7th Pierogi Festival     With meat, cheese, fruit or maybe Russian style? That is a tough choice and in many Polish houses there is a continual discussion which type of pierogi are the best. Cracovian restaurant owners decided to solve (or maybe complicate) this situation and organised the 7th edition of the Pierogi Festival in Krakow which is one of the tastiest events in the city. This great feast of pierogi will take place between 14th and 16th August in the Mały Rynek Square. Hungry Cracovians and the visitors of the city, apart from tasting real gourmet dishes, will have a chance to observe culinary artistry of restaurateurs who will enter a competition for the best pierogi. The prizes are: the statue of King Casimir the Great (the public vote) and the statue of Saint Hyacinth with pierogi (jury vote). The person of Saint Hyacinth is not accidental here. In the past, the saint would walk the streets of Krakow and distribute among the poor people of the city pierogi which were considered a very luxurious dish at the time (some people still hold this opinion today). Even though they have been present for centuries in Polish tradition, the pierogi have Chinese origins. Marco Polo, a famous traveller, brought them to Europe and today they often appear on Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Chinese, Japanese and Italian tables. In each country, however, they have different forms and fillings which sometimes seem a bit exotic.
In Poland alone there are many types of pierogi and all of them will definitely appear during the Festival. That is why anyone who likes eating should take part in this extra-ordinary event.