[c] Pirozhki are not to be confused with the Polish pierogi (a cognate term), which are called varenyky or pyrohy in Ukrainian and Doukhoborese, and vareniki in Russian.

A typical pirozhok is boat- or rarely crescent-shaped, made of yeast-leavened dough, with filling completely enclosed.

Common savory fillings include ground meat, mashed potato, mushrooms, boiled egg with scallions, or cabbage.

Known today as bierock, pirok or runza, they belong to several regional cuisines in the United States, Canada and Argentina.

They are stuffed with fillings such as ground spiced meat mix of pork and veal or cottage cheese, and with kulen, tomato sauce and herbs.

[15] In Latvia, crescent-shaped buns of leavened dough called speķrauši (literally, "fatback tarts") or speķa pīrāgi (often referred to in diminutive speķa pīrādziņi or colloquially simply pīrāgi or pīrādziņi) are traditionally filled with smoked fatback and onion.

Pirozhki are common as fast food on the streets of the Central Asian countries in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, where they were introduced by the Russians.

The Finnish version is the similar lihapiirakka, a popular street food made with donut dough, minced meat and rice.

The dish was introduced to Japan by White Russian refugees who sought shelter there after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.