Ukrainian Varenyky

For many Ukrainians, including myself, varenyky are a family and communal affair, a meal synonymous with home. The plump, tender dumplings are beloved and eaten throughout Ukraine, with numerous variations on the dough, filling, and toppings. One of my earliest memories is of my family closely huddled around my grandparents’ tiny kitchen table making and eating varenyky in Mariupol, with my grandmother teaching my sisters and I how to fill and shape them. To this day, sitting down to enjoy a bowl of varenyky reminds me of cooking and feasting on dumplings with my family in her bustling, chatter-filled kitchen, a tradition I’m keeping alive here in the United States with my husband and sister.

What Are Varenyky?

“Varenyky” comes from the verb “varyty,” which means “to boil.” Traditionally, varenyky are crescent or half-moon shaped. Nowadays, many Ukrainian households also prepare triangular dumplings. Though varenyky are usually boiled, they may come steamed or fried depending on where you are in Ukraine. Savory varenyky filled with vegetables, cheese, or meat are served as a main course, while sweet, fruit-filled dumplings are reserved for dessert. In some parts of western Ukraine, varenyky are called pyrohy, which comes from “pierogi,” the Polish word for dumplings. (“Pierogi” comes from the proto-Slavic word “pir,” meaning feast.) 

Despite their popularity, varenyky are not considered an everyday food. Rather, the dumplings are reserved for special occasions, including weddings, the birth of a child, funerals, harvests, and seasonal festivals. For example, during Maslyana, a festival welcoming spring, varenyky with syr, a fresh curd cheese similar to ricotta or cottage cheese, are always eaten. The dumplings are also an essential part of Sviata Vecheria, a 12-course Ukrainian meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. These tiny varenyky are filled with minced mushrooms, are significantly smaller, and are served in a beet consomme, a dish called vushka, which means “little ear.” 

Varenyky are symbols of prosperity, and are often prepared and eaten with the intention of bringing health, fertility, and abundant harvests. Many Ukrainians believed eating varenyky during harvest would bring good fortune while also providing them with the strength needed for harvesting. 

Recipes for the dumplings vary significantly across Ukraine, and the ingredients used are often driven by what’s available regionally and seasonally, as well as local cooking traditions. The more Ukrainian cookbooks I read, the more I realize there are as many variations of varenyky as there are Ukrainians. In Zakarpattia, a region in western Ukraine, a local cheese called bryndza is used to fill the dumplings. In Lviv, a city close to the Polish border, varenyky made with a hearty spelt dough is popular. In the north, in Chernihiv, cabbage and mushroom star in the dumplings, and cooks almost always garnish varenyky with bacon crackling. In Polisia, a northern region that borders Belarus, varenyky are filled with hemp seeds and kidney beans.

Common Varenyky Fillings and Toppings

A great introduction to varenyky are the two most common savory vegetarian fillings: potato and syr. Other popular ingredients are meat, mushrooms, and sauerkraut. Savory varenyky are often served with fried salo or shkvarky (Ukrainian bacon), bacon fat, sautéed onions, and of course, buckets of smetana, a Ukrainian sour cream. Other less common savory fillings eaten throughout the country include poppy seed, sauerkraut, liver, pork, nettles, buckwheat, among many others. There are sweet fillings, too—the most popular being sour cherries and blueberries—and they are often served as dessert with sour cream, a drizzle of honey, or a sprinkle of sugar.

Varenyky Dough

Before flour was commercially available, cooks prepared varenyky with all kinds of freshly milled flours, including spelt, buckwheat, corn, barley, and rye. Today, white flour is primarily used to make varenyky dough. The only other two agreed upon ingredients are salt and water. The rest of the ingredients vary depending on the cook; browsing old Ukrainian cookbooks, I noticed numerous variations in dough ingredients. The most common ingredients, however, are milk, kefir, sour cream, butter, potatoes, syr, and eggs.

