Bryndzové pirohy

What it is

Bryndzové pirohy are boiled dumplings made from thin dough, filled with mashed potatoes mixed with bryndza. A plate typically contains twelve to fourteen pieces, drizzled with sour cream, sprinkled with crispy pieces of smoked bacon, and garnished with herbs.

This is the second 'bryndza' dish after halušky in Slovak shepherd's huts: the filling is softer and more delicate because the sharp cheese is diluted with potatoes.

They are prepared in shepherding regions and in kolibas throughout the country.

In restaurants, they are often served together with halušky on one large plate — to taste both dishes. The dough should be thin, the filling tender and slightly spicy; if the cheese is not noticeable, it means they were stingy with it.

History and name

The word 'pirohy' among Slovaks, as in western Ukraine, refers to boiled products made from dough with filling. Bryndza in the filling is a hallmark of mountainous shepherding regions.

Ingredients and allergens

Wheat flour400 gFor the dough of varenyky, palačinky, bobalyok, and pasky.Contains allergens: gluten

Potato500 gIn the mountains, potatoes are called bulba, ripa, bandurky, or kompyr — the basis for riplianka, deruny, and pies.

Slovak bryndza200 gSoft crushed cheese made from matured sheep's curd — the basis for bryndza dumplings.Contains allergens: milk

Eggs1 pc.Chicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Sour creamto serveThick homemade sour cream is the base for banosh and machanka, a common dressing for Carpathian dishes.Contains allergens: milk

Smoked baconto serveSmoked brisket is cut into cubes and rendered — it is poured over dumplings, pies, and mamaliga.

Also: salt

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 4 servings

• Wheat flour — 400 g
• Potato — 500 g
• Slovak bryndza — 200 g
• Eggs — 1 pc.
• Salt
• Sour cream
• Smoked bacon

1. Boil the potatoes, mash them into puree, and let them cool. Mix in the bryndza; add salt carefully — the cheese is salty.
2. From flour, egg, a pinch of salt, and warm water, knead an elastic dough and let it rest for half an hour.
3. Roll it out thinly, cut out circles. Place a spoonful of filling on each, fold in half, and seal the edge well.
4. Boil in salted water until they float, and then for another two to three minutes.
5. Cut the bacon into cubes and fry until crispy.

How it is served

Hot, with sour cream, cracklings, and chopped green onions.

Variants

In some villages, the dough is made with the addition of boiled potatoes — the dumplings turn out softer.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Mountainous and foothill Slovakia: Orava, Liptov, Turiec, Spiš, Pogrón, Kysuce. The map shows entire regions — the area is approximate.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food

FAQ