Third Annual National Pierogy Day Receives State Declaration
HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Corbett has declared Oct. 8 Pierogy Day in the Keystone State – making the third annual National Pierogy Day even better.
Each October, America takes a moment to savor the rich history and the flavorful traditions that make pierogies one of our most treasured and tasty culinary treats. And nowhere do they love pierogies more than in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania – a state that, according to Mrs. T’s Pierogies, purchases more pierogies per capita than any other. In fact, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre are all among the top 10 U.S. markets.
Pierogies – the perfect pairing of pasta and potatoes – have been a staple of ethnic cuisine in America for over 100 years. The pierogy first arrived in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century from Eastern Europe. During the 1940’s, these smile-shaped treats – stuffed with cheese, mashed potatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, onion, and/or meat – became a mainstay of church fundraisers in ethnic neighborhoods in the Northeast and throughout the upper-Midwest.
By the early 1950’s, pierogies quickly became a popular food among Americans of all ethnicities. Ted Twardzik, Sr., founder of Mrs. T’s® Pierogies, saw this as an opportunity. For years, his mother Mary (the actual Mrs. T) and her friends, would gather around the kitchen table and make pierogies for their church. If these comfort food favorites did well at church dinners, why not try selling them in the grocery store? On October 8, 1952, Twardzik produced the company’s very first pierogy samples and delivered them to a local grocery store in Shenandoah.
- Mrs. T’s is still a family-owned company and is the largest producer of frozen pierogies in the U.S., having sold over half a billion in just 2010. That amount of pierogies:
- Could blanket both the Steelers’ and Eagles’ fields 444 times (including end zones) – now that’s coverage.
- Stacked on top of each other would equal the height of 33,333 Empire State Buildings.
- Laid end to end, is the same distance as travelling from the North Pole to the South Pole – and back again!
- Is enough to give every citizen in the top 10 pierogy-consuming cities one full box of 12 pierogies*!
What arrived in America as a family tradition among immigrants has since become a mainstream meal staple for families across the U.S. So on October 8th, help celebrate the third annual National Pierogy Day and the pierogy’s place in American culinary history.
To find out more about Mrs. T’s Pierogies, go to www.pierogies.com or visit us on Facebook.
*Calculations based on 2010 U.S. Census figures for the metropolitan populations of Pittsburgh; Harrisburg; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; Cleveland, OH; Syracuse, NY; Philadelphia; Buffalo, NY; Rochester, NY; Hartford, CT; Springfield, MA; Albany, NY; Detroit; and New York, NY.