Vareniki

Varenyky (Ukrainian) or vareniki (Russian; in either language варе́ники, singular варе́ник) are a kind of stuffed dumpling associated with Ukrainian cuisine. Some variants are also found in Belarusian, Russian and Polish cooking. Vareniki are believed to originate from Chinese and Siberian influences, although sometimes they are said to be of Turkish origin. [ [http://calami.ru/286.html Origins and varieties of varenyky] ru icon] Varenyky are similar to Polish pierogi, Russian pelmeni, and Italian ravioli.

Description

Varenyky are square- or crescent-shaped dumplings of unleavened dough, stuffed with sauerkraut, cheese, mashed potatoes, cabbage, meat, hard-boiled eggs (a Mennonite tradition) or a combination of these, or with a fruit filling. Varenyky are very popular in Ukraine.

During preparation, the filling is wrapped with dough, boiled for several minutes, and then covered with butter or cooking oil. The name "varenyk," in fact, simply means "boiled thing," from the adjective "varenyy". Varenyky are typically topped with fried salo bits ("shkvarky") and onions and accompanied with sour cream (" smetana"). Left-over varenyky may be fried. Sweet, fruit-filled varenyky are served with sour cream and sugar. Raw varenyky (with the dough uncooked) can be stored frozen, then cooked in three minutes, which makes them a convenience food.

Other preparation methods include the Latvian tradition of glazing with egg white, baking, and serving with soup; the Mennonite tradition of baking and serving with borscht; and the Polish tradition of boiling, frying in butter, and topping with bread crumbs.

Varieties of vareniki

Vareniki come with a wide variety of either savory or sweet fillings. Here is a list of vareniki served in a restaurant specializing in national Ukrainian dishes: [ [http://www.tarasbulba.ru/Menu/hot.aspx Vareniki from the menu of Korchma “Taras Bul’ba”] ru icon.]

Savory:
*Potatoes and mushrooms
*Mushrooms
*Cabbage
*Cabbage and mushrooms
*Sauerkraut (sauteed)
*Salty white cheese
*Fish (salmon and pike-perch)
*Meat (pork and beef mixture)
*Meat and cabbage
*Liver (beef)
*Offal (mixture of beef lung, heart, liver, "Old Ukrainian style")"All savory varieties are topped with sour cream, fried salo, fried onions, melted butter"

Sweet:
*Fresh white cheese
*Cherry
*Bilberry, or blueberry in North America
*Raspberry
*Strawberry"Sweet varieties are topped with butter, sour cream, raspberry ram"

Lazy vareniki

Lazy vareniki ( _ru. ленивые вареники) in Russian and Ukrainian cuisine are gnocchi-shaped dumplings made by mixing farmer cheese with egg and flour into quick dough. The cheese-based dough is formed into a long sausage about 2 cm thick, which is cut diagonally into gnocchi, called "galushki" in Russian or "halushki" in Ukrainian. The dumplings are then quickly boiled in salted water and served with sour cream or melted butter. The name "lazy vareniki" faithfully reflects the very quick preparation time of the dish: it usually takes ten to fifteen minutes from assembling the simple ingredients to serving the cooked dumplings. [ [http://www.good-cook.ru/proth/proth_040.shtml Lazy vareniki] : recipe, preparation, and serving suggestion.] Lazy vareniki differ from standard vareniki in the same way that Italian gnocchi differ from ravioli or tortellini: these are fluffy solid dumplings, not stuffed pockets of dough. A similar dish in Polish cuisine is called lazy pierogi ( _pl. leniwe pierogi).

Monumental varenyky

A monument to varenyky was inagurated in Cherkasy, Ukraine in September 2006. [http://www.travel.ru/news/2006/09/28/94511.html A monument to vareniki in Cherkasy, Ukraine] ru icon; also see a news item on [http://gpu-ua.info/index.php?&id=132146 gpu.ua] , 27 September 2006 uk icon.] The monument erected at the entrance to a hotel shows Cossack Mamay (a Ukrainian folklore hero whose fondness for varenyky was narrated by both Taras Shevchenko and Nikolay Gogol) eating varenyky from an earthenware pot, with a huge crescent-shaped varenyk behind him.

In 1991, a roadside monument with a giant perogy (a variant of varenyk) was erected in the village of Glendon in Alberta, Canada. [ [http://www.bigthings.ca/alberta/glendon.html Giant "perogy" in Glendon, Alberta] ]

References

ee also

*Pelmeni
*Pierogi
*Kalduny
*Syrniki
*Gyoza

External links

* [http://ukraine-today.com/culture/food/food.shtml - Varenyky recipes] various languages
* [http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/europe/ukrainian/00/rec0007.html - European Recipes - Ukrainian Varenyky]