Pierogi Pizza a regional Lenten staple
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - A Pierogi Pizza from The Pizza Shop in Shenandoah.
SHENANDOAH – All of the typical ingredients found in pierogies, but on a pizza pie. A concept largely unfamiliar in other parts of the state and country, but, especially this time a year, it’s a staple in the Shenandoah area.
Some pizza places serve it up year round, while others only serve it for Lent, providing an option for Christian faithful throughout the season.
The Pizza Shop on South Main Street has served pierogi pizza since at least 2010, according to Mike Creasy, the shop’s owner.
He said the addition came partially because of his wife and daughter at the time. Those two, he said, have been the source of numerous ideas for the shop.
It’s sold year-round and, through the 2010’s, it was a hit at local events, like Kielbasi Fest and the Polish American Block Party.
Creasy said the pizza is made with a homemade three-cheese pierogi filling, topped with mozzarella and sharp cheddar for color.
He added that he’s made it as a stromboli, too.
“We’ve never made a pierogi hoagie, though,” Creasy joked.
What we know locally as pierogi pizza, largely inspired by the Polish delicacy Shenandoah is known for, it coincides with pagach, a Lenten dish developed in the Slavic regions of Europe.
Numerous other pizza places in northern Schuylkill County have pierogi pizza on the menu, either year-round or seasonally.
They are:
- Carini’s, Mahanoy City;
- Little Village, Sheppton;
- The Pizza Place, Frackville;
- Original Italian Pizza, Saint Clair;
- Steward’s Store, Sheppton – Seasonal, check their Facebook page;
- Old Thyme Warehouse, Ashland – Seasonal, Friday’s in Lent;
- 2nd Street Pizza, Frackville – a variation of their weekly Deep Dish Pizza offered Wednesdays.
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