Magazine spotlights "pyrohy ladies" (02/13/00)

Magazine spotlights "pyrohy ladies"

KAMSACK, Saskatchewan - Many Ukrainian Americans and Canadians are used to "pyrohy ladies" sitting in church halls, quenching the hunger of the diaspora for this Ukrainian staple.

But are varenyky a delicacy? Yes, according to an article in Saveur magazine.

The September 1999 issue spotlighted "Team Pierogi," a small group of Ukrainian "babusias" (grandmothers) raising funds for St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church in this small prairie town of 2,300 residents. By making as many as 1,200 pyrohy a day, every Tuesday of the week, these women have raised more than $100,000 (Canadian) in the past decade.

Saveur explained that the humble dumpling "came to Canada with the Ukrainian immigrants who began settling the Canadian prairie in the 1890s" and added that "though they're called varenyky or pyrohy in Ukraine, the Polish term 'pierogi' has long been the standard here ..."

Perhaps their secret is the ingredients. Canadians and Americans are accustomed to the customary potato or cottage cheese variants, but this innovative team throws a purportedly tasty twist into their mix: Cheez Whiz.

The Kamsack ladies' recipe was featured in the Canadian magazine, and may even spawn a new nationwide demand for the Ukrainian superfood. (The article was illustrated with a photo of the ladies at work.)

And, in case you thought being a pyrohy lady is passé, consider what Saveur writer Chris Knight noted: "Pierogi-making is more than a fund-raising venture for these women, most of whom are in their mid-60s at least. They sit at long tables, stuffing and pinching, chatting and laughing; several generations of family drop by to say hello over the course of the day. There's always coffee brewing, and sometimes the deacon plays a few tunes on his bandura, a Ukrainian stringed instrument. An enviable warmth permeates the hall."

"The Pierogi Ladies are a team and dumplings are their game," concluded Saveur.

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