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Vareniki (Russian: вареники) are a
kind of stuffed dumpling associated with Ukrainian cuisine. Some variants are
also found in Belarusian, Russian, Lithuanian and Polish cooking. |
|
Left: Vareniki with
cottage cheese, served with sour cream. |
Vareniki are believed to originate from Chinese and Siberian
influences, although sometimes they are said to be of Turkish origin. Vareniki
are similar to Polish pierogi, Russian
pelmeni, and Italian ravioli.
Vareniki 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.
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. In certain
regions of Ukraine they do not boil vareniks, but cook them with the help of
steam so that they become big and juicy. Vareniki are typically topped with
fried salo bits (shkvarky) and onions and accompanied with sour cream
(smetana). Left-over Vareniki may be fried.
Sweet, fruit-filled vareniki are
served with sour cream and sugar. Raw vareniki (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.
Vareniki come with a wide variety
of either savory or sweet fillings.
Varieties of vareniki
|
Savory |
Sweet |
Potatoes
Mushrooms
Potatoes and 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 (beef lung, heart, liver) |
Fresh white cheese (tvorog)
Cherry
Bilberry, or blueberry in North America
Raspberry
Strawberry
|
Savory varieties are usually topped
with melted butter, sour cream, fried salo, and fried onions.
Sweet varieties are usually topped
with melted butter, sour cream, and sometimes raspberry jam.
Try our
Cottage Cheese Vareniki recipe
(an example of a sweet variety that can be served as a dessert).
