History & Origin
Vareniki (вареники) are the Ukrainian cousin of the pierogi and the pelmeni — a soft, half-moon boiled dumpling that has been a Ukrainian staple for centuries. The name comes from the verb 'varyty' — to boil.
Ingredients
Soft dough with flour, water, egg and sometimes sour cream. Fillings range from mashed potato with fried onion, to salty cottage cheese, to sour cherries, to sauerkraut with mushroom.
Traditional Preparation
Dough rolled and cut into circles, filled with a cooked filling, folded into a half-moon and crimped by hand. Boiled for three to four minutes until they float.
Regional Variations
Potato-and-mushroom, cottage cheese (salt or sweet), sour cherry, sauerkraut, or blueberry in summer.
Pairings
Melted butter, sour cream, fried onion (for savoury); sour cream and sugar (for sweet).
How It Is Served
Hot, glossy with butter, with a bowl of sour cream on the side.
Did You Know
In Ukrainian folk tradition, vareniki symbolise the moon — the crescent shape and pale colour.
Vareniki at SkaZka Bali
SkaZka's vareniki are pinched by hand each morning — a mix of potato-and-mushroom, cottage cheese, and seasonal cherry.