pierogi

American  

[pi-roh-gee] / pɪˈroʊ gi /

Or pirogi

noun

Eastern European Cooking.

• pierogi,
  plural
• pierogies
  plural

1. a small dough envelope filled with mashed potato, meat, cheese, or vegetables, crimped to seal the edge and then boiled or fried, typically served with sour cream or onions.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pierogi
  plural
• pierogies
  plural

Explanation

Pierogi are delicious Polish dumplings filled with savory mashed potatoes. If you order pierogi in a restaurant, they may be served with fried onions and sour cream on top. Potatoes are the most common pierogi filling, but they are sometimes made by wrapping dough around sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or even fruit. Pierogi are usually cooked in boiling water and then pan fried, giving them a lightly browned, crispy exterior. These tasty dumplings go by other names in different parts of Eastern Europe, but the Polish pierogi is derived from the Russian pirog, "pie."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pierogi pierogies

The parking chair, like the pierogi, has become a kitschy emblem of Pittsburgh.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Somewhere between the giant wooden duck box and the framed colored-pencil portrait of strangers' wedding vows, there’s a plate of pierogi that tastes like a cheeseburger.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2025

In “Fresh from Poland: New Vegetarian Cooking from the Old Country,” Warsaw-based author Michal Korkosz offers a quieter evolution of pierogi — one that leans into elegance rather than audacity.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2025

I envision making big batches of pierogi or tamales over the weekend, or skipping the cans and soaking beans the night before so they can simmer a few hours before supper.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2023

“This pierogi has more to say than Otto Drazek.”

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

The diplomats from Big Ranch have spent the past few weeks traveling around the continent, slathering it on escargot, quiches, croque monsieurs, kebabs, fish and chips, pierogies and raclette—or ranchclette.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Chris said his restaurant normally sold about 1,500 pierogies in a single day but on Tuesday he expected to sell an extra about 2,500, boosted by travelling Poland fans.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2024

One glance at the index of Michael Korkosz’ “Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland” quickly dispels the tired stereotype that Polish cuisine is simply an endless potato-forward and meat-heavy parade of kielbasa and pierogies.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2024

I like sour cream on pierogies but I didn’t have any, so I used Greek yogurt, but it wasn’t as good.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

He knows where to go for everything — including the places to secure, as he puts it, “handmade pierogies personally pinched by church ladies.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2023