To All The Foods I've Loved Before...

For my culture, food is big. I am constantly surrounded by people who, with worried faces, tell me I must eat immediately, I am wasting away..."Look, so thin, but so pretty!" (I've learned to just say "thank you".) It is difficult, so many things I have to politely say "no" to, particularly in households where "coffee" and "tea:" were not suggestions and food almost spooned into your mouth-pot the minute you walk in the door. (Not to mention the trick of refilling the plate the moment you think you're done!)
The holidays are big for food, of course, from sausages and mashed potatoes, with so much dessert you had to unbutton the top of your jeans sureptitiously, to ham (Oh, the agony of pork-allergies... I love to watch the glazed ham with the pineapples---drool!) to beef, to turkey--- to butter lamb, which is really just a decoration (until I need more for my baked potato.) to pierogi. Pierogi!

And today, as I start on my quest with a gluten-free pierogi recipe to play with... thanks to Lauren @ Celiac Teen Dot Com

Tell me this: isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? :-)

I will tell the story I was taught about the creation of the pierogi, as best as I can remember.
The pierogi (it's already plural, no "s" needed. Some get insulted by the addition of the "S" to the end of pierogi.) is a little fat dough-ball, in its' most basic form. I rather prefer mine fried golden in butter, to a beautiful crisp. Generally, my preference is cheddar and Parmesan mixed with potato. (Everyone has a preference, it's the way it works.)
The Princess of Italy, it's said, married the King of Poland, 500 years ago. Queen Bona was hungry for the comforts of home... but, the food was simpler- different. She finally worked with the Royal Chefs, who found a way to make a bread-dough dumpling, stuffed with various foods, from potatoes and cheese to beef and pork. Fried up, it was beautiful. Of course, the tradition is hard to trace. The various forms of "pierogi" actually are words for "pie". So, a sort of tiny meat or cheese-potato-pie, to be simple. Whatever, I don't analyze. I just love them. :)
More thanks goes out to Polish Harvest Dot Com  - and my brother, who told me of Queen Bona.