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Pierogi: Over 50 Recipes to Create Perfect Polish Dumplings
"As far as I'm concerned, this is a book of bliss!" – Nigella Lawson The essential cookbook for preparing perfect Polish dumplings at home. Delve deep into regional recipes from all over Poland with the traditional ingredients and stories that define these delicious dumplings. From the Baltic Sea with its abundance of fish, to the unique smoky and sour flavors of the mountainous south and beyond, discover endless options to satisfy every craving. As well as regional classics, Zuza Zak offers sweet and savory dumplings for every occasion. With new and original creations, plus crowd-pleasing vegan and gluten-free options, Pierogi is a fascinating celebration of this beloved Polish speciality.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published September 13, 2022
19 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Zuza Zak
5 books12 followersI call myself a Storyteller-Cook, my aim is to inspire the world to cook and eat more food from Eastern Europe. I am interested in the culture and history of food, therefore I use storytelling as a medium for delving into another cuisine and through it, into another culture.
I have written three cookbooks on Eastern European cuisine – Polska, Amber & Rye and Pierogi. I am currently working on a food focused PhD and my fourth book, which will be something a little different…
I learnt the art of cooking from an early age, from my beloved Babcias (grandmas) – Ziuta and Halinka. All of my early childhood memories are intertwined with food, so now I am now passing on the culinary love to my two daughters.
My own story began in a land and time very removed and different from the one I inhabit today. I was born in Communist Poland in 1979 and spent the first 8 years of my life in an oppressive regime that I remember with a strange mixture of fear and nostalgia. There was often nothing to be found in the shops. Sometimes people would queue for 8 hours or more to buy one random ingredient that happened to be available that day, yet somehow the Polish people always found a way to eat and to enjoy themselves. Families, friends and communities would work together to find, grow, forage and obtain everything that was needed to create amazing feasts.
Since arriving in the UK, aged 8, I have found that people here know very little about my country, it’s food and culture. Even now that there are so many Poles living here, the cuisine is relatively unknown or completely misunderstood. When I started writing “Polska” I had a full-time job and would get up at 6.30am to do 45min of writing before work. In this way, bit-by-bit, the book wrote itself. All the interest that my book has generated has been heart-warming. I hope that my story is an inspiration to others to follow their passions.
I have written three cookbooks on Eastern European cuisine – Polska, Amber & Rye and Pierogi. I am currently working on a food focused PhD and my fourth book, which will be something a little different…
I learnt the art of cooking from an early age, from my beloved Babcias (grandmas) – Ziuta and Halinka. All of my early childhood memories are intertwined with food, so now I am now passing on the culinary love to my two daughters.
My own story began in a land and time very removed and different from the one I inhabit today. I was born in Communist Poland in 1979 and spent the first 8 years of my life in an oppressive regime that I remember with a strange mixture of fear and nostalgia. There was often nothing to be found in the shops. Sometimes people would queue for 8 hours or more to buy one random ingredient that happened to be available that day, yet somehow the Polish people always found a way to eat and to enjoy themselves. Families, friends and communities would work together to find, grow, forage and obtain everything that was needed to create amazing feasts.
Since arriving in the UK, aged 8, I have found that people here know very little about my country, it’s food and culture. Even now that there are so many Poles living here, the cuisine is relatively unknown or completely misunderstood. When I started writing “Polska” I had a full-time job and would get up at 6.30am to do 45min of writing before work. In this way, bit-by-bit, the book wrote itself. All the interest that my book has generated has been heart-warming. I hope that my story is an inspiration to others to follow their passions.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 18, 2024
The book has many amazing recipes, but I was shocked to see there was none of the recipes that I grew up with. There also seems to be only one meat related recipe which was not even a classic meat pierogi recipe. The 2 stars is simply for the wonderful effort and the bits of folk knowledge and history included. The book started out with fish pierogi which I thought was strange, but...maybe I'm strange...
May 5, 2023
To say that I was excited to receive a copy of Zuza Zak’s Pierogi in the mail is an understatement. In her introduction, Zak beckons us into her “pierogi wonderland” to show home cooks the pierogi (the stuffed dumpling identified with Poland) is at once, both traditional and modern. Pierogi works to preserve traditional pierogi-making methods while offering updated versions. While the Ukrainian versions are known as pyrohy or varenyky, the Polish pierogi is what Zak focuses on as it is an integral part of her culinary heritage. Zak has organized the recipes into two main sections: Traditional (North / South / East / West / Central / Festive) and Modern (Themes and Variations / Creative / Vegan / Gluten-free). Zak also offers a brief history at the beginning of the book, as well as a section on ingredients and making/shaping/sealing techniques.
