is an Eastern European pastry (pirog), characterized by a ring-shape of dough with traditional white cheese Tvorog in the middle, sometimes with the addition of raisins or bits of fruit. The most common size is about 5–10 cm ...

. Pirozhki are usually hand-sized. A smaller version may be served with soups. Pirozhki are either fried or baked. They come in sweet or savory varieties. Common savory fillings include

ground meat Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, incl ...

mashed potato Mashed potato or mashed potatoes ( American, Canadian, and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt, and pepper. It is general ...

mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

boiled egg Boiled eggs are typically from a chicken, and are cooked with their shells unbroken, usually by immersion in boiling water. Hard-boiled or hard-cooked eggs are cooked so that the egg white and egg yolk both solidify, while soft-boiled eggs may l ...

with

scallions Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

, or

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

. Typical sweet fillings are fruit (

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 ...

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

, or

tvorog Tvorog ( ) is a curd, soft white fermented milk product, traditionally made in regions of Eastern, Central and (less often) Northern Europe; like curd, tvorog is obtained by fermenting milk with subsequent whey removal. It's customary to cla ...

. Baked pirozhki may be glazed with egg to produce golden color. They may also be decorated with strips of dough. According to

Darra Goldstein Darra Goldstein (born April 28, 1951) is an American author and food scholar who is the Willcox B. and Harriet M. Adsit Professor of Russian, emerita at Williams College. She is the founding editor of ''Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Cultu ...

, the pirog "is as ubiquitous in Russian life as it is in literature. Street corners are dotted with hawkers selling their pies hot from portable ovens; cafés offer meat pies along with bowls of soup... Their diminutive cousins, the ''pirozhki'', are pocket-sized and oval. All can be made from a variety of doughs—yeast, short or flaky pastry—depending on which suits the filling best."

Regional varieties

Americas

Varieties of pirozhki were brought to the Americas by

Volga Germans The Volga Germans (, ; ) are ethnic Germans who settled and historically lived along the Volga River in the region of southeastern European Russia around Saratov and close to Ukraine nearer to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in the ...

. Known today as

bierock Bierock is a yeast dough pastry pocket sandwich with savory filling, originating in Eastern Europe. The dish is common among the Volga German community in the United States and Argentina. It was brought to the United States in the 1870s by Germ ...

, ''pirok'' or

runza A runza (also called a krautburger, or kraut pirok) is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of ground beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. Runzas can be baked into various shapes such as a half-moon, a rectangle, ...

, they belong to several regional cuisines in the United States,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. The populous Russian diaspora which came to the Americas as a consequence of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, and (much later) the

collapse of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, brought with them the more classic Russian versions of pirozhki.

Balkans

The

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

variety () is popular in parts of Greece, in particular in

Northern Greece Northern Greece () is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions. Administrative term The term "Northern Greece" is widely used to refer mainly to the two northern regions of Macedonia and (Western) Thra ...

, as brought by

Pontic Greeks The Pontic Greeks (; or ; , , ), also Pontian Greeks or simply Pontians, are an ethnically Greek group indigenous to the region of Pontus, in northeastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). They share a common Pontic Greek culture that is di ...

, and in most big cities, where they are sold, most in the past time but also less still today, as a type of fast food in specialty shops called Piroski shops, selling piroski exclusively. The Greek come fried with many different stuffings, such as Greek

feta Feta ( ; ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in brin ...

cheese or Greek

kasseri Kasseri (Greek: κασέρι, Turkish: ''kaşar''Merriam-Webster Unabridged ''kasseri''/ref>) is a medium-hard or hard pale yellow cheese made from pasteurised or unpasteurised sheep milk and at most 20% goat's milk. "Kasseri" is a protected d ...

cheese or minced meat or

or mix of

cheese and

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

or other filling. In

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

the local variety are cylindrical pastries called / (). They are stuffed with fillings such as ground spiced meat mix of

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

and

veal Veal is the meat of Calf (animal), calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any List of cattle breeds, breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of Dairy cattle, dairy b ...

or cottage cheese, and with

kulen Kulen () is a type of flavored sausage made of minced pork that is traditionally produced in Croatia (Slavonia) and Serbia (Vojvodina). Variants A kind of kulen from Slavonia (Slavonski Kulen) has had its designation of origin protected in Cr ...

