Course | Main |
---|---|
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | Nebraska |
Created by | None/Traditionally Ethnic (Volga Germans) |
Main ingredients | Bread, Ground beef, Cabbage, Seasonings, Onion |
Variations | Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese & Mushrooms, Italian style, Jalapeños, Vegetarian [1] |
530 (Standard/"Original") [2] kcal |
A runza (also called a krautburger, or kraut pirok) is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of ground beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. [3] [4] [5] [6] Runzas can be baked into various shapes such as a half-moon, a rectangle, a round (bun), a square, or a triangle. The runzas sold by the Runza restaurant chain are rectangular while many of the bierocks sold in Kansas are round buns. [7]
The runza is a regional cuisine of Nebraska, with some commentators calling it "as Nebraskan as Cornhusker football." [8] It is served by the Nebraska Society of Washington, D.C., [9] and the Nebraska Society of New York [10] at their Taste of Nebraska events and was chosen to represent the state at Flavored Nation, an event serving iconic dishes from all fifty states. [11]
The runza sandwich originated from the pirog , an Eastern European baked good [4] [12] or more specifically from its small version, known as pirozhok (literally "little pirog"). In the 18th century, Volga Germans (ethnic Germans who settled in the Volga River valley in the Russian Empire at the invitation of Catherine the Great because of their skill in farming [13] ), adapted the pirog /pirozhok to create the bierock, a yeast pastry sandwich with similar savory ingredients. [4] [12] When the political climate turned against the Volga Germans as part of Russification [14] including the threat of conscription into the Russian army beginning in 1871, [13] many emigrated to the United States, creating communities across the Great Plains. [15] [13] [16] [17] These immigrants, including the Brening family that settled near Sutton, Nebraska, brought their bierock recipes with them. [12] Sarah "Sally" Everett ( née Brening), originally of Sutton, is credited with adapting her family's bierock recipe into the runza and also inventing the name for the sandwich. [4] [12] [3] [18] [19] In 1949, Everett went into business selling runzas with her brother Alex [20] in Lincoln, founding the Runza restaurant chain. [18] [3] [4]
Many sources agree that Sally Everett invented the name "runza" [18] [3] [12] although it is likely she adapted it from an existing name for the sandwich; either the krautrunz, [18] an older, different German name for the bierock, or the Low German runsa, [12] meaning "belly", alluding to the gently rounded shape of the pouch pastry. The modern German ranzen, also meaning satchel, derives from runsa. The word "runza" is registered as a trademark in the United States, held by the Runza restaurant chain. [21]
The cuisine of the American Midwest draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas, and is influenced by regionally and locally grown foodstuffs and cultural diversity.
An apple pie is a pie in which the principal filling is apples. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream, custard or cheddar cheese. It is generally double-crusted, with pastry both above and below the filling; the upper crust may be solid or latticed. The bottom crust may be baked separately ("blind") to prevent it from getting soggy. Deep-dish apple pie often has a top crust only. Tarte Tatin is baked with the crust on top, but served with it on the bottom.
A sausage roll is a savoury dish, popular in current and former Commonwealth nations, consisting of sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry. Although variations are known throughout Europe and in other regions, the sausage roll is most closely associated with British cuisine.
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a filling and cooked in boiling water. They are occasionally flavored with a savory or sweet garnish. Typical fillings include potato, cheese, quark, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushrooms, fruits, and/or berries. Savory pierogi are often served with a topping of sour cream, fried onions, or both.
Pirozhki are Eastern European baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings. Pirozhki are a popular street food and comfort food in Eastern Europe.
Cheesecake is a dessert made with a soft fresh cheese, eggs, and sugar. It may have a crust or base made from crushed cookies, graham crackers, pastry, or sometimes sponge cake. Cheesecake may be baked or unbaked, and is usually refrigerated.
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Beef Wellington is a steak dish of English origin, made out of fillet steak coated with pâté and duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, then baked. Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in prosciutto, or dry-cured ham to retain its moisture and prevent it from becoming soggy.
Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct ethnolinguistic groups found throughout the Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that compose Filipino cuisine are from the food traditions of various ethnolinguistic groups and tribes of the archipelago, including the Ilocano, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, Visayan, Chavacano, and Maranao ethnolinguistic groups. The dishes associated with these groups evolved over the centuries from a largely indigenous base shared with maritime Southeast Asia with varied influences from Chinese, Spanish, and American cuisines, in line with the major waves of influence that had enriched the cultures of the archipelago, and adapted using indigenous ingredients to meet local preferences.
Bierock is a yeast dough pastry pocket sandwich with savory filling, originating in Russia. The dish is common among the Volga German community in the United States and Argentina. It was brought to the United States in the 1870s by German Russian Mennonite immigrants. It has developed strong cultural associations with the cuisine of the Midwestern United States.
Nancy Silverton is an American chef, baker, restaurateur, and author. The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.
The cuisine of Omaha reflects the heritage and culture of Omaha, Nebraska.
Pirog is a baked case of dough with either sweet or savory filling. The dish is common in Eastern European cuisines.
A coulibiac is a type of pirog usually filled with salmon or sturgeon, rice or buckwheat, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, onions, and dill. The pie is baked in a pastry shell, usually of brioche or puff pastry.
Runza Restaurant is an American fast food restaurant chain in the Midwestern United States whose flagship menu item is the runza sandwich.
La Casa Pizzaria is a family-owned restaurant brand located in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1953, the original La Casa location is the oldest operating pizzeria in Omaha, and is widely considered iconic to the city. Its neon sign depicts the mascot Peppi, and is listed as an Omaha Landmark by the Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. In 2016, Alexander Payne cameoed the restaurant in the film Downsizing. As of 2023, the brand operates 3 restaurants throughout Omaha and has received praise for its unique style of pizza.
Some bake them in a round shape. Some make them rectangular.
What do you do when you live 1,252 miles from Nebraska and you suddenly have a craving for a Runza or a slice of Valentino's pizza? You order them flown in, of course. That's exactly what the Nebraska Society of New York plans to do for its Nebraska food extravaganza in New York City Sunday.