I appreciate that Zak offers a couple different methods to shape and fill pierogies, and since these varied slightly from how I learned to make varenyky, I was keen to learn other ways. Her first method (and now my preferred way) is to roll the dough out then place heaping teaspoons spaced out along the dough. She then folds the dough over and creases where the filling ends and to press out the air bubbles (this step is crucial as trapped air will cause the pierogi to burst while it cooks in boiling water). Using a cutter or the rim of a waterglass, she cuts out half-moon shapes. Once the shapes are cut out, she crimps the edges to seal them. Zak also provides different pinching and sealing techniques for every level of pierogi maker. Beginners can start with using the tines of a fork to seal the edge and, since I have prior experience, I used the fold over technique. There are photos of each of the steps throughout the beginning sections of the book which are helpful to home cooks.
Maybe I’m lazy, but I really don’t care for flipping back and forth to find recipes in cookbooks. Here, Zak has done us a favour by giving the dough recipe to be used with each recipe on the same page as the recipe, which I really appreciated. For the recipes I tried, I used a couple of her dough recipes – one that is more traditional that involves rubbing oil into the flour first, and another recipe which used butter and egg yolks. Both recipes worked perfectly and, like her shaping technique, have become my preferred dough recipes (over and above my family recipes I have been using). The best part of making pierogi is that you can freeze them for later use.
The first recipe I tried was for the Sauerkraut and Mushroom Christmas Eve Pierogi. This recipe used the more traditional way of making dough: to rub the oil into the flour before adding any water. The filling consisted of mushrooms, onion, and sauerkraut with flavour boosts coming from bay leaf, allspice berries, and white wine. While making the filling I committed the cardinal sin of home cooking – I didn’t read through the recipe before hand. The ingredient list asks for twenty medium-sized mushrooms (I assumed they were fresh) but when I went to prepare the filling the first step is to cover them with boiling water to allow them to “open up.” This is where I realized I should be using dried mushrooms. Since I didn’t have dried mushrooms, I went ahead and used the fresh ones, skipping the hot water soak. I really loved this combination for the filling – sweet and tangy with a bit of umami. Once boiled I tossed them in butter and fried onions.
One of my favourites from the book is the recipe for Sweet Festive Pieroźki with Stuffed Prunes. Here, I made the dough using butter and egg yolks – the resulting dough is gorgeously soft and tender. Each pierogi was to be filled with nut and honey-stuffed prunes but, since the prunes I was using were tiny (too small to properly fill), I decided to blend the prunes, nuts, cinnamon, and honey together using my food processor. Then I filled each pierogi with this prune/nut mixture. Once boiled, the pierogi are fried in butter so that they can get a crispy texture. Really delightful! I served them with more toasted nuts, a drizzle of honey, and a dollop of crème fraiche. While I suspect that these pierogies are meant for special occasions, instead I made a huge batch so that we could enjoy them as an after-school snack.
My daughter’s favourite pierogi recipe from the book is for the Fried Avocado and Egg Breakfast Pierogi. These pierogi can’t be frozen but can be made and boiled the day before, leaving the frying in butter until just before serving. The filling is made by combining chopped hard-boiled eggs with diced avocado. These fried breakfast pierogi are served with a tomato salad. Katie loved them so much that she had them for breakfast and snack!
Zuza Zak has written an incredibly special book here, and she has taken the pierogi passed being thought of as “just dumplings.” Pierogi is full of accessible and delicious recipes which highlight both traditional and modern doughs and fillings. I’ve already started to make them with my daughter – we’re both excited to give more of the recipes a try.
A version of this review is also posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hardie Grant USA, Quadrille Publishing and Raincoast Books for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I appreciate that Zak offers a couple different methods to shape and fill pierogies, and since these varied slightly from how I learned to make varenyky, I was keen to learn other ways. Her first method (and now my preferred way) is to roll the dough out then place heaping teaspoons spaced out along the dough. She then folds the dough over and creases where the filling ends and to press out the air bubbles (this step is crucial as trapped air will cause the pierogi to burst while it cooks in boiling water). Using a cutter or the rim of a waterglass, she cuts out half-moon shapes. Once the shapes are cut out, she crimps the edges to seal them. Zak also provides different pinching and sealing techniques for every level of pierogi maker. Beginners can start with using the tines of a fork to seal the edge and, since I have prior experience, I used the fold over technique. There are photos of each of the steps throughout the beginning sections of the book which are helpful to home cooks.
