Catherine the Great & the Volga Germans

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RECIPE
For the dough:
1 ½ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup (60ml) warm water
6 cups (720g) Flour
2/3 cup (135g) Sugar
1 ½ teaspoons Salt
1 ½ cups (350ml) Milk
10 tablespoons (140g) Butter cut up and at room temperature
2 Eggs, lightly beaten

For the filling:
2-3 tablespoons oil for frying
1 large Yellow Onion, diced
1 pound (450g) lean ground beef
1/2 cup (150) sauerkraut drained
1 large head of Cabbage, shredded
1 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds
Salt and Pepper to taste
2-4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Heat the milk to 180°F then remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter. Let the mixture cool to 120°F.
2. Activate the yeast by mixing it with 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar.
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together, then add the yeast, eggs, and milk/butter mixture. Form a dough and knead until smooth, adding flour when necessary to make it workable. It should still remain a sticky dough. Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover, letting it rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Then punch down the dough and let it rise a second time.
4. While the dough rises, heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the yellow onion. Cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the cabbage and let it cook down for a couple minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for several minutes, tasting and adjusting spice as it cooks. Once cooked, set the filling aside to cool completely.
5. Once the dough is fully risen, divide it into 15 equal pieces and form them into balls. Roll each ball out into a circle 6 inches in diameter. Place 1/3 cup of cooled filling into the center of each disk of dough and gather up the sides to form a parcel, pinching the dough together in the center.
6. Set the bierocks on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between each, then cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
7. Once risen, bake the bierocks, 1 sheet at a time, in the oven at 350°F for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the tops begin to brown. Remove them from the oven and brush with melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Subtitles: Jose Mendoza | IG @worldagainstjose

PHOTO CREDITS
Pirozhki: Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels

#tastinghistory

[sarabian]

"What do Catherine the Great and the State of Kansas have in common?” - I assumed she had a wayward son that carried on.

[isaacschmitt]

So, I didn't know what this was until you said "cabbage burger, " and then a flood of childhood memories came flooding in. My adoptive family are Volga German-Americans, and every year we had two big family get-togethers: one on or around the 4th of July and one over New Years. All the moms, grandmas, and aunts would gather in the kitchen and craft the most wonderful food, and among them would be cabbage burgers. I can still taste them to this day despite not having eaten one for for nearly twenty years. I'll have to pull out the family cook book and make some!

[lasanimasaussies]

I was born in Kansas, and grew up on these. Wonderfully they freeze well once baked. I’m an old man and live alone. I usually make batches of 24, eat a few and freeze the balance for a quick microwave meal. And yes, I’m of German descent.

[AlexisDE]

German here: so many recipes where it calls for cabbage it will also call for caraway seeds because the caraway seeds help prevent bloating from the cabbage so they are very often used together. Usually we use the whole seeds thought, not ground caraway seed powder. And yes, whole seeds get stuck in your teeth but it’s a very different flavor to ground

[kahisawheel]

I love how this is a history channel disguised (very competently) as a cooking channel.

[KB-lrpi]

"I could eat all of these. Not in one sitting... but in two!" "I might eat all of them - don't judge me." So relatable! And the best endorsement of a recipe I've ever heard.

[mindykepfield]

I am screaming with joy. I am a Volga German from Kansas and Nebraska where they are called Runzas. Thank you for honoring the overlooked foods of the heartland. Love you.

[clairevandenberg]

Tomorrow, September 22, I am serving Bierocks for 35 elderly resident if St Marks senior living facility in Keuka lake. Thank you, Max. The ingredients were a gift from local farmers. We have onions fresh from the muck field, cabbages from up the hill, beef from Charley Ancestral French cattle that are creamy white, and spices from the Mennonite folks up the road. I added garlic too, because it speaks to me.

It is a local habit to have mustard and horseradish with beef dishes, so that will be available in the tables.

[toddjohnson]

My mom made these. Her parents were Volga Germans. I don't think she used any sauerkraut and instead of putting the mustard in the rolls, we dipped them in mustard as we ate them. She called them cabbage pockets.

[olegschmidt]

Oh shit, I am Volga German! Never would‘ve expected an episode on us! In a book detailing our family history, we have quite a large section on Catherine the Great and her part in us coming to Russia

[laurairving]

When you asked, “What does Catherine the Great and Kansas have in common?” I was (internally) jumping up and down and raising my hand high!!! Volga Germans! My people! Thanks so much for an excellent overview of their history! And I agree, Bierocks are excellent!

[Leonecta]

Volga Germans descendant here! 🙌🏻 From the ones that settled in Argentina. We call these Pirok, and boy, oh boy, are they a trademark of my family's cuisine. Eating this meal immediately throws me back decades to my childhood. Thank you for making this video. :')

[susanshaffer]

Dear Max, I'm writing to say "You nailed it!!!" Thanks for doing a video on my people. We call ourselves Germans from Russia. My grandparents immigrated from Russia in 1905 and settled in Colorado to farm. Both my parents, though born in Colorado, spoke German as their first language. My father was in the Military Police in the US Army during WWII because he was English-German bilingual. I grew up in California but remember the best days were when my mom made Kraut Burgers for dinner. It was quite an undetaking because she started by making the dough. My dad did not like caraway seeds so asked that she leave those out. She did not use sauerkraut either but just cabbage, onions and meat She rolled out the dough just like you did but brought four corners up over the mixture and pinched them together. Looked like X on top.
My husband, a history PhD, and I love your show and watch it all the time. You are a delight. You really brought the past alive for me today!

[EyreAffair]

Fun fact: There's an entire town in Kansas named after Catherine the Great called "Catharine". Volga German immigrants founded and settled Catharine in April 1876, naming it after Katharinenstadt, the town they came from in Russia. Katharinenstadt was the economic center of the German colonies in Russia, and home to many Roman Catholics.

[tjr]

As my high school history teacher always said, “Runza! It’s a meal in a bunza!”. Definitely one of my favorite fast food restaurants!

[jdechant]

I am soooo excited to have found your video! My father is 100% Volga-German, born and bred in Kansas, and even though I know the history and have eaten the food, it's so exciting to see someone else talk about it! Thanks for promoting our ethnicity 😊

[Hephesus]

I am Argentinian of Volga German descent and there is a "sister" town to our village in Kansas. I was surprised to find someone covering our history in YouTube.

[marceloescamilla]

Max voraciously eating a childhood comfort food is such a mood

[PokhrajRoy.]

“What do Catherine the Great and the State of Kansas have in common?” - You know this is going to be a fun adventure which is like a Tuesday on this channel lmao

[Toad-In-A-Puddle]

Runzas were a frequent lunch offering from our school cafeteria in the 70's. (Colorado...close to Nebraska). That was always our favorite day to buy hot lunch, as we usually took a sack lunch. Runza day at school was definitely a treat!