 Baked piroshki stuffed with meat, rice, onion and mushroom | |
| Alternative names | Piroshki, pirazhki, pyrizhky, piroška, perishki |
|---|---|
| Course | Appetizer, main,dessert |
| Associatedcuisine | Armenian,Ashkenazi Jewish,[1]Azerbaijani,Belarusian,[2]Estonian,Iranian,Kazakh,Kyrgyz,Latvian,[3]Macedonian,Mennonite,Mongolian,Pontic Greek,[4]Russian,[5][6]Serbian,Tajik,Turkmen,[7]Ukrainian,[8]Uzbek |
| Serving temperature | Warm or hot |
| Main ingredients | Yeast dough, various fillings |
| Variations | Multiple |
Pirozhki[a] (Russian:пирожки́,IPA:[pʲɪrɐʂˈkʲi];sg.пирожок,pirozhok; see alsoother names) is the Russian name for baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings inRussian andEastern European cuisine in general.[5][9][10][11][12] Pirozhki are a popularstreet food andcomfort food.[5] They are especially popular in countries with large ethnicRussian communities,[13][7] and may also be found in other parts of the world.
The wordpirozhki (lit. 'smallpie') is adiminutive ofpirog, the Russian name for pie.[9]
The wordpirozhki comes fromRussian:пирожки (lit. 'smallpies'), with the stress being on the last syllable:[pʲɪrɐʂˈkʲi].Pirozhok[b] (Russian:пирожок,romanized:pirožók,IPA:[pʲɪrɐˈʐok]ⓘ, singular) is thediminutive form of Russianpirog, which means a full-sizedpie.[c][9] The word is derived frompirъ, meaning "feast" or "party".[9][13][14]
Their names in other languages arepirazhki (Belarusian:піражкі,sg.pirazhok)[2] andpyrizhky (Ukrainian:пиріжки,sg.pyrizhok).[8]
Pirozhki are not to be confused with the Polishpierogi (a cognate term), which are calledvarenyky in Ukrainian.
Typically, pirozhki are boat- or rarely crescent-shaped, made of yeast-leavened dough, with filling completely enclosed. Similar Eastern European and Russian pastries (pirogs) of other shapes includecoulibiac,kalitka,rasstegai, andvatrushka. 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 includeground meat,mashed potato,mushrooms,boiled egg withscallions, orcabbage. Typical sweet fillings are fruit (apple,cherry,apricot,lemon),jam, ortvorog.[15] Baked pirozhki may be glazed with egg to produce golden color. They may also be decorated with strips of dough.
According toDarra Goldstein, 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, thepirozhki, 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." An example she gives of its role in literature isEvenings on a Farm Near Dikanka byNikolai Gogol.[5]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(May 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
.jpg)
Varieties of pirozhki were brought to the Americas byVolga Germans. Known today asbierock,pirok orrunza, they belong to several regional cuisines in the United States,Canada andArgentina. The populous Russian diaspora which came to the Americas as a consequence of theRussian Revolution, theRussian Civil War, and (much later) thecollapse of the Soviet Union, brought with them the more classic Russian versions of pirozhki.
TheGreek varietypiroski (Greek:πιροσκί)[4][16] is popular in parts of Greece, in particular inNorthern Greece, as brought byPontic Greeks, 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.[17][18] The Greekpiroskia come fried with many different stuffings,[19] such as Greekfeta cheese or Greekkasseri cheese or minced meat ormashed potato or mix offeta cheese andham or other filling.
InSerbia the local variety are cylindrical pastries calledпирошка/piroška (piroshka). They are stuffed with fillings such as ground spiced meat mix ofpork andveal or cottage cheese, and withkulen, tomato sauce and herbs. Alternatively they are made from breadedcrepes with variety of fillings.
InCroatia, the namepiroška (sing.),piroške (pl.) was derived frompirog, and refers to a kind ofuštipci.[20]
InLatvia, crescent-shaped buns of leavened dough calledspeķrauši (literally, "fatback tarts") orspeķa pīrāgi (often referred to in diminutivespeķa pīrādziņi or colloquially simplypīrāgi orpīrādziņi) are traditionally filled with smokedfatback and onion. Other fillings are also possible.[3] However the namepīrāgi is not exclusive to these buns, but can refer to variety of other pastries, such aspies andturnovers.Pīrāgi were often eaten as lunch by farmers and shepherds working the fields.
Estonians (and Finns) too have this tradition. Thepirukad orsaiakesed 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,carrots,rice, egg and other fillings and filling mixtures also being used. Sweet fillings are as popular as savorypirukad with fillings like apple, various berries,marzipan, various spices and jam.
The Russian variant of pirozhki is a common fast food inArmenia andAzerbaijan. In Armenia it often contains a potato or seasoned meat filling. In Azerbaijan it is usually made with jam, mashed potatoes, or ground beef.
Pirozhki are common as fast food on the streets of the Central Asian countries inKazakhstan,Tajikistan,Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan,Kyrgyzstan, where they were introduced by the Russians. They are also made by many Russians and non-Russians at home.
TheFinnish version is the similarlihapiirakka, a popular street food made with donut dough, minced meat and rice.
TheIranian version,pirashki (Persian:پیراشکیpirāški), is often consumed as an appetizer or as a street food. It is commonly filled with pastry cream, but potato and meat fillings are also available.
The dish was introduced to Japan byWhite Russian refugees who sought shelter there after theBolshevik Revolution of 1917. A localized Japanese version, calledピロシキ (piroshiki), are predominantly fried, use fillings such as ground meat, boiled egg,bean noodles, and spring onion, and are commonly breaded withpanko before frying, in the manner of Japanesemenchi-katsu. Another popular variation is filled withJapanese curry and is quite similar tokarē-pan, which is itself said to be inspired by pirozhki.
Pirozhki is common as fast food inMongolia, and it is made throughout the country by families at home.
| History | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Types | |||||||||
| Religious dietary laws | |||||||||
| Chefs | |||||||||
| Religious foods | |||||||||
| Breads |
| ||||||||
| Sweets |
| ||||||||
| Pastries | |||||||||
| Fried foods | |||||||||
| Dumplings, pastas and grain dishes | |||||||||
| Casseroles and savory baked dishes | |||||||||
| Snacks and other baked goods | |||||||||
| Sandwiches | |||||||||
| Egg dishes | |||||||||
| Meat dishes | |||||||||
| Fish dishes | |||||||||
| Salads and pickles | |||||||||
| Vegetable dishes | |||||||||
| Soups and stews | |||||||||
| Cheeses and other dairy products | |||||||||
| Condiments, dips and sauces | |||||||||
| Beverages | |||||||||
| Herbs, spices and seasonings | |||||||||
| Eateries | |||||||||
| Related lists | |||||||||
| Sweet |
|  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savory |
| |||||||
| Companies | ||||||||
| Lists | ||||||||
| See also |
| |||||||
| Foods |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| By location | ||
| Mobile catering | ||
| Lists |
| |
