Perogies Around the World: 8 Cultural Fusion Dishes

Happy National Perogi Day! Let's start by recognizing that there are many ways to spell perogy or pierogi or phyrogy and many others. How do you spell it? I usually spell it perogy or perogies and feel like that is how it is most commonly spelled in Canada. Although, it seems that pierogi is the traditional spelling from Poland.

Growing up, perogies was a common meal in our home. Perhaps it was in our blood to enjoy them with both of my parents being half German (one with ties from Silesia in the former Prussia region, now Poland and the other with German Russian roots from Volhynia, now Ukraine). We primarily had them the traditional way with sour cream and cheddar cheese. 

My husband is from the USA and tried perogies for the first time when he came to Canada (actually at my sister's house on New Years Eve 2018, where her husband was shocked that I hadn't introduced him to perogies yet. Although we had been married less than 3 months at this time). Now, we almost always have a Costco box of perogies in our freezer. This box also spells it "perogies" too which is why I choose to spell it this way on the recipes. 

The homemade variety from the Farmers Market are the best (I need to take a trip to the Farmers Market and get some along with their delicious dill dip) but the Costco ones are great to have on hand because they are cheap but also taste good. I typically made perogies mixed with bell peppers, all beef hot dogs and onions. Topped with cheese and sour cream. However, earlier this year (while eating perogies), I said to Kyle, "You know what would be fun, is to combine recipes from different cultures with perogies and try some new dishes. He agreed and I have enjoyed thinking up new recipes this year.

We enjoyed 8 cultural fusion perogy dishes in 2021. I have included recipes for each below. Let me know in the comments if you tried any of these dishes or if you thought of a new dish to make. Chances are you have all of the ingredients on hand for at least one of these recipes. I would love to know what you tried, came up with or your thoughts on cultural fusion perogy dishes.  

I made each of these dishes with the Naleway brand perogies from Costco except for the Sweet & Sour perogies, I used the Cheemo brand mini perogies found at Superstore. 

The first cultural fusion perogy dish we tried was Italian Perogies. It tasted similar to a baked pasta dish. Disclaimer: This was my idea but Kyle made it. He is Italian though so I'll let him claim this recipe. 

 

Our Mexican Perogies were also topped with sour cream which I failed to list in the recipe. However, there are also many other toppings that can be added the these perogies such as: lettuce, salsa and/or jalapenos. I would love to hear if you added any variations to this or any of the other recipes. 

The Greek Perogies were my childrens favourite. They love everything that was included in this recipe so it is definitely on the list to make again. I love Greek Salads which is what inspired this recipe. Some people may also wish to add olives but I don't like olives which is why they weren't included in the recipe. 

I based the Indian Curried Perogies on a Potato curry recipe and it did not disappoint. I added the perogies to the sauce mixture frozen and allowed them to soak up the curry flavour. I also added a side of basmati rice and naan bread to complete the feel of an authentic Indian meal. 

My Mom is from Scotland and my favourite meal that she makes is mince and potatoes so I set out to create a similar dish, using perogies instead of potatoes. Baking the perogies in butter and milk gives them a really creamy rich taste similar to mashed potatoes. This is a hearty meal, perfect for those chilly fall and winter evenings. 

After already making several of these new fusion recipes, I asked my husband what I should try next. He responded, "can we just have regular perogies tonight?" So I put together this recipe and called them American Perogies (because hot dogs and Kyle is from the USA). 

This is also a super simple recipe and easy to throw together last minute. 

As I mentioned previously we like to buy the box of frozen perogies from Costco. We also like to buy the box of frozen veggie Spring rolls but only end up using half the sweet and sour sauce and the other half gets stored in the freezer. We had a ziplock bag full of packages of this sauce and I figured I should make something with it. I wasn't sure about pairing it with perogies at first but then decided if Jollibee's can make sweet and sour spaghetti, I can make sweet and sour perogies. I used mini perogies though so that they were closer in size to the meatballs. Guess what? This dish actually tasted really good! 

The Lebanese Spicy Perogies is based on a recipe for Batata Harra, also known as Lebanese Spicy Potatoes. This recipe is easy and quick to make and Kyle & I both agreed that it was a favourite for us (I took out a few plain perogies before adding the spices to give to my children). Although, I would make all of these recipes again, this one is at the top of the list. 

I paired the spicy perogies with Fattoush, a traditional Lebanese salad. This was a favourite of mine at work potlucks but I had never tried making it before. It does take some time to make and put together but is so good!