Pierogi casseroles have been popular on AllFreeCasseroleRecipes.com lately, so I’ve been thinking about pierogi a lot. When I went to a Polish restaurant a few weeks ago, my decision was easy – “I’ll have the pierogi, please.” (They were delightful, by the way). So, because I had pierogi on the brain, that got me thinking about a similar food: dumplings, another popular item on AllFreeCasseroleRecipes. And since I’m Italian, naturally I started thinking about gnocchi, too. So, with these three items bouncing around in my head, I came up with this question: Are pierogi, dumplings, and gnocchi the same food but come from different ethnic backgrounds? I decided to find out.
Bottom Line: All pierogi and gnocchi are dumplings, but not all dumplings are pierogi and gnocchi.
Dumplings
A dumpling can be many things. It’s basically a cooked ball of dough made from flour, potatoes, or bread, and filled with meat, veggies, or sweets. Dumplings can be boiled, steamed, fried, or baked. Different countries have their own versions of dumplings. China has wontons, Africa has fufu, Poland has pierogi, Italy has gnocchi, and so on and so forth. Here are a few recipes from AllFreeCasseroleRecipes that use dumplings:
Chicken Noodle and Dumpling Casserole
Pierogi
Pieorgi are a specific type of dumpling which originated in Eastern Europe. They are made from flour and water; are boiled and then baked or fried; and are traditionally filled with potato, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit. The singular form is pierog, but since we typically refer to multiple at a time, the plural form, pierogi, is most often used. Here are some of our most popular pierogi casseroles:
Baked Pierogie Casserole (from The Fresh Plate)
Gnocchi
Gnocchi are Italian-style soft dumplings that are traditionally made with potato and flour. There are many variations that come from different regions. A big difference between gnocchi and other dumplings is that they’re not really filled with anything. Instead of putting a filling inside of the dough, the “filling” ingredients are mixed with the dough, and a ball is formed afterward. These small dumplings stand out among the rest.
Crab and Gnocchi Mac and Cheese
Garlicky Gnocchi & Bacon Gratin
Baked Ricotta Gnocchi (from Danica’s Daily)
So, there ya have it. There are many types of dumplings, including pierogi and gnocchi, which come from different ethnic origins. I hope you enjoyed learning about the differences. I know I did.
What’s your favorite type of dumpling?
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It’s only recently that I made chicken & dumplings. so I searched various websites for a good dumpling recipe. I have not come across a dumpling recipe where the dumpling was sruffed with anything, so I found your definition of a dumpling very interesting. From what I gathered, a dumpling is either a ball or a strip of seasoned dough, which is added and cooked on top of a soup or stew just before it’s done. Your version sounds terrific, so what might I stuff the dumplings with? BTW I’m Polish, and my favorite Pierogis are the ones which are stuffed with seasoned mashed potatoes & cheese. I serve them with caramalized onions & sour cream on top (after I cook them in water and then saute them in butter). I have yet to try making Gnoccihi. I better work on that, as I’m married to an Italian fellow. .
You pierogi sound delicious! You could try stuffing the dumplings with potatoes and cheese as well.
Liver Dumpling Soup
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
Soup:
2 pounds meaty beef neckbones or 1 pound beef chuck or other soup meat
1 large finely chopped onion
2 large peeled carrots
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 rib celery
Salt and pepper to taste
Liver Dumplings:
1 pound calf liver, gristle and veins removed, and ground twice
1 large egg
1/2 clove minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (more or less)
Milk if too thick
Preparation:
To make the soup: In a large saucepan, place beef neckbones, onion, carrots, tomato paste, celery and 6 cups water. Cook until meat is tender. Strain, reserving the broth. Return broth to the saucepan and adjust seasonings.
To make the dumplings: In a large bowl, combine liver, egg, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and bread crumbs, adjusting with milk if too thick. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Bring broth to a boil and drop dumplings in. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 15 minutes.
While dumplings are cooking, cut meat from bones and into bite-sized pieces, cut carrots and celery into bite-sized pieces. When dumplings are cooked, return meat and vegetables to soup, if desired, but most Czech liver dumpling soups feature a clear broth.