I don’t actually use the word “perogie”. That’s an anglicized Polish word. I guess the Polish were the first to mass market the dumplings of Eastern Europe.

Ukrainians call their dumplings “varenyky”. But, it my family, we have still a different word. We call our dumplings “pedaheh”.

The weird stares we get when we say this have pushed us to search high and low for some origins of the word. All roads go back to my grandpa, who swears this is what his parents always called them.

I think our word is from an old regional dialect of rural northwestern Ukraine. What do you think?

At Christmas time I touched on the stiffness of Eastern European doughs. I’ll go back to that today because pedaheh dough is as stiff as they come.

I have two tips for dealing with them. First, pin the dough to the edge of the counter with your hip as you roll forward. This will help stretch the dough. Second, once you get your dough to 1/4-inch thick, stop flipping it. The dough will gain some traction on the countertop, making it easier to roll super thin.

Pedaheh

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream

Combine flour and salt. Mix together melted butter, egg and sour cream. Create a small well in the middle of the flour and stir in the wet mixture using your fingers. On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or overnight. Bring to room temperature before rolling.

For the filling and assembly:
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tbsp. butter
5 1/2 tbsp. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 tsp. black pepper, ground
2/3 cup aged cheddar, shredded
glass of water
butter for frying
pot of salted, boiling water