[8] While dumplings as such are found throughout Eurasia, the specific name pierogi, with its Proto-Slavic root and its cognates in the West and East Slavic languages, including Russian пирог (pirog, 'pie') and пирожки (pirozhki, 'small pies'), shows the name's common Slavic origins, antedating the modern nation states and their standardized languages.

A similarly named type of dumpling related to, or considered a variety of, pierogi, is known in Belarus as калдуны́, in Lithuania as koldūnai, and in Poland as kołduny.

[3] Some claim that pierogi were spread by Marco Polo's expeditions through the Silk Road, thus suggesting a connection to Chinese mantou.

[17] Other sources theorize that in the 13th century, pierogi were brought by Saint Hyacinth of Poland from the Far East (Asia) via what was then the Kievan Rus'.

[18] These became characteristic to Central and East European cuisines, where different varieties (preparation methods, ingredients, fillings) were invented.

Pierogi may be stuffed (singly or in combinations) with mashed potatoes, fried onions, quark or farmer cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushrooms, spinach, or other ingredients depending on the cook's preferences.

Dessert versions of the dumpling can be stuffed with sweetened quark or with a fresh fruit filling such as cherry, strawberry, raspberry, bilberry, blueberry, apple, or plum; stoned prunes are sometimes used, as well as jam.

The dough, which is made by mixing flour and warm water, sometimes with an egg, is rolled flat and then cut into squares with a knife or circles using a cup or drinking glass.

Traditionally considered peasant food, pierogi eventually gained popularity and spread throughout all social classes, including the nobility.

Other popular pierogi in Poland are filled with ground meat, mushrooms and cabbage, or for dessert an assortment of fruits (berries, with strawberries or blueberries the most common).

Varenyky in Ukraine are a popular national dish, served both as a common everyday meal and as a part of some traditional celebrations, such as Christmas Eve Supper (Ukrainian: Свята Вечеря, romanized: Sviata Vecheria, lit.

[citation needed] In some regions in or bordering modern-day Western Ukraine, particularly in Carpathian Ruthenia and Galicia, the terms varenyky and pyrohy are used to denote the same dish.

Typical Ukrainian fillings for varenyky include curd cheese, potato, boiled beans, cabbage, mushy peas, plum, currants, sour cherries (and other fruits), meat, fish, and buckwheat.

In Ukrainian tradition, varenyky were equated with a young moon due to the similar shape, and were used as part of pagan and sacrificial rituals.

Piroggen) describes all kinds of Eastern European filled dumplings and buns,[26] including pierogi, pirozhkis and pirogs.

[27] Schlutzkrapfen closely resemble pierogi; they are common in Tirol and northern Italy's German-speaking region of South Tyrol, and are occasionally found in Bavaria.

[29] Another similar Austrian dish, known as Kärntner Nudel (Carinthian noodles), is made with a wide range of fillings, from meat, mushrooms, potato or quark to apples, pears or mint.

[31] In Hungarian cuisine, the derelye is similar to the pierogi, consisting of pasta pockets filled with jam, cottage cheese, or sometimes meat.

[32] Derelye is consumed primarily as a festive food for special occasions such as weddings; it is also eaten for regular meals, but this tradition has become rare.

In both Bukovina and Transylvania, the name piroști is used in Romanian families of German or Slavic origin and the filling can also be a whole, fresh, seedless plum.

A traditional dish in Slovak cuisine is bryndzové pirohy, dumplings filled with salty bryndza cheese mixed with mashed potatoes.

They are particularly common in areas with large Polish or Ukrainian populations, such as the Province of Alberta, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and New York City (particularly in the East Village of Manhattan and Greenpoint in Brooklyn) along with its New Jersey suburbs.

By the 1960s, pierogi were a common supermarket item in the frozen food aisles in many parts of the United States and Canada, and are still found in grocery stores today.

In 1993, the village of Glendon, Alberta erected a roadside tribute to this culinary creation: a 27-foot (8.2 m) fiberglass perogy (preferred local spelling), complete with fork.

Unlike other countries with newer populations of European settlers, the modern pierogi is found in a wide selection of flavors throughout grocery stores in the United States.

[46] For more than a decade thereafter, Mrs. T's (the largest American pierogi manufacturer) sponsored triathlons,[47] some professional triathletes and "fun runs" around the country.

[45] Packed frozen pierogi can be found wherever Central and Eastern European immigrant communities exist and are generally ubiquitous across Canada, even in big chain stores.

The cheese-based dough is formed into a long sausage about 2 centimeters (3⁄4 in) thick, then cut diagonally into gnocchi, called halushky in Ukrainian and Rusyn and galushki in Russian.

The name "lazy varenyky" reflects the quick preparation time of the dish, usually taking 10 to 15 minutes from assembling the simple ingredients to serving the cooked dumplings.

Pierogi gradually gained popularity due to their affordability and versatility, and people began serving them at festivals, religious holidays, and as a common food for everyone.