Local Love: 7 Regional Pierogi You Can’t Get Elsewhere
Pierogi, the famed Polish dumpling. If you know anything about Polish food, you must have heard of them. If you’ve ever tasted Polish food, you’ve probably tried them.
They are our most beloved, most recognisable dish. To some they seem virtually synonymous with Polish cuisine, so it may come as a surprise that they are not as traditional a dish in some parts of Poland, like Silesia or Kashubia. But there are other regions where classic fillings such as cheese and potato, sauerkraut and mushrooms, meat or sweetened farmer’s cheese are not the only option. Here’s our guide to the most interesting regional dumpling recipes.
Pierogi z bobu from Karczmiska (Lubelskie)
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Fava beans, photo: Getty Images
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Fava beans are one of Poland’s favourite seasonal snacks: when they hit the markets in July, we eat heaps of them just boiled and salted. Yet you can use them in more creative ways, as evidenced by the fava bean pierogi made by the Koło Gospodyń Wiejskich (Country Housewives’ Association) from Karczmiska village in the Lubelskie voivodeship (near to the popular tourist spot of Kazimierz Dolny). Almost a century old, this association is one of the most active of this type when it comes to creating recipes, two of which are listed as protected traditional products by the Ministry of Agriculture; one of them is karczmiski barszcz biały (white borscht from Karczmiska) and the other is karczmiskie pierogi z bobru: fava bean pierogi.
Fava beans have been a staple in the village since time immemorial: once upon a time, farmer families used to plant them together with potatoes, though now people mostly grow the beans in their gardens. For generations, housewives used to make a nutritious pierogi filling using boiled fava beans in their skins, boiled potatoes and fried onions. They promote this dish at country fairs and regional festivals to great success, and it actually seems their recipe could easily become a vegan menu staple.
Pierogi z soczewicą from Turów (Lubelskie)
And since we’re at it, fava beans are just one of the pulses used as a pierogi filling and not even the most popular one. The gold medal would definitely go to lentils, which are widely available all year round, easy to grow and, therefore, cheap. When spiced right, they are a delicious and nutritious source of protein – and this has actually been known for decades by certain villagers in Eastern Poland who have a particular affinity for this type of pierogi. The famous pierogi turowskie come from Turów, also in Lubelskie: as vegan blogger and regional food expert Paweł Ochman (www.weganon.com) states, their secret lies in the fact that the lentils are not just boiled, but then fried in oil with some onions; some housewives also add spices such as local thyme from Fajsławice or fenugreek.
Pierogi z kaszą gryczaną, serem i miętą (Lubelskie)
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Two types of pearl barley and buckwheat, photo: Roman Lipczyński / Forum
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One more proposition from Lubelskie is possibly the one most associated with the region: pierogi filled with buckwheat, farmer’s cheese (twaróg) and mint. Aside from pulses, another typical product of the area have always been groats, especially millet and buckwheat. While buckwheat and cheese is a pleasant simple filling you can find in other parts of Poland, the mint here is a game-changer, adding an unexpected herbal freshness. In their fancier and sweeter version called nowodworskie – apparently transformed by chefs from the Zamoyski estate in Kozłówka, hence the label meaning ‘new manor’ – raisins, cinnamon and ginger were added to the mix and the dish was served with honey and sour cream. Meanwhile pierogi skromowskie, also listed on the Ministry of Agriculture register of traditional products, replace the buckwheat with millet.
Lepiuchy bodzanowskie (Mazowieckie)
Lubelskie might be on the forefront when it comes to distinct regional pierogi, but the central Mazowieckie voivodeship also has much to offer. Szlachcice (‘noblemen’) are big, filled with raw grated potato and served with heaps of fried onions and bits of bacon, but the most original ones are lepiuchy bodzanowskie from Bodzanów in northern Mazovia: they are filled with fried onions, poppy seeds and a bit of mustard. The combination brings the Jewish staple cebularz to mind, a close cousin of what in New York is known as bialy. There used to be a big Jewish community in Bodzanów before World War II, so it seems that pierogi with onions and poppies are a harmonious combination of a very Polish dumpling with Ashkenazi flavours.
Podhalańskie bryndziołki (Małopolskie)
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Bryndza, oscypek being sold at a market in Nowy Targ, photo: Jola Lipka/East News
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At the southern end of Małopolskie, or Lesser Poland, in the mountain region of Podhale, pierogi were filled with what was in abundance in shepherd communities: sheep cheese. Bryndza is a soft cheese made with unpasteurised sheep’s milk (sometimes with a controlled small addition of cow’s milk) and has a geographical indication under EU law, with PDO status. When you mix it with potatoes – as you would with twaróg, making the famed Ruthenian pierogi – you get a slightly salty, slightly sour, creamy stuffing that you add fried onions and lots of black pepper to. A similar filling is used in pierogi huculskie found in the Bieszczady mountains in south east Poland.
Oszukańce (‘cheaters’) also come from the south east, precisely from the Broniszów village in the Podkarpackie voivodeshop. Apparently they were created by a culinary educator called Maria Świętoń who was active in the neighbourhood in the 1950s. Their filling is made with boiled meat (usually chicken or pork), fine barley grits, onions and dried mushrooms, spiced with herbs such as lovage and marjoram. The name is due to the fact, that they should taste exactly like meat-filled pierogi, and yet the cook cheats by grinding it with grits, massively reducing the amount of meat used. They were voted top favourite local dish by Broniszów’s volunteer firefighters.
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Pierogi Festival, Mały Rynek, Kraków, photo: Adrianna Bochenek/East News
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Dzyndzałki warmińskie (Warmińsko-Mazurskie)
Last but not least, we have a proposition from Poland’s lake district – although it’s much more turf than surf. Dzyndzałki warmińskie are small pierogi filled with raw beef mixed with beef fat, onions and marjoram, quite similar to the traditional Lithuanian kołduny dumplings. They probably came to the multicultural region of Mazury together with people displaced from the Eastern Borderlands and are now a regional speciality – just like dzyndzałki z hreczką i skrzeczkami, meaning dumplings with buckwheat and lardons.
Written by Natalia Mętrak-Ruda, July 2021