Maybe I’m lazy, but I really don’t care for flipping back and forth to find recipes in cookbooks. Here, Zak has done us a favour by giving the dough recipe to be used with each recipe on the same page as the recipe, which I really appreciated. For the recipes I tried, I used a couple of her dough recipes – one that is more traditional that involves rubbing oil into the flour first, and another recipe which used butter and egg yolks. Both recipes worked perfectly and, like her shaping technique, have become my preferred dough recipes (over and above my family recipes I have been using). The best part of making pierogi is that you can freeze them for later use.
The first recipe I tried was for the Sauerkraut and Mushroom Christmas Eve Pierogi. This recipe used the more traditional way of making dough: to rub the oil into the flour before adding any water. The filling consisted of mushrooms, onion, and sauerkraut with flavour boosts coming from bay leaf, allspice berries, and white wine. While making the filling I committed the cardinal sin of home cooking – I didn’t read through the recipe before hand. The ingredient list asks for twenty medium-sized mushrooms (I assumed they were fresh) but when I went to prepare the filling the first step is to cover them with boiling water to allow them to “open up.” This is where I realized I should be using dried mushrooms. Since I didn’t have dried mushrooms, I went ahead and used the fresh ones, skipping the hot water soak. I really loved this combination for the filling – sweet and tangy with a bit of umami. Once boiled I tossed them in butter and fried onions.
One of my favourites from the book is the recipe for Sweet Festive Pieroźki with Stuffed Prunes. Here, I made the dough using butter and egg yolks – the resulting dough is gorgeously soft and tender. Each pierogi was to be filled with nut and honey-stuffed prunes but, since the prunes I was using were tiny (too small to properly fill), I decided to blend the prunes, nuts, cinnamon, and honey together using my food processor. Then I filled each pierogi with this prune/nut mixture. Once boiled, the pierogi are fried in butter so that they can get a crispy texture. Really delightful! I served them with more toasted nuts, a drizzle of honey, and a dollop of crème fraiche. While I suspect that these pierogies are meant for special occasions, instead I made a huge batch so that we could enjoy them as an after-school snack.
My daughter’s favourite pierogi recipe from the book is for the Fried Avocado and Egg Breakfast Pierogi. These pierogi can’t be frozen but can be made and boiled the day before, leaving the frying in butter until just before serving. The filling is made by combining chopped hard-boiled eggs with diced avocado. These fried breakfast pierogi are served with a tomato salad. Katie loved them so much that she had them for breakfast and snack!
Zuza Zak has written an incredibly special book here, and she has taken the pierogi passed being thought of as “just dumplings.” Pierogi is full of accessible and delicious recipes which highlight both traditional and modern doughs and fillings. I’ve already started to make them with my daughter – we’re both excited to give more of the recipes a try.
A version of this review is also posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hardie Grant USA, Quadrille Publishing and Raincoast Books for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
December 10, 2023
I have no idea why I didn’t connect with this more.
May 18, 2023
Pierogi perfection. I became a fan of Zuza Zak from her Baltic cookbook. With “Pierogi”, she instructs, informs, and elevates the most internationally familiar of Polish foods.
Many years ago, my now-wife and I spent three weeks driving through Poland exploring her personal family history and explore cities and towns across the land. The highlight of the trip was the wide variety of pierogis that we enjoyed. As Americans, we had only been exposed to boiled pirogies with any combo of cheese, sauerkraut, and onions via her grandma or the Mrs T’s brand from the grocery store freezer. It was a delicious surprise to enjoy the flavors and variations that came from boiled, baked, fried, and steamed offerings all over Poland. I still dream of the venison and cherry baked pierogis we got at a gas station cafe in the middle of nowhere.
Zak’s authoritative book on these tasty dumplings brought back so many memories. Each turn of the page, my mouth would salivate. I appreciated that she broke down the recipes between different geographic locations in the country as it was great to learn the gastronomic heritage and influences of each dish. The addition of including modern, non-traditional pierogis in the later part of the book was a welcome surprise - as my experience with my wife’s Polish side of her family is that good traditions are all to often strictly adhered to.
If you have even enjoyed Polish pierogis once, this book is a must-read. The sheer variety of options, accompanied by gorgeous pictures, and - most importantly - accessible and easy recipes, makes this one of my favorite cookbooks I’ve explored this year.