 Regardless of the abundance in fillings and subtle variations in dough, there are several important characteristics that all varenyky should have: the dough has to be tender and the dumpling needs to have the proper ratio of dough to filling so they are well-filled. The plumpness of your varenyky will depend on the filling you use. Although it might feel overwhelming to consider all the varenyky varieties, these few important characterics—the tenderness of the dough, the flavor of the fillings, and the rich toppings—will always guarantee a delicious dumpling.

How to Make Great Varenyky at Home

Make sure the dough is enriched. Unlike many other dumpling doughs, which consist of just flour, water, salt, and sometimes egg, varenyky dough is almost always enriched with sour cream, butter, milk, kefir, or oil. These fats are essential for producing a tender dough, as they coat the gluten proteins glutenin and gliadin, preventing them from forming chains that can result in a tough, chewy dough. 

There is a big schism among varenyky makers on whether or not the inclusion of an egg is necessary. The fat in the egg yolks, however—along with the ingredients mentioned above—keeps the dough soft and allows just enough gluten to develop so the dough can easily be rolled out without tearing. In my recipe below, I call for butter, egg, and sour cream, which produces a sturdy yet tender dough.

Knead the dough by hand—and incorporate flour gradually. Though we do want some gluten development to provide structure for the dumpling wrappers, I recommend hand-kneading the dough to  minimize the risk of developing too much gluten. Here, I recommend incorporating the flour gradually; adding too much flour at once makes it harder to incorporate, and as you knead and knead, the dough becomes too tough for varenyky. As you gradually add the flour you begin to feel the difference in the consistency and can stop adding flour when the dough starts feeling just a tad too stiff.  

I developed this recipe using King Arthur Baking’s all-purpose flour, which has a protein percentage of 11.7%. As former Serious Eats editor Kristina Razon wrote in her guide to flours, the higher a flour’s protein content, the more gluten the dough can potentially develop. If you are using a flour with a lower protein percentage, you may need to use additional flour and knead for a little longer. The final dough should feel as if you are grabbing an unflexed muscle like a bicep or calf: the dough should be soft with just a tiny bit of resistance.

Use a fresh cheese if possible. I recommend making this recipe with syr, which is the most traditional filling and will result in dumplings that most closely resemble the ones I grew up eating. The enemy here is moisture, since we don’t want a runny filling, you will want to eliminate as much moisture from the filling as you can. Excess moisture makes it difficult to properly seal the dumpling; it can also make the dough wet and sticky, compromising the dumpling’s structure during the cooking process. A firmer filling is more compact and easier to work with, making it possible to squeeze more filling into the wrapper. . 

If you can’t find syr, a farmer cheese, quark, and cottage cheese is a great alternative. I recommend straining the cottage cheese for at least 24 hours before mixing the filling to remove as much moisture as possible. Keep the filling cold and only remove it from the fridge once you are ready to shape your varenyky, as it’s much easier to work with the cheese when it’s cold. A popular spin on this traditional filling is to add fresh chopped herbs such as dill to the filling, a favorite of many Ukrainians. 

Salt your cooking water. You want to make sure the water is well-salted, similar to pasta. This seemingly unimportant step can impact the final flavor of the dumplings you worked so hard on. Gently stir the water when adding the dumplings to the boiling water to ensure none stick to the bottom of the pot, which can tear the dough.

Avoid overcooking. Overcooked varenyky will be much too soft, and are also more likely to break during the cooking process. The dumplings are done once they float to the top. Sometimes, air can get trapped in the dumpling; the air pockets can cause dumplings to float prematurely. To compensate for that and ensure the dumplings are properly cooked, I boil my varenyky for an additional minute once they float.

Don’t forget the toppings. The toppings are as important as the filling and the dough. It’s an unspoken rule: You always dress the dumplings in unsalted butter before serving them, which brings extra richness and flavor to the final dish. Another essential component, as mentioned above, is sour cream. Other popular toppings include chopped fresh herbs like dill and parsley, caramelized or fried onions, garlic, and bacon crackling. 

Varenyky is a labor of love, and a joy to make from beginning to end, especially if your friends and family are involved. Though I no longer live in Ukraine, I channel my grandmother by teaching friends how to shape dumplings. It is, I think, the most fun and delicious way to share a meal with those you love.