IN SEARCH OF THE GREAT ALBERTA PEROGY

By CINDA CHAVICH

(EDMONTON, AB) - By the time I reach the world’s largest perogy (aka pyrogy), a massive, 6,000-pound fiberglass dumpling skewered on an oversized fork in downtown Glendon, Alberta, I have eaten potato and cheese dumplings at four different places in just over 24 hours.

And while it’s already time to turn my car around and head back to Edmonton, I’ve driven nearly three hours to Alberta’s perogy capital, so I must order the Ukrainian plate one last time.

Not only is this one of the prettiest plates of perogies I’ve encountered on my drive through Kalyna Country, the dumplings made by local Ukrainian cook Iris Drapaka are delicious, light and plump, with lots of fried onions and thick chunks of smoky bacon on top. There’s even a couple of traditional mushroom-filled perogies on the plate – a tasty change from the standard potato and cheddar cheese versions that are ubiquitous.

Kalyna Country is a rural region northeast of Edmonton that is the site of the largest “bloc” settlement of ethnic Ukrainians outside of Ukraine. It was in the late 1800s when most of these Ukrainian immigrants arrived, lured by the Canadian government’s promise of a free quarter section of land to any family that would clear and farm it. They settled in an area of east central Alberta that’s been dubbed an “ecomuseum” by area residents, a region where you’ll still find a perogy dinner almost any weekend in a church hall and real, hand-painted pysanka (Easter eggs) in the gift stores.

The pretty village of Vilna, with it’s oversized metal mushroom sculpture dedicated to the Slavic tradition of foraging for wild mushrooms, is worth a stop for the beautifully restored historic main street. Not only do they have Alberta’s oldest pool hall and barber shop – complete with antique snooker and billiard tables, ready for playing – Vilna Foods, with its false brick facade, pressed tin ceiling and wooden floors looks almost as it might have when Ukrainian families shopped here for supplies a century ago (and you can buy local kubassa from the deli case).

There’s another massive monument to Ukrainian food culture in this tiny town, too – a gigantic, 42-foot loop of kubassa erected in honor of the Stawnichy family and their famous Mundare Sausage. This is where all of their lean smoked ham sausage is made and the storefront in the front of the processing plant is worth a stop. Not only can you buy a ring of their award-winning sausage – named the best in the land in 2000 at the National Kubassa Tasting Competition – their freezers are filled with their own frozen perogies, cabbage rolls and kubbie burgers (really, they’re hamburger-type patties made from Mundare sausage meat). It’s one stop shopping for your next Ukrainian feast, and they’ll even give you a tour of the sausage-making operation on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Across the street, at the Mundare Bakery, you’ll find more homemade perogies, borscht, nalesnyky (cottage cheese crepes) and cabbage rolls in the freezer and Polish pastries like poppyseed roll and prune-filled pampushky.

Down the street at M&M’s Kosy Kitchen, Margaret McPhee and Marlene Roy’s menu includes a $12 Ukrainian Platter, with homemade perogies, Mundare sausage, tiny rice-filled cabbage rolls and plastic pots of sour cream and simulated bacon bits. It’s not the best food I’ve encountered, but it is Ukrainian, even though neither of them are.

The real jewel of the area for anyone interested in Ukrainian history and culture is the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, a provincial historic site where costumed interpreters reinact the lives of the real individuals who once occupied the homes and buildings collected here.

In Edmonton, you have a variety of choices if you want to put a perogy on your plate. At the Hardware Grill, the contemporary regional restaurant right downtown, Larry Stewart has created his own ode to the traditional perogy, an upscale dumpling filled with truffled potatoes and served with house-smoked salmon and salmon caviar.

For a more traditional feed, head to the newly opened Mundare Sausage house deli and attached Uncle Ed’s Restaurant, featuring their own Ukrainian creations. Or try a fast food style perogy plate in the West Edmonton Mall, or a deep-fried perogy appetizer at Swiss Chalet.

At the Saturday Strathcona or St. Albert markets, visit Two Bubba’s & A Stove for ready-to-cook homemade perogies and baked perishke with creamy dill sauce, created by the Wiltzen family of Sherwood Park. With both Angie and Tim Wiltzen and Tim’s mother pinching each perogy by hand at home, it might be as close to baba’s cooking as you’ll get.

ON THE ROAD

Plan for a weekend to explore the Ukrainian culture in and around Edmonton.

From the city, head east on Highway 16 where you’ll see the historic buildings of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village just 50 km outside of town (www.cd.gov.ab.ca/uchv) . Highlighting Ukrainian settlement in this area, between 1892 and 1930, it has authentic thatch-roofed houses, churches and businesses, moved from local farms and communities in the area, and the best Ukrainian gift store in the area.

Mundare is further along Highway 16 and you can stop at Stawnichy’s Meat Processing for a tour and taste (780-764-3912). Vegreville is the next major community along this route – see the world’s largest Easter egg and try the French vegetarian cuisine at the Station Cafe in the historic train station (780-603-5822) or eat with the rest of the Ukrainian babas at Vitos Italian.

Overnight outside of Vegreville at the comfortable Barn Loft Inn, in one of their new loft suites on the farm (www.bbcanada.com, 780-632-3345).

Then head north on Highway #857, past Willingdon, Shandro and the shining onion domes of the Dickiebush Greek Orthodox Church. Follow Highway #28 east to Vilna, then 28A to Glendon, and have lunch at the Pyrogy Park Cafe.

Head back toward Edmonton on Highway #28 west, but turn south on Highway #831 through Star, then west past Bruderheim before returning to the city, to see some of Lamont County’s historic Ukrainian churches.

Eat upscale perogies at the Hardware Grill (9898 Jasper Ave.) or have a traditional Ukrainian meal, with Mundare sausage at Uncle Ed’s Restaurant (4824 118 Ave.) or Taste of Ukraine (12210 Jasper Ave.)

(a version of this story appeared in Avenue magazine - fall 2006)

©Cinda Chavich

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