Pie is a unique national product that amazingly has reached modern times without any major changes.

Pies used to be prepared mostly for feasts or special events. For each holiday there was a special kind of pie.

Sponge Dough and Straight Dough

In the old times for making pies always used the yeast sponge dough. Today mostly straight dough is used. All components are mixed in at the same time. But pies made with sponge dough used to be considered more decadent and tasty. Puff pastry was also made using sponge dough. It was rolled several times and was covered in several layers with softened butter.

Sweet Pies

The dough for sweet pies was not kneaded too tough, and was rolled thick. For fillings were used berries, fruit and jams. To make sure that fruit and berry juice did not leak out of the dough, the bottom a sweet pie had to be thicker than usual, and on the top you had to leave several holes – for the liquid to evaporate. Also popular were pies with poppy seeds and cottage cheese.

With Vegetables or Porridge

Vegetable fillings, the same as mushroom ones, were often used during a lent. Different kinds of vegetables were used – cabbage, turnips, onions, carrots, peas, potatoes and sorrel. But the most, perhaps, traditional type of stuffing was porridge – made of buckwheat, rice, or sago. It was put in pies by itself, or in combination with onions, eggs, meat or fish.

Meat and Fish Pies

Meat for pie filling was rarely especially prepared. Mostly for pie fillings were used chopped up pieces of boiled meat left over from cooking other dishes. For fish stuffing used boneless fish fillets, pre-boiled them and then finely chopped as well. Raw fish was rarely used.

Stuffed Buns

Russian stuffed buns appeared when it became important to bring some wholesome food along if you were going to be gone for a while. It was a form of fast food, convenient and healthy. After all, a Russian stuffed bun is a lunch of a Russian person in miniature: bread, soup and porridge. They were taken to work, on a long journey, given to small children, the elderly and the poor.

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