Americas Varieties of pirozhki were brought to the Americas by
Volga Germans. Known today as
bierock,
pirok or
runza, they belong to several regional cuisines in the United States,
Canada and
Argentina. The populous Russian diaspora which came to the Americas as a consequence of the
Russian Revolution, the
Russian Civil War, and (much later) the
collapse of the Soviet Union, brought with them the more classic Russian versions of pirozhki.
Balkans The
Greek variety () is popular in parts of Greece, in particular in
Northern Greece, as brought by
Pontic Greeks, and in most big cities, where they are sold, most in the past time but also less still today, as a type of fast food in specialty shops called Piroski shops, selling piroski exclusively. The Greek come fried with many different stuffings, such as Greek
feta cheese or Greek
kasseri cheese or minced meat or
mashed potato or mix of
feta cheese and
ham or other filling. In
Serbia the local variety are cylindrical pastries called / (). They are stuffed with fillings such as ground spiced meat mix of
pork and
veal or cottage cheese, and with
kulen, tomato sauce and herbs. Alternatively they are made from breaded
crepes with variety of fillings. In
Croatia, the name (sing.), (pl.) was derived from
pirog, and refers to a kind of
uštipci.
Baltics In
Latvia, crescent-shaped buns of leavened dough called (literally, "fatback tarts") or (often referred to in diminutive or colloquially simply or ) are traditionally filled with smoked
fatback and onion. Other fillings are also possible. However the name is not exclusive to these buns, but can refer to variety of other pastries, such as
pies and
turnovers. were often eaten as lunch by farmers and shepherds working the fields. Estonians (and Finns) too have this tradition. The or are fairly small in size and have regional variations in respect to fillings. They are usually made with puff pastry. Open pies covering the scale of whole baking tray are also popular, more similar to American pies. Many recipes exist, with meat, cabbage,
carrots,
rice, egg and other fillings and filling mixtures also being used. Sweet fillings are as popular as savory with fillings like apple, various berries,
marzipan, various spices and jam.
South Caucasus The Russian variant of pirozhki is a common fast food in
Armenia and
Azerbaijan. In Armenia it often contains a potato or seasoned meat filling. In Azerbaijan it is usually made with jam, mashed potatoes, or ground beef.
Central Asia Pirozhki are common as fast food on the streets of the Central Asian countries in
Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan,
Kyrgyzstan, where they were introduced by the Russians. They are also made by many Russians and non-Russians at home.
Finland The
Finnish version is the similar , a popular street food made with donut dough, minced meat and rice.
Iran The
Iranian version, ( ), is often consumed as an appetizer or as a street food. It is commonly filled with pastry cream, but potato and meat fillings are also available.
Japan The dish was introduced to Japan by
White Russian refugees who sought shelter there after the
Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. A localized Japanese version, called (), are predominantly fried, use fillings such as ground meat, boiled egg,
bean noodles, and spring onion, and are commonly breaded with
panko before frying, in the manner of Japanese . Another popular variation is filled with
Japanese curry and is quite similar to
karē-pan, which is itself said to be inspired by pirozhki.
Mongolia Pirozhki is common as fast food in
Mongolia, and it is made throughout the country by families at home. ==See also==