Changes

{{Cytat|How did pierogi find their way into Poland? A  legend says that Saint Hyacinth Odrowąż brought them back from Kyiv. He was captivated by their taste, which he learned to appreciate during his missionary travels to 13th-century Rus, or modern-day Ukraine. Hence the name, “pierogi ruskie”.

Potatoes being still unknown in Europe at the time, the pierogi which made such an impression on Hyacinth must have been filled with cheese and buckwheat. Another version of the legend says that, during a  famine caused by Tatar raids, the saint fed the poor with pierogi he had made himself, giving him the moniker, “Saint Hyacinth of Pierogi”.

{{Cytat|There is a  grain of truth to every legend. This one is based on the stories from the ''Life of Saint Hyacinth'' by Lector Stanislaus. The work was created in the 1350s–70s and is so far the basic source of knowledge about Saint Hyacinth’s life. The book mentions an event of 13 July 1238. Hyacinth was then invited to the village of Kościelec, 27 km away from Cracow. On that day a  violent hailstorm completely destroyed the crops in the local fields. The villagers were grief-stricken, threatened with poverty and famine. Saint Hyacinth asked them to pray. On the next day, the ears of grain rose up and the crops were saved. So much for what Lector Stanislaus says. The rest is a  legend, which says that the grateful villagers milled the grain into flour, which they used to make pierogi that were then served to Saint Hyacinth.

There is another legend, related to the Tatar raid of Cracow in 1241. It says that Saint Hyacinth fed pierogi to the Cracovians during that time. Which is plausible, as the Dominicans had well-stocked granaries and certainly aided the inhabitants of a  plundered city. We’re now gradually discovering the traces of these buildings thanks to the archeological work performed by Dr. Dariusz Niemiec.

{{Cytat|“Why, it is Saint Hyacinth who drives out the want of the hungry gap. When his memorial draws near, the barns start to fill with grain, harvest ends and you can say that hunger leaves your cottages and in comes Saint Hyacinth with his pierogi.” The poor folk understood these words and echoed the preacher: “O come, Saint Hyacinth with pierogi!” From then on, this simple folk prayer became a  common saying.

{{Cytat|<poem>On Saint Hyacinth'sHyacinth’s, you will eat a &nbsp;flat cake.On Saint Hyacinth'sHyacinth’s, you need to bake a &nbsp;flat cake.On Saint Hyacinth'sHyacinth’s, reap some oats, bake a &nbsp;flat cake.On Saint Hyacinth'sHyacinth’s, a &nbsp;flat cake of new wheat.Saint Hyacinth ate a &nbsp;flat cake with tripe.

The Polish word ''placek'', which I’ve rendered as ``flat cake" “flat cake” above, may refer to a&nbsp;variety of flat-shaped, flour-based foods, from tarts to pancakes. Whatever it means, it rhymes with ''Jacek'', the Polish equivalent of ``Hyacinth"“Hyacinth”. This makes the association between the saintly friar and all kinds of flat cakes almost obvious. With pierogi – not so much. On the one hand, we’ve got the association, dating back to the Middle Ages, between Saint Hyacinth and food of any kind – due to his reputation as feeder of the poor and to his liturgical feast day coinciding with harvest. On the other hand, associating him with this particular dish may have been humorous from the beginning; a&nbsp;joke based on the absurdity of linking the venerable figure of a&nbsp;saint with the most mundane pierogi.

``O “O Saint Hyacinth of Pierogi!" ” is a&nbsp;now largely forgotten, but once widespread Polish exclamation expressing surprise, startlement or annoyance – usually unrelated to food. We can find one of many examples of this usage in a&nbsp;19th-century Polish translation of ''Don Quixote'':

| “O Saint Hyacinth of Pierogi!”, quoth the niece, “may I perish if my uncle has not a &nbsp;mind to turn knight-errand again.”

}}. The actual English translation has ``Alas“Alas!" ” instead of ``O “O Saint Hyacinth of Pierogi!"”

It seems to be a&nbsp;minced oath – a&nbsp;saying that is devoid of any deeper meaning, but is derived from a&nbsp;religious invocation that has been altered either to avoid blasphemy, or – in modern times – as a&nbsp;joke. In English we might exclaim ``holy “holy smokes!" ” instead of ``Holy “Holy Ghost!"”, ``oh “oh my gosh" gosh” in place of ``oh “oh my God!"”, or ``zounds“zounds!" ” in lieu of ``Christ's “Christ’s wounds!" ” I find it quite likely that ``Saint “Saint Hyacinth of Pierogi" Pierogi” is the result of a&nbsp;similar alteration and an example of a&nbsp;medieval absurdist sense of humour. The legends meant to explain it arose later.

The Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development maintains a&nbsp;List of Traditional Products, which includes ''[https://www.gov.pl/rolnictwo/pierogi-koscieleckie pierogi kościelnickie,]'' or pierogi from Kościelniki, the village where Saint Hyacinth allegedly performed the miracle of saving the hailed-out crops. In Kościelniki, the filling for savory pierogi is traditionally made of cheese seasoned with a&nbsp;herb commonly known as ground-ivy. It should be noted, though, that ``traditionally" “traditionally” doesn’t necessarily mean ``for “for centuries past"past”; according to the Traditional Products Act ([http://prawo.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20050100068 Dz.U. 2005 Nr 10 poz. 68]), ``methods “methods that have been in use for at least 25 years are considered to be traditional methods of production."”

{{Cytat|As locals point out, “ground-ivy pierogi are as common in Kościelec as ground-ivy itself.” They stand out due to their taste. “It's “It’s because these pierogi taste different. Those who like herbs, they also like this kind of pierogi. Ground-ivy is king around here.” “It was once commonly used as a &nbsp;seasoning thanks to its sharp, piquant taste. It's It’s got a &nbsp;really peculiar taste and smell. It grows everywhere. <small>[...…]</small>” Ground-ivy pierogi are usually served with browned fatback or bacon, but also with clarified butter or cream. Fried fatback or bacon is also added to the filling, as well as browned onion. But, according to the locals, “everything except cheese and ground-ivy is optional.”

{{Cytat|'''Ingredients:''' pierogi dough, 4 potatoes, 1 onion, half a &nbsp;brick of twaróg (Polish farmer cheese), 1 brick of bryndza (soft brined sheep cheese), 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter, a &nbsp;handful of ground-ivy leaves and flowers, a &nbsp;bunch of chives, 2 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, ground-ivy-flavoured yogurt.

'''Preparation:''' Boil the potatoes in their skins. Peel and mash with butter, add twaróg and bryndza, chopped ground-ivy, salt and pepper. Brown the chopped onion and garlic in a &nbsp;pan, add the filling and sauté for a &nbsp;while. Roll out the dough, cut out round pockets, wrap pockets around the filling and seal. Cook in salted water. Serve drenched with melted butter and chopped chives. On the side, serve the yogurt with chopped ground-ivy.