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About our Pelmeni and Varenyky

Traditional Russian Varenyky and Pelmeni in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius have been produced for hundreds of years – simple and healthy food with lenten and modest filling options was previously made in small quantities and exclusively for the fraternal refectory. A few years ago, Pelmeni and Varenyky were produced for the monastery’s cafes and restaurants, and the monastery’s retail outlets. You can try them at the restaurant “Gostevaya Izba”, and you can buy them at the Monastery store on Krasnogorskaya Square of Sergiev Posad. We do not deliver to any third-party stores and catering establishments as the volume of our handmade products is limited – 40-50 kg per day.

Every morning, the production of Pelmeni and Varenyky starts with the preparation of dough in the workshop. Only about 25 kg of dough is kneaded, using high-quality flour from local farms and water sourced from the purest natural source. The dough is separated, then packaged and rolled out into very thin circles using a special machine. These circles are then manually cut into the perfect shape to serve as the base for Pelmeni and Varenyky. The filling is made in our workshop's kitchen which is specially equipped. Customers can enjoy Pelmeni with three types of fillings: meat, fish, and squid.

The first two recipes are traditional. We add pork, beef, onion, salt, and black pepper to our meat Pelmeni. We buy our meat at local farms that feed their animals only healthy foods. For our fish Pelmeni, we use minced meat made from a blend of a large pikeperch and a large roach which are supplied from Rybinsk reservoir. During the off-season from September to November, when fishing is prohibited, we use carp instead of roach for our fish Pelmeni. The secret to our Lavra recipe for fish Pelmeni lies in the quality of the fish itself.

Firstly, the fish is sourced from verified farms that grow fish on natural feeds or catch it in ecologically clean places. Secondly, the key to the exceptional taste of the fish Pelmeni lies in the proportion and combination of species. Minced meat is made up of about 60% of pikeperch and 40% of roach or carp. The carp and roach have a sweet taste. This taste combined with pikeperch, gives Pelmeni an exceptional aroma and a very pleasant taste. In addition, all three types of fish have bright white meat, which looks very natural and beautiful after boiling.

The recipe for the Pelmeni with squid is a new invention by the technologists at “Sergiev Kanon” production. This recipe is still a secret. The only thing that is revealed is that the squid is sourced from the Far East. The filling is very tasty, and residents of Sergiev Posad and visitors of the “Gostevaya Izba” restaurant have already had the pleasure of tasting it. There is always an increased demand for these exotic Pelmeni in the Krasnogorskaya Square store and in the “Gostevaya Izba” restaurant.

There are even more fillings for Varenyky. We use cottage cheese, cherries, potatoes with mushrooms, and cabbage.

One of the oldest monastery recipes is the recipe for sauerkraut Pelmeni, which is also produced under the brand name "Sergiev Kanon”. The cabbage that we use is grown near the ancient Russian city of Uglich, fertilized with pure quail manure, without any nitrates or nitrites.

The only downside of Lavra Varenyky and Pelmeni are limited production volumes: only 40-50 kg of homemade Varenyky and Pelmeni is definitely not enough to please everyone who wants to try these dishes. They are also made according to traditional Russian recipes preserved in the monastery. However, we are already building new construction facilities, and we expect that over 2-3 years the production of Varenyky and Pelmeni under the “Sergiev Kanon” brand will expand.