pirozhki

English

Alternative forms

• piroshki, piroschki
• pyrizhky (from Ukrainian); perieschkje (among Mennonites)

Etymology

From Russian пирожки́ (pirožkí), plural of пирожо́к (pirožók), which is in turn a diminutive of пиро́г (piróg, “pie”). (In Russian Mennonite communities, borrowed first into Plautdietsch in Russia and Ukraine, and then taken from Plautdietsch into English in the US.) Doublet of pyrizhky and perieschkje.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɒʒkɪ/, /pɪˈɹɒʃkɪ/

Noun

pirozhki

pirozhki (countable and uncountable, plural pirozhki or pirozhkis) (singular pirozhki or pirozhok)

1. Small pastries filled with finely chopped meat, vegetables or fruit baked or fried, from eastern European cuisine, or a serving of these.
   • 2012, Margarita Borkaev, Far Away Run the Roads, Xlibris, page 110:

     Nica handed Mark a pirazhok.
     Maybe from the extra excitement, maybe because the pirozhki really were delicious, she swallowed them both immediately.

   • 1968, Soviet Life, volumes 136-147, Embassy of the Soviet Socialist Republics in the USA, page 15:

     I have found that, at every reception or cocktail party given at our embassy, pirozhki is a favourite, second only to our Russian caviar and vodka.

   • 1887, Lev (Leo) N. Tolstoy, Nathan Haskell Dole transl., “The Two Pilgrims”, in Iván Ilyitch and Other Stories, New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., p 174:

     In the morning the people wished Yefim good-speed; they loaded him with pirozhki for his journey, and they went to their work: and Yefim started on his way.

2. A single such pastry.

Usage notes

• Russian "pirozhki" and "pirogi" and Polish pierogi (its diminutive is: "pierożki") (Polish dumplings) are often mixed up. They are different dishes. See pelmeni (Russian dumplings) for the Russian version of the Polish pierogi.
• In various regions of Ukraine these terms (пироги́, пиріжки́) may mean either the Polish "pierogi" or the Russian "pirozhki".

Related terms

• pierogi (Polish dumplings, false friends)

Translations

small pastries

• Armenian: կարկանդակ (hy) (karkandak)
• Azerbaijani: pirojok
• Belarusian: піражо́к m (piražók), піражкі́ m pl (piražkí)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小餡餅 / 小馅饼 (zh) (xiǎo xiànbǐng), 皮羅什基 / 皮罗什基 (píluōshíjī)

• Finnish: piirakka (fi) (singular), piirakat pl
• French: pirojki (fr) m
• German: (any Slavic pasty) Pirogge (de) f; (specifically, but not widely known) Piroschki n
• Greek: πιροσκί (el) n (piroskí)
• Hebrew: פִּירוֹזְ'קִי
• Hungarian: pirog (hu)
• Japanese: ピロシキ (piroshiki)
• Korean: 피로슈키 (pirosyuki)
• Macedonian: пирошка f (piroška)
• Mongolian: пирожки (pirožki), пирошки (piroški)
• Persian: پیراشکی (fa) (pirâški)
• Polish: pirożki pl
• Russian: пирожо́к (ru) m (pirožók), пирожки́ (ru) m pl (pirožkí)
• Swedish: pirog (sv) c
• Ukrainian: пиріжо́к m (pyrižók), пиріжки́ m pl (pyrižký)
• Uzbek: pirojka, pirogcha
• Yakut: бэрэски (bereski)