, tomato sauce and herbs. Alternatively they are made from breaded crepes with variety of fillings. In

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, the name (sing.), (pl.) was derived from

, and refers to a kind of uštipci.

Baltics

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, crescent-shaped buns of leavened dough called (literally, "fatback tarts") or (often referred to in diminutive or colloquially simply or ) are traditionally filled with smoked

fatback Fatback is a layer of subcutaneous fat taken from under the skin of the back of a domestic pig, with or without the skin (referred to as pork rind). In cuisine Fatback is a preferred fat for various forms of charcuterie, particularly sau ...

and onion. Other fillings are also possible. However the name is not exclusive to these buns, but can refer to variety of other pastries, such as

s and

turnover Turnover or turn over may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Turn Over'', a 1988 live album by Japanese band Show-Ya * Turnover (band), an American rock band * "Turnover", a song on Fugazi's 1990 album ''Repeater'' * ''Turnover'', a Japa ...

s. were often eaten as lunch by farmers and shepherds working the fields. Estonians (and Finns) too have this tradition. The or are fairly small in size and have regional variations in respect to fillings. They are usually made with puff pastry. Open pies covering the scale of whole baking tray are also popular, more similar to American pies. Many recipes exist, with meat, cabbage,

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, egg and other fillings and filling mixtures also being used. Sweet fillings are as popular as savory with fillings like apple, various berries,

marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and ...

, various spices and jam.

South Caucasus

The Russian variant of pirozhki is a common fast food in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. In Armenia it often contains a potato or seasoned meat filling. In Azerbaijan it is usually made with jam, mashed potatoes, or ground beef.

Central Asia

Pirozhki are common as fast food on the streets of the Central Asian countries in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, where they were introduced by the Russians. They are also made by many Russians and non-Russians at home.

Finland

The Finnish version is the similar , a popular street food made with donut dough, minced meat and rice.

Iran

Iranian homemade pirashki and chips The

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

version, ( ), is often consumed as a appetizer or as a street food. It is commonly filled with pastry cream, but potato and meat fillings are also available.

Japan

The dish was introduced to Japan by White Russian refugees who sought shelter there after the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

of 1917. A localized Japanese version, called (), are predominantly fried, use fillings such as ground meat, boiled egg, bean noodles, and spring onion, and are commonly breaded with

panko Breadcrumbs are a culinary ingredient consisting of flour or crumbled bread of varying dryness, sometimes with seasonings added. They are used for a variety of purposes, including breading or crumbing foods before frying (such as breaded cut ...

before frying, in the manner of Japanese . Another popular variation is filled with

Japanese curry Japanese curry (, ) is commonly served in three main forms: (curry over white rice), (curry over thick noodles), and (a curry-filled pastry). It is one of the most popular Japanese cuisine, dishes in Japan. The very common curry rice dish is m ...

and is quite similar to '' karē-pan'', which is itself said to be inspired by pirozhki.

Mongolia

Pirozhki is common as fast food in

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

, and it is made throughout the country by families at home.

Notes

References

Sources

* ''Piroshki or Pirozhki'' in ''Larousse Gastronomique, The New American Edition'' (Jenifer Harvey Lang, ed.), Crown Publishers, New York (1988), p. 809. * ''Piroghi or Pirozhki'' in ''Larouse Gastronomique'', first English language edition (Nina Froud and Charlotte Turgeon, eds.), Paul Hamlyn, London (1961), p. 740-741. * ''Pirog'' in ''The Oxford Companion to Food'' (Alan Davidson), Oxford University Press (1999), p.p. 609-610. * ''Speķa rauši'' i
''"Latviska un Moderna Virtuve" (The Latvian and Modern Kitchen)'', Fischbach D.P. Camp, Germany, 1949; pg. 24
, original in Latvian and translated into English {{Authority control Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine Russian pastries Soviet cuisine Greek cuisine Serbian cuisine Estonian cuisine Iranian cuisine Azerbaijani cuisine Armenian cuisine Central Asian cuisine Mongolian cuisine Japanese cuisine Savoury pies Snack foods Street food Stuffed dishes National dishes Street food in Russia Foods with jam