The principal ingredients are usually fresh or dried peppers, usually Aleppo pepper, ground walnuts, breadcrumbs, and olive oil. Muhammara is eaten as a dip with bread, as a sour cherry vareniki for toast, and as a sauce for kebabs, grilled meats, and fish. The Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors D’Oeuvre, Meze, and More.

Cooking the Turkish Way: Culturally Authentic Foods Including Low-fat and Vegetarian Recipes. This article is about the boiled dumplings. For the fried buns, see Pirozhki. For Eastern European pies, see Pirog.

Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Slavic origins, antedating the modern nation states and their standardized languages. In most of these languages the word means “pie”. Among Ukrainians and the Ukrainian diaspora, they are known as varenyky. The same term is used in the Mennonite community, sometimes spelled varenikie or wareniki.

Bryndzové pirohy is the Slovak term for dumplings filled with sheep milk cheese. Colțunași is the Romanian term for filled dumplings. While the origin of the pierogi is often under debate, the exact origin of the dish is unknown and unverifiable. Dumplings most likely originated in China and became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages or later periods. 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.

The dough can be made with some mashed potato, creating a smoother texture. The filling is placed in the middle and the dough folded over to form a half circle or rectangle or triangle if the dough is cut squarely. The seams are pressed together to seal the pierogi so that the filling will remain inside when it is cooked. The pierogi are simmered until they float, drained, and then sometimes fried or baked in butter before serving or fried as leftovers.