Pyrohy with potato and bryndza

What it is

In the Carpathians and throughout western Ukraine, dumplings are often called 'pyrohy', and potato is referred to as 'bulba' (among Lemkos, also 'bandurky' or 'kompyry'). Pyrohy with bulba and bryndza are the Carpathian variant of this beloved dish: mashed potatoes are mixed with crushed salty bryndza, which gives the filling a sharp and creamy taste.

The dough is unleavened, made from wheat flour and water, sometimes with an egg or on sour milk. The dumplings are boiled in water and served generously drizzled with cracklings and onions or melted butter, along with sour cream.

In Lemko families, Sunday lunch often consisted of soup and pyrohy with potato and cheese; on fasting days, particularly on Christmas Eve, the filling is made without dairy — from potatoes with fried onions or with sauerkraut.

The closest relative is the Slovak bryndzové pirohy, while Polish pierogi ruskie is a family name for dumplings with potato and cheese.

History and name

Pyrohy (dumplings) are known throughout Ukraine, but the filling of bryndza mixed with potato is specifically Carpathian: this is also indicated by Wikipedia in the article about dumplings. Bryndza was the main cheese of mountain farming, and since the 19th century, potato has become a staple food in the mountains, so their combination is quite natural.

Lemkos prepared pyrohy mainly for holidays and Sundays, filling them with cheese, cabbage, potatoes, or jam.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: with bryndza and cracklings

Potato700 g – 1 kgIn the mountains, potatoes are called bulba, ripa, bandurky, or kompyr — the basis for riplianka, deruny, and pies.

Bryndza (sheep cheese)150–250 gSalty sheep cheese from the polonyna — a topping for banosh and kulesha, filling for pies.Contains allergens: milk

Wheat flour500 gFor the dough of varenyky, palačinky, bobalyok, and pasky.Contains allergens: gluten

Onion1–2 pcs.Fried onion in lard or oil is a common seasoning in Carpathian dishes.

Pork cracklings100–150 g, to serveRendered pieces of fat — a classic accompaniment to banosh, kulesha, and pies.

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

Also: eggs (1 pc. in the dough, optional), water (200–250 ml)

Contains allergens: gluten, milk
Depending on how it is served, may contain: eggs

Variant: fasting, with potato and onion

wheat flour, potato, water, onion, sunflower oil

Contains allergens: gluten
Diet: lenten · vegan

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: 50–60 pyrohy

• Wheat flour — 500 g
• Potato — 700 g – 1 kg
• Bryndza (sheep cheese) — 150–250 g
• Water — 200–250 ml
• Onion — 1–2 pcs.
• Eggs — 1 pc. in the dough
• Pork cracklings — 100–150 g
• Sour cream — to taste

1. Boil peeled potatoes in salted water, drain, and mash into a puree.
2. Finely chop the onion and fry it in lard or oil; mix half into the potato, leaving the rest for serving.
3. When the puree cools, add the crushed bryndza. Taste for salt: bryndza is salty, so add salt to the potatoes carefully.
4. Knead unleavened dough from flour, warm water, and a pinch of salt (optionally with an egg) and let it rest for 20–30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough thinly, cut out circles, place the filling, and tightly pinch the edges.
6. Boil in salted water for 3–5 minutes after the dumplings float; remove with a slotted spoon.

How it is served

Hot, drizzled with cracklings and fried onions or melted butter; served separately with sour cream.

Variants

On Christmas Eve, the dumplings are made fasting: with potato and onion in oil or with sauerkraut. Part of the bryndza can be replaced with cottage cheese — this is how many Lemko and Boyko families prepare them.

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 entire mountainous part of the Carpathians — Hutsulshchyna, Boykivshchyna, Lemkivshchyna, and Transcarpathia; dumplings with potato are prepared throughout Ukraine, while this specific combination with bryndza is characteristic of the Carpathians. The area is approximate.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food · Christmas Eve · Lent

In tradition

Pyrohy are a Sunday and festive dish for mountain families; fasting pyrohy are one of the dishes for Christmas Eve.

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