SC - Sad News

[Tara Sersen]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
>Okay, what is the differance between a pierogie and a piroshki?

In the modern sense, pierogies (Polish origin) are pastry dough stuffed
with or wrapped around a filling and boiled (sometimes pan-fried
afterwards). Pirozhkis (Russian origin) are shortcrust (pie) dough or bread
dough stuffed with or wrapped around a filling and baked, pan-fried, or
deep-fried (and for the liguistically-minded, the singular is "pirozhok",
the plural is "pirozhki", and it is spelled with a "zh", not a "sh").

>Did anyone find any definative evidence that these were period? Period
>recipes would be even better, but I doubt we have that.

I only know about pirozhkis.  Yes, they are period, no, we don't have a
"recipe."  But, we do know what types of fillings were used in pies, and
pirozhki means "little pie."  The Domostroi (in the definitely period
section) lists pie fillings: "For meat days stuff them with whichever meat
is at hand.  For fast days use kasha, peas, broth [I presume mixed with a
drier ingredient], turnips, mushrooms, cabbage, or whatever God provides."
[Pouncy:125].  On page 151 and 161, "turnovers" are mentioned.  In Pouncy's
footnote of the latter entry, she calls them "pirozhki."  

No mention of the cooking technique, but I would guess they were probably
baked, like the bigger pies, if only because they would be slightly easier
to bake for an entire household instead of frying them in batches.
Although if you set up some sort of assembly-line type of service (fry a
few, rush them to the diners, fry a few, rush them to the next batch of
diners, etc.) it might work.  Or maybe keeping them warm in the
oven...okay, I'm reaching here.  I don't know how they were cooked.  :-)

- --Yana