Many years ago, my now-wife and I spent three weeks driving through Poland exploring her personal family history and explore cities and towns across the land. The highlight of the trip was the wide variety of pierogis that we enjoyed. As Americans, we had only been exposed to boiled pirogies with any combo of cheese, sauerkraut, and onions via her grandma or the Mrs T’s brand from the grocery store freezer. It was a delicious surprise to enjoy the flavors and variations that came from boiled, baked, fried, and steamed offerings all over Poland. I still dream of the venison and cherry baked pierogis we got at a gas station cafe in the middle of nowhere.
Zak’s authoritative book on these tasty dumplings brought back so many memories. Each turn of the page, my mouth would salivate. I appreciated that she broke down the recipes between different geographic locations in the country as it was great to learn the gastronomic heritage and influences of each dish. The addition of including modern, non-traditional pierogis in the later part of the book was a welcome surprise - as my experience with my wife’s Polish side of her family is that good traditions are all to often strictly adhered to.
If you have even enjoyed Polish pierogis once, this book is a must-read. The sheer variety of options, accompanied by gorgeous pictures, and - most importantly - accessible and easy recipes, makes this one of my favorite cookbooks I’ve explored this year.
February 27, 2023
If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that I love pierogi. I have made them in the past from an old recipe and the husband being a wonderful man, gave me this cookbook as a gift. Now I can try a number of different recipes.
It offers many different types of recipes from various regions of pierogi making countries. There are different doughs made from white, whole wheat and rye flours. You will even find a section for the vegan and/or gluten free pierogi lover.
Several methods for folding are shown – some I have never seen before, but for me a pierogi will only ever be folded one way.
Fillings and sauces are also showcased so that you can experience a pierogi with something other than potatoes inside. I know my next batch is going to have sauerkraut and bacon – a childhood favorite! You can let your imagination go crazy.
All in all I am very happy to have this cookbook in my collection.
It offers many different types of recipes from various regions of pierogi making countries. There are different doughs made from white, whole wheat and rye flours. You will even find a section for the vegan and/or gluten free pierogi lover.
Several methods for folding are shown – some I have never seen before, but for me a pierogi will only ever be folded one way.
Fillings and sauces are also showcased so that you can experience a pierogi with something other than potatoes inside. I know my next batch is going to have sauerkraut and bacon – a childhood favorite! You can let your imagination go crazy.
All in all I am very happy to have this cookbook in my collection.
November 5, 2025
I really enjoyed the notes containing tidbits of extra context for certain regions or ingredients and background on traditions. Growing up in the midwest region of the United States there is a presence of polish people an therefore their foods, but I don't have any background on polish culture personally. I loved the cultural context of this book, but I tried a few of the recipes and thought they were ok. While I thought that it was great for the book to include vegetarian and even gluten sensitive options, I felt there should have been some more traditional meat recipes as well.
September 19, 2022
Like the dish. Small but tasty.
Hard to find fault with this one.
It is a truly nice book with plenty of versions of pierogi that you should actually try over the course of a year.
Buy it.
Use it.
It will make you happier.
Hard to find fault with this one.
It is a truly nice book with plenty of versions of pierogi that you should actually try over the course of a year.
Buy it.
Use it.
It will make you happier.
March 31, 2023
Lots of wonderful ideas for fillings and the end of the book includes a vegan option and a gluten free option for the dough.
November 20, 2023
Pretty good variety
June 9, 2023
Being Polish and having a traditional idea of how piergois are made (we make them on Christmas Eve and Good Friday) with potato, farmers cheese, mushroom, and cabbage, it's one of the biggest and most fond memories I had growing up and continue with my nuclear family and also the larger family depending on which holiday.
What I like about this one is her walk through the country and piergois which everyone considers the "right" way but dependent upon where you live in the country and the influences from the region itself (sea, mountainous, Ukrainian, Russian, etc.) I like the traditional and the experimental. I like the unique ways she goes about the explanations and there were a few sections that resonated with me and allowed me to also learn more about the dumpling. It was a perfect read this weekend as it was Good Friday.
What I like about this one is her walk through the country and piergois which everyone considers the "right" way but dependent upon where you live in the country and the influences from the region itself (sea, mountainous, Ukrainian, Russian, etc.) I like the traditional and the experimental. I like the unique ways she goes about the explanations and there were a few sections that resonated with me and allowed me to also learn more about the dumpling. It was a perfect read this weekend as it was Good Friday.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews