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.
**Some of the links and other products that appear on this video are from companies which Tasting History will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Each purchase made from these links will help to support this channel with no additional cost to you. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.
Subtitles: Jose Mendoza | IG @worldagainstjose
PHOTO CREDITS
The throne at the Winter Palace: By Dr Vikramjit Kakati - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Pirog: Tatyana Smetanina ; processed by Off-shell, CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Pirozhki: Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels
Börek: O.celebi, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Runza Restaurant in Gering, Nebraska: By Egpetersen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
#tastinghistory #germancuisine #catherinethegreat

[@isaacschmitt4803]

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!

[@askelton1551]

thats a great story 🥲

[@micahphilson]

Come to Nebraska, you'll fall in love with Runza!

[@sisterspooky]

@Isaac Schmitt - _”I can still taste them to this day _*_despite not having eaten one for nearly twenty years.”_* IDK why… but that made me giggle. Imagine the taste of something lingering _that_ long on the palette. 🤭 Hey, if you make some let us know how they turn out! If the recipe is better than this one, feel free to share. I’m always up for trying something new. 😊

[@kirbyculp3449]

Do it.

[@kellysouter4381]

Lucky you.

[@sarabian1]

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

[@annamaria9073]

I mean, she had a son that completely hated her guts, so kinda?!

[@valoryj5603]

* snicker *

[@LBrobie]

good one!! 🤣

[@KelseyDrummer]

Ehehehe, nice.

[@willallen7757]

Shes dust in the wind.

[@laurairving8285]

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!

[@mrtrollnator123]

@@jestice75 to where?

[@mrtrollnator123]

@@jestice75 why?

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

Yeah people forget about the strong roots of German, Russian, polish etc in fly over country, wonder what those home lands think if they even are aware of these communities and cultures? A Scotsmen KZbinr I followed got proper impressed by the little enclaves of the Scottish in America and was equally impressed and sad that these American splinters knew Scottish history better than most folk back home do these days.

[@SIC647]

​@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus I am a Dane, and I recently learned about Solvang, a Danish-ish village in USA. I looked it up and the houses, the food served at the restaurants, rhe costumes, and generally the vibe was Danish... but in a Twillight/Stepford wives kind of way: At a first glance everything look fine, but you feel like you are in a horror movie, because it is all just a bit off (like them serving pickled herring and æbleskiver for breakfast. The first is a lunch dish, the second a dessert).

[@CheshireTheMaid]

​@@SIC647I used to live an hour south of Solvang, and I can tell you that the dessert-for-breakfast thing is because the restaurant in question kept having people ordering the æbleskiver for breakfast, and just went with it. It's a cute little town, and I've been there several times, but sadly in order to keep businesses afloat, they have had to "touristize" a bit.

[@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. :')

[@cioccolateriaveneziana]

And are the piroks the same? The same dough, filling?

[@johnryan6456]

Wow. There's a runza restaurant on Johnson drive here in Mission, Kansas. I had no idea of the historical significance.

[@dmitrynope5215]

Oh, so that's where the name comes from. Пирог (sounds like pea rock) is the Russian word for pie.

[@Gchan86]

Volga German descendant living in germany here! I absolutly love that we love on the other side of the world, but our history and food is so similiar!

[@mindykepfield4555]

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.

[@annemchurchwell]

Same here

[@seth1422]

Also a Nebraskan. I was deliriously happy to see Runza getting a shoutout. But I gotta say, his seemed a lot better. That Brioche-style crust looked goooood.

[@43warriormode98]

Same

[@TheRenwmn]

My family called them Kraut Runzas. It is interesting how they ended up being called different things.

[@Horus_the_Lupercal]

Been too long since I had one. Need to remedy that.

[@kahisawheel]

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

[@serenitymoon825]

Well, food as something that's needed for survival would be a part of history, and I love being able to learn how food was made depending on the time and culture. This channel was very much needed I think

[@annacostello5181]

I thought it was a food channel disguised as a history channel

[@chrismanuel9768]

The History of Food or The Food of History

[@Yayme4986]

It's both

[@JockMcBile]

We Nerd out. Then get to eat. My kind of Channel.

[@toddjohnson5692]

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.

[@merryressler]

My family called them cabbage pockets, too, and dipped them in homemade ketchup (which is also labor intensive, but worth it!).

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

@@merryressler Russian homemade ketchup is the best ketchup.

[@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.

[@marceloescamilla8867]

Max voraciously eating a childhood comfort food is such a mood

[@sonipitts]

One of the best moods, tbh. I am 100% here for "warm fuzzy childhood feels"

[@TheBottegaChannel]

To be fair, they are crazy amazing, heckin' addictive, and absurdly warm fuzzy inducing all in one delicious package.

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

That’s foodie paradise for sure 😂

[@jasong6027]

Such a mood? Please speak english

[@susanshaffer8574]

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!

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment, glad history lived today with you

[@richiethev4623]

Just curious do you speak German? Or did your parent's not bother teaching you??🤗

[@susanshaffer8574]

I learned my prayers in German as a very young girl and took German in high school but except for a few words and phrases it didn’t stick with me. My older brother spent his early life with German speaking relatives in Colorado and remembers more of the language.

[@drewapple6053]

Hi Susan. I enjoyed reading through your comment. My grandparents were Volga Germans in Colorado as well. Approximately where did they live? My Grandfather was born near Ault, CO and my Grandmother near Windsor, CO. I believe there were a lot of Volga Germans in this area. I took a look at the recent 1950 census that was released for this area and many of the respondents indicated they or their parents were born in Russia despite having German surnames.

[@susanshaffer8574]

@@drewapple6053 Ha ha! We’re probably related. Both my parents went to Windsor HS. We used to get the Windsor Beacon (the town newspaper) mailed to our house.

[@joshs.761]

My family are Black Sea Germans (the western brothers of the Volga Germans) and I just want to say thank you for sharing the history of my people so well.

[@jdechant930]

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 😊

[@olegschmidt7171]

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

[@daniellerichardson5900]

Hey cousin! I'm also a Volga German Schmidt (or German Roosians as we are called in the Central Valley of California)! My grandfather did lots and lots of genealogical and historical research and wrote a few small publications about our history. I'm so excited to see us featured by Max!

[@olegschmidt7171]

@@daniellerichardson5900 Yeah, the book I mentioned is my grandmothers side of the family, I believe an uncle or some such is currently working on my grandfathers side of things. Very interesting to see what a journey your family took a hundred years ago! Ironically, my parents moved back to Germany from Russia, and now we live one state from where we originally left

[@ritz_o7]

I am also a Volga German, from the Mennonite branch. My family settled in south-central Kansas. It's very cool to learn more about our history.

[@peggymason7438]

So am I!! I never expected a video on this either . My ex mother in law from hell made them and called them groutburgers. Isn't that just charming? 😵‍💫

[@JustinBarak]

This finally completes my grandpa’s incomplete explanation of why Germans were in Russia and how we ended up in the US.

[@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 KZbin.

[@Dr.ZoidbergPhD]

Argentinian of German descent 👁👄👁

[@charmingbeast7738]

@@Dr.ZoidbergPhD I was waiting for a German in Argentina joke

[@WarisAmirMohammad]

@@Dr.ZoidbergPhD lol

[@yoo571]

Aguanten los pirok

[@Justanotherconsumer]

@@charmingbeast7738 the Nazis went to Argentina because there were already a lot of Germans there, so the jokes are only funny to those who don’t know much about Argentina.

[@SwtTeaLdy]

Many Volga Germans also settled in North Dakota. Prairie Public, the PBS station in North Dakota, has a series called, "The Germans from Russia". Episodes cover their history, culture, customs and their food. It's quite interesting to watch and learn. Also, I believe that North Dakota State University in Fargo has a museum and archives devoted to them.

[@DerekWitt]

Victoria, Kansas also has a Volga German Heritage Center. It's a few miles east of Hays.

[@brent13420]

Nebraska also has the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia museum.

[@latitude1904]

And eastern South Dakota

[@tees5983]

Even Laura Ingalls Wilder encountered them and wrote of them as did her daughter (based on Laura’s stories). This was who I instantly thought of and said VOLGA!!! Lol

[@vernonsheldon-witter1225]

@@DerekWitt Plus the "Cathedral of the Plains" which is stunning.

[@nicolebowman7354]

We have a Community cookbook with a receipe that literally lists "a pinch of this" and "a pinch of that" listed as ingredients.

[@johnbaker6125]

It's actually kind of funny but I read somewhere a long time ago that a "pinch" technically was enough grains of any ingrediant one grain deep that covers a 1" square...some people have to quantify everything precisely.

[@ionicafardefrica]

many recipes even today mention a "pinch of salt". It just means "add that ingredient to your own taste and preference"

[@TERRENCEJJR]

It's the amount which fits between your thumb and forefinger.

[@TERRENCEJJR]

​​@@ionicafardefricaNo that would be "salt to taste." A pinch is a pinch. I don't understand why people get so confused over it.

[@ionicafardefrica]

@@TERRENCEJJR no, a pinch is an arbitrary amount. Your fingers are not as big as mine or not as wide as that other guy. I can guarantee I can also grab twice as much one time and much less the second time. It simply means "add salt to taste, but not too much"

[@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.

[@cianakril]

It's called Marx now. Guess why.

[@DerekWitt]

My great-great grandparents settled in Munjor. Another great-great grandfather was mayor of Gorham around 1903.

[@legion_prex3650]

@@cianakril and the neighbour town of Marx is called Engels. No jokin

[@paul-davidalmond716]

I’ve been to Katherinenstadt! Beautiful church.

[@DerekWitt]

@@paul-davidalmond716 I heard how beautiful Katherinenstadt’s church is. I’ve been to Liebenthal’s church too. One of my relatives is also buried at St. Fidelis Basilica’s cemetery in Victoria. I would love to visit that church someday.

[@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

[@jayhom5385]

Sounds like something you would have heard in James Burke's "Connections" series.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@jayhom5385 I’m a relatively new subscriber so I have a lot to learn.

[@selalewow]

I just can't figure out what Magnemite has to do with it LOL

[@mantunes339]

they are both full of horses?

[@aSandwich.13]

I was gonna say inbreeding

[@user-dj1wf1rq4l]

I am a Volga German from Russia, but now from Switzerland :) it was a great episode, thank you for reviewing part of the story and a great recipe)😅

[@terin1862]

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!

[@KB-lr4pi]

"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.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Those would make great slogans for a food brand.

[@TheOraclePriestessRa]

That could be on a t-shirt.

[@shibalikchakraborty5344]

This is the only food channel I have come across that actually explains the taste of the food in detail instead of saying "Mmmmmmm, it's good" . Major kudos for making such great recipes & explaining how they taste with such good detail .

[@kammymarie13]

Take a look at Emmymade! She also does a fantastic job at describing tastes and textures 🙂

[@melanieortiz712]

Townsend does pretty good job on food.

[@jesebsp]

like giadda who turns out wasn't even tasting her food. never trust a skinny Italian cook.

[@theConquerersMama]

I love that about Max. It is such a fantastic channel.

[@brocabe]

In the beginning he didn't even try the food and everybody lost their minds about it. (Including myself) He definitely learned from it though.

[@Moosesoup]

I grew up in Volga South Dakota and my Family were Volga Germans. This was a great episode! It brought back so many memories of my great grandparents and sitting in the kitchen learning how to cook with my great grandmother!!!

[@bucknunley359]

I’m from Texas and my family were German/Dutch immigrants from Tennessee. We have had what we call Krautrunza as long a I can remember. Cool to learn the history of a strange food I grew up with. They are delicious.

[@movienerd202]

Interesting, in Nebraska they call them Runzas.

[@tjr5081]

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

[@catygen]

Runza discontinuing their veggie runza is a shame. But I forgive them because they gave us frings.

[@zanleekain117]

As a Mennonite (my great grandparents where all born in Prussia) whose family when the Germany-Prussia-Canada-Mexico-Belize route, I really loved this. I really can't remember anyone outside of one our own historians know anything about this part of history. Catherine the Great was seen as a hero, and both my grandmother's where named Katherine, it's a very common name within my community. As for the recipes books, sigh, it's unfortunate. One of the reasons for it is, Germany tried to force everyone one into one common Germanic language, and so had massive book burnings, where even family bibles (which where used to record family genealogies) were destroyed. Our mother tongue of "Plautdietsch" (low german) was nearly lost, and only partially saved as an oral language. I am a fluent speaker, but there are less then 500,000 of us native speakers, but you are right about a large percentage of Russian words added to it. We also have adopted a lot of English words too. There are now some who are saving our language and I have several books in my own language now. All the recipes I learned as a girl where handed down from mother to daughters for generations, and I cook many of them by heart. My mother used to say a good Mennonite housewife could measure everything with a ladle, or her apron strings. I was cooking a "somma borscht" for supper while watching this video, and thought I would mention a great cookbook you could check out "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" for more detailed recipes then a typical Mennonite cookbook. LOL Great content, and I've been watching since the Sally Lunn buns episode.

[@TastingHistory]

I love this, thank you for sharing this story. This one is a bit of a full circle moment then, these remind me of Sally Lunn buns

[@cthulpiss]

As for Catherine the Great - perception of this person is different in places destroyed / ruined / mutilated and robbed by her actions.

[@mamaliamalak7825]

@@cthulpiss For us, she was a savior who aided us in the time of need. I come from a group that faced extreme persecution. I have ancestors who were burnt at the stake by the Catholics. Others were drowned by the Protestant. Children were stolen from their parents to 'reeducate' them. Emperors and an Empress would imprison us, if they didn't hunt us down. Chased from one country to another. Raided by the Ottomans where women would be taken off as prizes. Then Catherine the Great offered my family sanctuary, and respected our religious beliefs, and gave us the one thing we wanted. To be left alone and live in peace. So to us, she is a hero.

[@cthulpiss]

@@mamaliamalak7825 Sure thing. It is just worth mentioning that "Volga valley" was full of serfs (both peasants and indigenous tribes ) that rebelled under Russian rule, and that rebellion costed the lives of tens of thousands in that region. Common people, you know....

[@lady_sir_knight3713]

She also heavily taxed and physically and legally restricted the Jewish population! Religious freedom and civil liberties are for Christians, doncha know. The same sort of extreme persecution was overlooked or even encouraged for those who "deserved" it.

[@witmoreluke]

IT'S MY PEOPLE! I've heard this story for years about how my family got to America, but I didn't know it was a ton of people. Everything matches from Catherine the Great to WWII to Nebraska. Thanks, man.

[@Neidzwiedz1]

I grew up smack dab in the middle of Kansas and beirocks were a staple of school cafeteria food. When I moved to Michigan 30 years ago I brought the recipe with me and my Irish mother in law fell in love with them. 😊

[@therood1644]

As a Volga German who lives in Kansas this certainly made me smile and miss my grandparents all at the same time.

[@Embarblaze]

Literally made a batch two days ago, the freeze fantastically. Recipe was passed down from my aunt, apparently my grandfather loved his with almost only cabbage because that’s how they usually got them during the Depression.

[@brucetidwell7715]

Thank you! I was looking for this. I'm single and, unlike Max, I don't think I want to eat 15 buns in one sitting. How do you thaw them out/warm them up?

[@ian3314]

Can I ask at what point do you freeze them? Before or after baking? Thanks

[@Embarblaze]

@@brucetidwell7715 pop them in the microwave for about a minute

[@Embarblaze]

@@ian3314 after baking as freezing would kill the dough, especially if you try freezing them uncovered. Drys them out

[@niseplank4527]

Do you have a toaster oven or air fryer? I put mine in there for a few minutes.

[@Lichen8404]

Just made the janky city boy version (pre made pizza dough from the grocery) and they were amazing! Highly recommend adding carrots and dipping them in sour cream and brown mustard

[@lauraschilling5088]

I made them once with Rhodes rolls because I didn't have time to make dough. Not as good as homemade, but very good for those of us with time constraints.

[@jaehaspels9607]

My family lived right smack in the middle of Kansas for a few years. I had bierocks in the grade school lunch room. They were new and different, but delicious.

[@pav7997]

I'm from Kansas and also remember having them at school for lunch. Grew up in Pratt and Hays. I still ask my ma to make them for me every time I come home. She used to work in Victoria, right across from the church.

[@jocelynmartin1572]

I had them for the first time at Douthart Hall at the University of Kansas.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I'm far from the first to say it, but I just love how every culture has their own take on dough wrapped around a filling. Even a subculture as specific as the Volga Germans in Kansas.

[@TripleA_Battery]

You’d be surprised how many meat-in-dough recipes Russian Germans eat

[@kilotun8316]

It's a nice, compact, efficient and relatively clean thing to eat making it ideal for lunch or if you're on the go. Kind of a confluence of necessity, laziness and efficiency all rolled into one. And deliciousness. That too.

[@razumihin3605]

@@kilotun8316 laziness and efficiency...? 😅 There's a reason they're only served on special occasions in quite a few countries, they're really a bit of a pain to make compared to other traditional meals like soups and stews, cabbage rolls or roasts. I can only assume in your part of the world you often eat something more complex? 😅 But back to the point, I think what has made dumplings so widespread is the enjoyment of two separate foods/textures as one meal. I think Chinese bao are the perfect example, since there is an emphasis on fluffy sweet dough as well as the delicious filling. I can't help but also feel they are formatted a bit like a gift or something precious that must be wrapped for protection, which could have a psychological effect on us? Definitely agree with the cleanliness/ease of eating factor though

[@dawnmichelle4403]

This video brought tears to my eyes. I haven't had a bierock in over twenty years! My late grandma used to make them. Her family came from Russia and settled in Kansas before moving to California. So many memories! And I've never made these myself. I guess I have no excuse now. Thank you, Max! ❤️❤️❤️

[@TastingHistory]

Yay, hope you love

[@kirbyculp3449]

DIY!

[@j-ro]

I believe the Bierock Shoppe in Fresno, CA will ship them!

[@jameseglavin4]

I grew up in suburban Kansas City and while these were a regular on the lunch menu at elementary and middle school, I never knew they had any historical or geographical significance! Great video and much thanks!

[@berzerkab.5099]

Never thought I'd see a popular youtube creator make a video about Volga Germans, but here we are (and I'm thrilled!). My grandmother is from a small town in Kansas, and her family were the ones that settled there. Thank you for sharing this!

[@AJHill-wi2vy]

As a historian, a foodie, and a homesick Kansan this REALLY made my day. Reminds me of home.

[@TaysaysDaisuki]

I put garlic in mine and my grandmother says her Volga German grandmother would have died if she knew that. 😂 Apparently garlic was forbidden in her home. She immigrated to the US the same year the Titanic sailed.

[@13thMaiden]

....Your great great grandma might have been a vampire...

[@2993LP]

Hmm, was she from Wallachia Romania perhaps? Feared mirrors and crosses?

[@sephrosemary]

@@2993LP I doubt it, im romanian, and id probably get literaly crucified for saying I hated garlic xD

[@roelant8069]

@@sephrosemary Because any Romanian that doesn't like garlic is a vampire, as Ryan was suggesting Taylor's grandmother was (or is, who knows)

[@sephrosemary]

@@roelant8069 I know a number of vampires, they love garlic, the "Garlic wards them off" thing is just a little grift a few of our farmers pulled to get more sales, and we all go with it cause it's funny af

[@tamirundell8392]

My Great Grandparents are Polish but bierocks were part of our meals throughout my childhood. As I grew up I opted out of the cabbage but made my fillings more to my liking - taco burger or pizza filling: hamburger with pepperoni, mozzarella, spaghetti sauce. I figured it was a sandwich made for traveling and was made using whatever was plenty and filling.

[@austinbergeron5720]

My family's been making bierocks for generations as part of our holiday tradition. They're so delicious! Thanks for the video, keep it up Max

[@bjwingster]

I just made these and have a few notes for others who would like to try: 1. Max's "large head of Cabbage" is considerably smaller that my "large head of Cabbage"; I ended up with way too much filling for 15 'rocks. Judging from the leftover filling, I estimate the correct amount of shredded cabbage is 700-750 g. 2. If you'd like to divide up your dough into 15 even blobs by weight instead of by eye, each blob would weight about 100 g. 3. These are wonderful. You will not regret making them.

[@christopherbaby3842]

The hero in the comments.

[@TheBottegaChannel]

So what your saying is in order to use up all the excess filling... you need to make 30 some odd 'rocks. Right? 😆

[@cassied.7369]

Bierocks are excellent to freeze. We would make a big batch to cook then freeze to enjoy later on.

[@barlazyjj7872]

My Mom's side of the family is Volga German, and my Grandma made these quite frequently. Our family called them "Cabbage Burgers". Thank you for the video, I'm gonna share it with them!

[@cmconley33]

This sounds like something my grandma made when I was little. She was Slovak. I don’t remember what they were called, but dough was the same, and instead of a savory filling with meat, onions, cabbage and sauerkraut (which sounds amazing), these had sweet cooked cabbage in them and were a dessert. They could also be filled with a plum filling, but my favorite was the sweet cabbage.

[@GeneaVlogger]

Tracing out Mr. Beat's family tree I found that he descends from Volga Germans who migrated from Katherinenstadt, Russia to Catharine, Kansas. One of Mr. Beat's Volga German ancestors was actually a soldier in Napoleon's army during the Russian invasion and was captured, then resettled in Katherinenstadt.

[@rebeccaturkey7303]

Shot in the dark --- who is Mr. Beat? Are you referring to Max Miller? More importantly, this Volga German ancestor who was a soldier in Napoleon's army during the Russian invasion who was captured and resettled in Katherinenstadt apprears in my family history. But I could never quite confirm it to be anything more than a story when doing the geneaology . My grandma is a Miller... I suspect I may be a distant relative of Max Miller if this is the case.

[@nochannelnochannel6993]

I think he made a typo and meant the famous KZbinr known as MrBeast, real name James Donaldson. MrBeast's family is originally from Kansas.

[@GeneaVlogger]

​@@rebeccaturkey7303 I tried responding before but the comments were deleted. so trying again. Mr. Beat is a History KZbinr (about 900k subs) who was on my series KZbinr Family Trees, which I also have Max on as a guest. If you go to my page, you can find the video about Mr. Beat's Volga German ancestry and find information on lots of available records that might help you.

[@yakinseahorse7642]

@@rebeccaturkey7303 Mr. Beat is another history KZbinr, not Max Miller: www.youtube.com/@iammrbeat Here's is the video about Mr. Beat's Volga German ancestors: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaHOk3yApqqYh8k

[@rebeccaturkey7303]

@@yakinseahorse7642 This was super helpful thanks! I've gotten some new resources out of it. I am definitely related to Mr. Beat - distantly through the Schmidt family.

[@dwaynezilla]

Max: "these are delicious" Me: "they look/sound like it" 140g of butter: "You're god damn right"

[@elizabethalexander9983]

When you mentioned Kansas and Catherine the Great in the intro, I got so excited I shouted, "Volga Germans!" and startled my husband. I don't think I've ever seen a history video about them, and I certainly didn't expect to learn about my heritage and a food that's a staple in my family. Thank you so much for this.

[@danaellis816]

You may be surprised as I was. When I watched this episode I think you answered a life long question of mine. You see my dad's mother and family immigrated to the US by boarding a steamship in Vladivostok Russia and entering the US at Galveston, TX. My paternal grandmother died when dad was 4, so a lot of family history was always missing. It was always a puzzle of how the German speaking, German Lutheran family set sail from Russia without being Russian. A million thanks to you, and I enjoy all of your episodes.

[@user-jo6uf2ff6h]

It's a common fact to anyone who learned Russian history a little. Evidently you didn't even try.

[@user-mt8ot4rw9f]

There was also large group of Ostsee Germans (or Baltic germans) in Russia pre 1917 disaster. They often served as marine officers. If your parents flew from Vladivostok in 1920s they might also have been part of White émigré or ex-Kolchak army. For example in my cousin's family there were two 1st rank Captains that fought in Russian army till the exile from Crimea in 1920, both Ostsee Germans.

[@matthewring8301]

My wife makes these. She got it her mom’s best friend’s family. (Apparently they were from Kansas.) her recipe didn’t use kraut or caraway, and calls for frozen bread dough. I’d bet that it was simplified over the years, and someone in the family didn’t like the kraut and caraway so it got removed. I’m going to have to convince my wife to try it with the fresh dough you showed us.

[@WastelandBard]

I grew up eating these! My great-grandmother was Volga German and her recipe for these is almost exactly like this. Thank you for reminding me of my childhood!

[@TastingHistory]

Now you’ll have to make a batch to honor your great gram.

[@WastelandBard]

Absolutely! I'll even try to share them, though they may not last that long! 😅

[@jenniferwells2291]

I'm so happy you made this video! You actually show a photo of my great-great grandfather, Peter Leiker, Sr, (top right) at 13:36. He was one of the Catholic Volga German explorers that were sent to check out the U.S. He settled in north western Kansas. The others were the 4 other Catholics that went. Funny enough my grandmother never learned English. I took German for 2 years in school and neither of my teachers could understand when I would speak what I'd learned at home.

[@ulivolga228]

I had the same experience. My family is Volga German and I learned German from my Grandma. I took it in high school, and then started correcting my grandma's terrible german lol!

[@user-lh6ig4wj4v]

Amazing!

[@floofzykitty5072]

@@ulivolga228 it's probably not "terrible german" and just a dialect. Dialects actually have a long history of being called "wrong" so it's important to make the distinguishment.

[@birbdad1842]

And there are dialects in german that I as a german have real trouble understanding myself lol.

[@poweredbymoonlight9869]

@@floofzykitty5072 My thought as well, must be a dialect, could be a strong dialect.

[@codyday5760]

being from Omaha, i can say that Runza's are hugely popular. always wanted to try a homemade version cuz it definitely has a fast food type to it in the restaurants.

[@LG-pv9xz]

As someone who lives in Hays, Kansas (German capital of Kansas), I can tell you EVERY local restaurant here has Bierocks! They're my favorite food from my home state!

[@patron8597]

Looking forward to the upcoming "Ordering food with Jose Mendoza" episodes while Max is gone.

[@verdanthi818]

I would love to see this happen!

[@nessamillikan6247]

With the help of all of the Pokemon plushies.

[@Taolan8472]

This is, no joke, a great idea for Ketchup with Max and Jose. Jose reviewing local takeout places while Max is out of town.

[@KB-lr4pi]

And interviewing Cersei & Jaime. Please, José, do this!

[@camilledvorak7151]

👩‍🍳😘

[@kirstenpaff8946]

When I saw the thumbnail for this video, my first thought was "Those look like what I ate at Runza". I admire your attempt to read the old recipes. Older German can be tricky to read, even for native German speakers, because the spelling, word choice, and even to some extent the alphabet/font used are different from modern German. I can only imagine how confusing it would be once you throw in Russian and a century of cultural drift. You also have the added complication of dialects. Germans can't understand other Germans once they start speaking dialects from different regions. It's weird how being able to speak German sometimes lets me read languages that I have never learned (Dutch, Yiddish, Afrikaans, etc), but other times I have no clue what my own family members are saying, because I don't speak that particular dialect. I hope you have a great trip with your brother.

[@uncledave8857]

I thought Runza as well. I had one once, thought it was the most disgusting thing ever created. haha My friends love them. To each their own.

[@13374me]

@@herocommand this specifically is plautdietsch, and honestly it has it's own dialects depending on which colony in what's now Ukraine your family was from. He's wrong saying it's "older" German, honestly it sounds like Dutch, not German, which isn't surprising since a lot of the Mennonites he mentions were from the lowlands originally before moving, and it's kind of a mixture of dutch, high-german, english, russian, and probably more thrown in.

[@niseplank4527]

My father spoke Pennsylvania Dutch, and my mom plattedeutsch. They couldn't understand each other, and there were many meal time arguments.

[@rochelle1117]

I really wish Runza was nationwide. Nothing beats a fresh Runza on a cold day. If I ever win the lottery I'm getting Runzas delivered regularly.

[@buffewo6386]

Academically, part of the reason you are able to read these languages/dialects better than you can their spoken versions is that the written word is less succeptable to phonetic drift. Also, writing and reading being far less universal, written words tend to change less once consistent spelling conventions are established. For example, a Roman Governor in the 1st Century AD Gaul would probably have issues understanding a French Bishop of the 14th Century because of the diffrent (postulated) pronunciations of Ecumenical/Ecclesiastical Latin and the dialect in use then. (And they would probably have better common discourse in Greek.)

[@wmf831]

That was interesting. I am German. We don't have them in Germany. That was all completely new to me. (Not so much the history, except for some parts), but the "Bierocks". Very interesting. Though in Germany we don't actually eat that much Sauerkraut, at least not where I grew up (Northwest) and where I live now (South). Maybe like 1-3 times a year and more in winter than any other time. But this surely was very interesting and the combination of ground beef and Sauerkraut reminds me a bit more of something I grew up with as a child (from a family of a similar "wandering" history, except in our case in the 17th/18th hundreds to Yugoslavija and Hungary (called Donauschwaben). There is a dish called "Sarmen" that is made from ground beef and Sauerkraut, and includes a lot of paprika-powder. If you are interested I can send you the recipe.

[@OneFlagFlying]

My Volga grandmother calls these Pierogis, which always confused me as a kid. Being in an elementary school with a community of Baltic and Slavis immigrants, I always got weird looks when describing these. It took me years to realize our recipe was not in fact a pierogi. Doesn't change the fact they're delicious. My friends would come in droves to come eat them. We would use whole wheat flour or add sourdough yeast to change the flavor. It always turned it into a more savory dish when adding ketchup.

[@HopeRock425]

As a Ukrainian I'm glad you've finally done Slavic food, I know these are technically German but they don't much differ from our Piroshki. I love these though my favorite are potatoe, you can also use cherry jam or any other jam but cherry is most common here. I recommend covering them in egg yolk instead if melted butter at the end as it gives a dark rich colouring.

[@poweredbymoonlight9869]

You might be interested in our finnish two pirogs/piirakka's. One: our Karelian piirakka/karelsk pirog rice porrige as filling and the second being a meat pirog. The one with porrige filling you can eat as any kind of snack or meal, any time of the day/morning/evening. You can eat it as room temperature bt nothing better than as roasting it (like you can do in a toaster if you want), just put them in the micro oven or put them in the usual oven to warm them up, put on an eye of butter, or better! blend butter with minced/mushed hard boiled eggs to an eggbutter slap a big chunk on it and it's sooo tasty 😋. You can put alternatively (nordic bluebverry-ones, not the weird ones you are used to in usa!It' a different blueberry species that can't grow in such warm regions and countries as america!)blueberries (forgot in what form). Or some other things too more like it is as a sandwhich. Most typical is butter on or making eggbutter to put on it. -The meat one is i thin k fried with (i think, usually don't east them) minced meat and onion inside. Both of them looking different. The meat one looks more like a fried bun while the karelian looks very different ans is partly open and oval in its form. Especially Karelian piirakka/pirog is a finnish national dish that is not allowed buy finnish law to be sold outside of Finland. And karelia is a place somewhere superclose to russian border so. (I'm finlandsswedish, thereby i used both the finnish and swedish names for them.)

[@Li_Tobler]

@@poweredbymoonlight9869 how cool, thank you! Definitely want to try the meat one 😋 I'll look up the "piirakka" and will attempt to make it at home to honor Finland's solidarity and unwavering support of my country (also Ukraine☺)💙!

[@SydSyd1024]

I come from the Volga Germans and the recipes passed down to us recommend the egg, too! I'm not a huge fan of egg, so I do butter. Do you have a sauce/dip for yours? Somewhere along the way, we started putting ketchup on ours!

[@Li_Tobler]

@@SydSyd1024 my grandma adds some tomato sauce (in our country it's similar to ketchup, but more intense in flavour and thick) on the stage of sauteeing the cabbage. I swear it's delish!

[@poweredbymoonlight9869]

@@SydSyd1024 No no such thing as dip or sauce at all. But it's more like you can put lightly stirred (i think? if i'm using the right word?) raw berries on top of them if you want to. To the karelian one. -The meat one; the most cliched & noncreative thing ever - ketchup 🙄. Also, talking about things like karelian piirakka/pirog: the seemingly neverending of missinterpreting by foreigner seeing and eating karian piirakkasd for the first time for some reason always seem to think that it's a SWEET DESERT! Dear lord, it can be any other thing than that! It can be the main course, or ONLY meal/dish without anything being he side dish to it as well as it can be as side dish in itself to whatever you eat as a main meal. -I truly do not get where they get that it would be a sweet thing to it?? 🤦‍♀🤷‍♀ Rice porridge that's their filling (the pirogs) has never been sweet anyway in itself, nor in this case!😅

[@jewpackoshur711]

Reminds me of the Chinese Bao I grew up on. Love how things happens independently yet similarly in different parts of the world.

[@blu4get]

I KNOW RIGHT. especially the little pleated fold sksksks except it went on the bottom instead. i need to make some again some time soon

[@tinyetoile5503]

Foods that are universal across cultures: pancakes and filled buns

[@ceridwenluna]

I love that meat in dough is universal too!

[@ceridwenluna]

This might interest you to know. I grew up in Hays, KS where bierocks are common and worked at a Vietnamese/Chinese-owned Chinese restaurant there on Main Street. They're actually still open; it's named Chinese Food Express. They make steam buns there, which are, of course, Bao. However, Jung does a bierock filling in hers!

[@jewpackoshur711]

@@ceridwenluna that's awesome. I was thinking more of the baked bao. Which is almost the same. I love a steamed Char sui bao though.

[@kaptainskarlett9927]

You basically told the story of my wife’s mother’s family. 😁 they settled in Victoria, Kansas. To build the church, each family would load up their wagons with limestone (sandstone?) and they built St. Fidelus church in Victoria. The interesting thing about it is that my mother-in-law’s family were Catholic Volga Germans where my father-in-law’s family were Mennonite from Scotland.

[@jeremyreis8646]

I grew up on these....both of my grandmas were Volga.....yours turned out just like theirs.... perfect meat and bread ratio.... I'm from Saginaw MI....we actually used to have a burro named "Little Russia" on the south west side where both of my grandmas family's settled after leaving Russia

[@jacen1551]

"I could eat all of these, not in one sitting... but in two." We all have a dish that we could just eat anytime, anywhere, in any quantity. It's hard to beat yeast bread stuffed with stuff.

[@littleblackcar]

“It’s hard to beat yeast bread stuffed with stuff.” Words to live by. (I’m from Houston-ish where you can put anything in a kolache/koblasnek. Similar idea.)

[@Swishy_Blue]

Some of us have tea towels, Max has The Frickin Bayeux Tapestry for his bread cover! #lifegoals

[@TastingHistory]

It’s my favorite thing in the kitchen 🙂

[@Swishy_Blue]

I would love to see your take on the 'war of disagreement' around Pedaheh, Varenyky, Proghy and Perogies. (They're all potato dumplings) Me and mine are on team pedeheh.

[@nancyreid8729]

@@TastingHistory where did you get it Max?

[@vickiekostecki]

@@TastingHistory Where did you get this?!!

[@TastingHistory]

@@vickiekostecki Battle Abbey in England.

[@rochelle1117]

As someone who lived in Nebraska and western Iowa for 25 years, there's nothing I miss more than easy access to Runza restaurants. I actually got a custom painted Runza themed box filled with a dozen Runzas on dry ice for my birthday a couple of years ago. They're just so, so good.

[@stephenict]

Thank you so much for creating this video! As a descendant of Volga Germans who immigrated to Kansas, these were common place during my childhood. Heck, even our schools served them for lunch. They are so good and have such a distinctive flavor. I am going to have to try making them myself. Btw, bierocks are even great when frozen to be used later.

[@christen5868]

As a fellow Nebraskan it warms my heart that you mentioned the Runza. I was hoping you would mention it. I knew it was German, but did not know it was from this group! Hooray. BTW Cali Nebraska fans will know this as well.

[@HopeRock425]

Is he German American?

[@Gnomerlady]

The best part is having a cup of chili and a cinnamon roll for a side 😋

[@Megamando93]

@@Gnomerlady and a side of frings and ranch

[@christen5868]

@@HopeRock425 I don't know if he is German American. Good question

[@christen5868]

@@Gnomerlady only way to have Chilli. My husband and everyone looks at me funny and they are all from Iowa. Just one state over.

[@rafaelthielmann9782]

Hey Max, wow! I'm a Mennonite from the descendants of the Wolga-Germans, I wanted to add that many of those who left founded new colonies in the small country of Paraguay (where I'm from), keeping themselves isolated in the harsh Chaco-Region. As the world keeps advancing forwards they've kept the language, recipes and many traditions of their ancestors, and it's really great to see some of these acknowledged in a channel I love. The local museum has great data on the migration of these German-speaking people and their trials, and even though I have moved away from the community I still enjoy the great food and history it's left me with. Great vid as always!

[@alejandroperaltanunez2030]

Los alemanes dle volga eran catolicos. Los mennonitas no.. los alemanes del volga se asentaron en hohenau. Independencia. Caaguazu, asuncion, san bernardino, altos. Etc. Los otros se aislaron y fundaron colonias propiaa fuera de la sociedad paraguaya.

[@SiloSoundStudios]

Being from Kansas, this one brought back a lot of memories. Ive tried several recipes, but havent matched the memories of my childhood.

[@andrewsallans589]

YES! I love hearing a mention of Runza! Childhood treat and has a cult following for those of us who grew up in Nebraska

[@limalicious]

My great-grandma used to make the filling all the time, but she started serving it over noodles during the depression to make it "different", and that is how it stuck for my family.

[@theConquerersMama]

My hubs family did this too.

[@jamiejoygatto]

This sounds like a delicious way to try it. I'm not good at making dough. :) I'll bet the filling is also good over rice.

[@pielover444]

As a born and raised Nebraskan I was so excited to see this episode! I love Runzas! There is a Germans from Russia museum in Lincoln!

[@victorpapillon1487]

I love you

[@A-man-Capitals301]

What there is?! I was in Lincoln or Omaha every summer for roller skating nationals and had no idea damn I gotta get back there

[@natejames3299]

@@A-man-Capitals301 The place is green and is called "Runza' instead of Bieroc.

[@A-man-Capitals301]

@@natejames3299 huh I'm not talking bout runza I'm talking about Nebraska

[@novideostopost1268]

Had one today bro!

[@donnalowe9334]

I usually make German Hot Potato Salad to go with bierocks. Very filling and they are excellent together. Great to share with friends and neighbors for funeral food. Try just turkey ham & cheese filling. you can freeze them and take them on a short trip to have a cold sandwich for lunch time at a park. My family loves them. And no mess. They can be frozen for months and taste fine. Thank you for the video. With Volga German heritage I love the information shared with everyone. The Volga German food is wonderful and unlike any other food in the world.

[@fbrep]

Great video! I too have wonderful memories of RUNZAS! The Everret family were my neighbors in the 1960s in Lincoln, Ne. Mrs. Everret stated with that one location pictured in the video, located on the edge (at that time) of Lincoln. Mr. Everret kept homing pigeons as a hobby. He was so kind to allow this inquisitive boy to help in his coop. Truth be know, he was probably happy to allow me to clean the nesting boxes, LOL. Runzas are a staple food in the Husker Football stadium. I'm willing to bet more Runzas are sold on GameDay than hotdogs. They were also a regular menu item on thousands of Nebraska and Kansas schools. They could be easily and inexpensively made using government commodities given to schools during that era. As others have mentioned, these were a offering at every gathering of the Czech side of my family along with fruit filled kolachès. Thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories of family now passed, but certainly never forgotten.

[@elisa11041]

My fathers side of the family is what you call Volga German, we call them Russia's Germans. My grandma and grandpa grew up in what is today Kazakhstan but they spoke fluent German and even in a south west (Schwäbisch?) German accent

[@TastingHistory]

They’re were many settlements of Germans outside of those on the Volga. They actually play a big part in Russian history but were pretty much wiped away under Stalin. It’s a heartbreaking story.

[@elisa11041]

@@TastingHistory Yeah, my great-grandfather "disappeared" during WW2 when he didn't just want to hand over a whole fields worth of watermelons, which was what they grew to sell that year, to the Russian soldiers (more like bandits probably) for free 😬

[@MrHodoAstartes]

Met a few people who had been tossed into Kazakhstan and forced back to Germany in the 90s. Half of them barely spoke any German, having to "reintegrate" into a society that wasn't theirs in any way. And then German schools had nothing better to do than try and teach them English, French and Spanish through courses structured for German natives. Which, not ideal. But the experience of the 90s has informed Germany's behavior in recent waves of refugees, which was a complete 180° from the almost hostile behavior towards many refugees. Which had led to people existing in complete legal limbo, unable to stay or to leave, living in poverty on the government's dime because they couldn't work or choose their own home. That was, in the manner that reactionaries tend towards, a tactic to prevent people from coming through adversity as the constitution sort of commanded the state to allow asylum seekers in. But if you drag your feet long enough, maybe they'll go away? In the massive waves of 2014-2016 that got tossed overboard in favor of efficient processing and integration, focusing on getting people through language courses and into jobs as soon as possible. A system that is currently rubbing against the sensibilities of Ukrainian refugees who often fully expect to only briefly shelter from the and are not exactly interested in being integrated into German society.

[@DamonNomad82]

My ex's great grandmother was the daughter of Russian German immigrants and grew up speaking their dialect of German at home. I tried conversing with her in the German I learned in high school, but it was different enough that she couldn't understand it, either because it was a different dialect or because my accent was just too atrocious! XD

[@randomcomment6068]

@@DamonNomad82 Did you use a spirit seanse to invoke her ghost and check on her Volgan German, since she was great grandmother and all...

[@dwaynezilla]

"As they stared upon each other as though they were half-dead persons" As a person living somewhere with an overall-comparable climate as these settlers, this really fills me with thoughts of spring for some unknown reason!

[@meedwards5]

The same could be said for the way my family and I looked after the a/c was broken for 3 days when the temps were in the mid-90s. Oh my, I was a sight and intolerably cranky!

[@sordschie3944]

Im a Descendant of those Volga Germans, nice to hear someone else talk about them 😁

[@elizabethduplat5998]

Represent! My grandpa was a Volga-German Kansan. Thanks for covering this.

[@baldhermit]

For those that maybe do not share Max' love for bread, my grandmother taught me a recipe with the same onion, ground beef (well, her choice was ground pork 'cause poor), sauerkraut, cabbage and mustard, but then in a casserole dish with mashed potatoes as a lid, shepherds pie style.

[@jacquelyns9709]

I love bread but for health reasons can't eat much of it anymore. Also can't eat many potatoes. So your grandmother's recipe can be easily adapted to using mashed cauliflower for the top crust.

[@KelseyDrummer]

I'm always on the hunt for recipes that will travel well, and I think I'm going to try try your grandmother's recipe! Thank you!

[@marie_h1104]

That sounds really good!!

[@ashleycapdeboscq364]

I was thinking I'd make this without the buns too! I'm absolutely confident they're delicious, but my patience for yeasted dough is incredibly low. I was thinking using it in a tortilla, or maybe even just over some rice.

[@jacquelyns9709]

@@ashleycapdeboscq364 Secret to yeast doughs is planning ahead. That said, sometimes you just don't want to do so. Or you don't want the carbs or can't tolerate gluten. The meat mixture would be great on riced cauliflower, sweet potatoes, pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, it would be too sweet), turnips, white potatoes, quinoa, etc.

[@r.muller8289]

I'm German-Brazilian and they make these down here in the south of Brazil, albeit we just call them brioches. I had no idea of the richness of their story!

[@cioccolateriaveneziana]

So do you prepare them the same way? With the same filling?

[@Archerfan101]

As a Nebraska born Kansan I love RUNZA. And thank you for this I got a great grandmother who came from Russia but her funeral program pamphlet said she was from German I appreciate this

[@dekeweregeek2143]

Another Volga German here whose family is in Nebraska. Absolutely loved the video! I knew the history, but this gives me something to show people to explain Volga Germans and krautbierok in a nice 20 minute package. Our recipe is different (no mustard or sauerkraut and cooked for hours to really let the flavors meld) but every family has their own variations. We have church cookbooks with 10 different recipes for cabbage burgers because every family is proud of their "one true recipe." Thank you Max for showcasing Volga German history and food on your channel!

[@ericthompson3982]

Max, my house just burned down and I'm currently living on a couch, and seeing you show up in my feed brings me a little bit closer to sane, so thank you.

[@cattledog901]

🏠🔥😱🤣✊🏼🙏🏽🕊

[@jamesmuhr]

As a Nebraskan, I am glad to see Runza got a small mention as most locations are in Nebraska but spill out into Iowa, Kansas and Colorado. Although you can have a dozen Runza Sandwiches delivered but the cost is 165 bucks on their site. My mom and dad used to make bierocks, we called them cabbage burgers growing up. I do remember them being a bit of a chore to make from scratch and very tasty!

[@dawne6419]

I'm told there's one or two in NW Missouri as well.

[@erin.stitches]

Also, Sehnert’s Bakery in McCook is a James Beard Foundation Award winner and they ship their bierocks!

[@alyssarawlings4420]

I used to eat at Runza in Fort Collins, Colorado. I've never seen it elsewhere or met anyone who knew what it was!

[@rochelle1117]

A few years ago my son packed a dozen on dry ice and drove them to me in Utah. It was an awesome birthday present.

[@meowcenary21]

Some of my family are from KS and this brought back some amazing memories. Our local Amish community in SE Ohio still speak Dutch and German mix and I love visiting their local shop for fry pies and goods.

[@se6369]

There's a lot of Volga Germans in Kazakhstan and Germany too I think

[@fissure12]

As he was describing this I said, literally out loud, "so it's a Runza?" and then I was so happy to find out this is actually what made Runzas! My family has a vegetarian recipe of this that uses lentils, can attest it is also good

[@CUDDLES_BAKEHOUSE]

can u share the veg recipe please? i would love to make it.

[@TeeArrgh]

As a native of The Sunflower State, it's a real treat to see you cover this. Grew up eating them in Wichita. Can't find their equivalent anywhere else.

[@jriedesel]

check out Nebraska runzas.

[@SimuLord]

I thought the only people who lived in Wichita were college basketball players and automotive KZbinrs.

[@wendigee]

Huh. I'm from Wichita, and my great grand parents were German farmers around Greensburg. We grew up with my mom making bierocks from her mom's recipe... I'll have to ask my mom if the Wiesel's were Volga Germans.

[@emma70707]

You can sometimes get Runzas shipped (frozen) to other parts of the country.

[@christinap-c]

(You can get them in the Dillon’s deli section, but you have to ask for them.)

[@jlrobins87]

That's so interesting! My grandma's ancestors were Mennonite Germans in Russia, and they fled to Kansas because they were pacifist. Mom always talked about it to me, now it is so cool to see a recipe from then as well. Thank you for sharing!

[@tonyschenk3357]

My grandparents were Volga Germans. Before they left Russia my grandmother was a cook for a wealthy banking family. Her bierocks (as well as many other specialties) were to die for. Your history lesson was quite accurate although it did gloss over a few things. Thanks so much for posting this video!

[@Rocketsong]

For folks interested in the History of the "Germans from Russia", the Germans from Russia Heritage Society at the North Dakota State University has many resources.

[@Prophezora]

That's cool! My grandmother was an ethnic Russian from Germany...I guess it's not the same! I want to know why the emigrated to Germany but I think it was land take overs etc. 🤔 hmmm...

[@queenally2873]

There is also a Germans from Russia museum in Lincoln, NE.

[@austinuden1872]

Went to NDSU for grad school and saw a lot of the Germans from Russian Heritage Society resources, now I live in Lincoln, NE and will need to check out the museum

[@DeveusBelkan]

Admittedly, I was going to throw some hands associating these with Kansas until Max mentioned Runza. The Runza is without a doubt, the closest thing Nebraska has to a state food; it would be incredibly unusual if someone in the state didn't grow up on them. The restaurants are everywhere, public schools would sometimes serve them, and for a state obsessed with college football, being the food associated with the team goes a long way. It really can't be understated how many Germans settled in the Midwest. To the extent that the only thing that could possibly rival the runza as the state food of Nebraska would be another sauerkraut dish, the reuben.

[@nicolechafetz3904]

🤣🤣🤣 “Throw hands” snickered the Black chick. 🤣🤣🤣

[@grantdraus7449]

I'd like to add a third food to that short list, although I agree that the runza is definitely the most iconic and evocative of the three. Make sure you remember Val's hamburger pizza! Oh, and don't pay that one racist guy who commented underneath your comment any mind.

[@nicolechafetz3904]

@@grantdraus7449 😘😘😘 Agreed! EFF RACISTS!

[@nicolechafetz3904]

@@grantdraus7449 do you think that me, a Black lawyer, mentioning MY OWN RACE is racist? My father was a friend of MLK Jr. My nephew is Kenosha shooting victim, Jake Blake. I am a retired litigator and a BLM ✊🏾 speaker. Have wyte people become so sensitive to the wrongs they’ve historically committed upon my people that I can’t say: “because I’m Black, I find something PARTICULARLY funny?” You DO know, sir (or should I call you “ma’am,” as you’ve misgendered me?)--that “the throwing of hands” is an expression that originated in Black America? You can apologize. I don’t expect it.

[@grantdraus7449]

@@nicolechafetz3904 LMAO what

[@lacpeb]

A dear friend of mine used to make these using frozen bread dough. She would bring them to bowling - sometimes with cabbage and sometimes with sauerkraut. We never had a name for them, but I loved them so much that I made them a couple of times at home then forgot about them for the past 40-plus years. Thank you for bringing back a warm memory. The backstory was very interesting, and this time, the recipe won't be forgotten. I will be making some for my cabbage-loving daughter-in-law. BTW, your videos are very well-done. The subjects are very compelling, the recipes have been excellent, and as a former broadcaster, I have to compliment you on your delivery - it is at once informative and comedic and always flawless. Thank you for combining history and food - two of my most favorite subjects.

[@wrenblackwell4417]

As a Volga German, third generation US, I’m extremely excited for this one!! My great grandparents immigrated from Walter, Russia in the early 1900s 😊 thank you for this. It was so needed

[@avastorneretal]

Let me guess, were yours ancestors from the Saratov or Pokrovsk(Engels nowadays)?

[@reginanapolitano8101]

My grandmother was born into a Volga German-American family outside of Fresno, CA & I grew up hearing my dad talk about bierocks! Thank you so much for making this video, I made them & it meant a lot to me to be able to connect to this part of my heritage. Thank you so much, Max!!! They were also DELICIOUS & I agree that the dijon mustard adds a lot!

[@gracedelreal4955]

They still make Ohlberg's German sausage at Renna's meat market. Direct descendant of Volga river Germans

[@AmandaBoysenberry]

I’m from Reedley, a town about 30 mins from Fresno, which a Mennonite town. The donut shop now run by Koreans I think still makes bierocks and they are delicious.

[@tfries1607]

Fresno in the house !

[@beth7467]

@@AmandaBoysenberry Was just going to pop in to mention Reedley and the Mennonite connection. My father grew up in that area (not Mennonite, though).

[@rvt2239]

I gotta say, this man always brings it. Every video is well-researched, well-presented and always entertaining. Cheers!

[@gumihou7802]

Not always delicious, but Max's eww face makes up for it, lol

[@sarahdoanpeace3623]

My grandmother’s great grandmother came from Prussia and settled in Nebraska. So I am Volga German, most likely. My grandma was an incredible cook and so am I, missing my grandma a lot this time of year. I am going to make these so I can feel connected to my ancestors. Food is the shared commonality that keeps on giving. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[@ianfoster9538]

My third-great grandparents were volva german immigrants from Russia, and moved to Kansas in the 1880s. We still make bierocks with the same recipe and a big glass bottle, the same way we've been making them for generations.

[@verdanthi818]

We've discovered Max's comfort food. I have a Runza in the next town over and oh yeah...I'm so getting lunch there today. My family called them pasties, they're Scandinavian descendants hailing from Minnesota. They make them with rutabaga. Such good memories came from this episode.

[@robviousobviously5757]

Runza Runza Runza wondrous food

[@bethanya99]

Pasties are extremely prevalent in Michigan's mining and logging regions. Both Norwegian and Cornish miners were sent to work in the Northwoods and there are many blended recipes, the Cornish pasty being one of them.

[@CrankyBubushka]

@@bethanya99 yes. lots of Cornish descendants from Mineral Point, WI. Mining there and Pasties. Lots of meat and fat stuffing in delicious bread.

[@diamondflaw]

My great-grandfather was a German of Russian extraction. He was born in 1896 in Speier, a village north of Odesa which was populated by the descendants of people who moved there from Speier in the Rhineland. His parents moved the family to the USA, making the passage in 1902 and ended up first in the Dakotas, and then later moved to Spokane, Washington. He passed away in 1999, and was in very good condition until pneumonia struck him down. He would tell wonderfully detailed stories about his life over a game of dominoes. Anything from talking about going through immigration when arriving in New York to riding a horse through a North Dakota blizzard to get medicine for his mother.

[@jdane2277]

My grandfather had a similar story, from Latvia via Sweden to New Jersey and then to North Dakota and finally Kansas. The same problem, conscription at age 16, you were essentially a slave and cannon fodder so it was escape on any boat if you wanted to survive. He farmed for a while and ended up a grocer. My mom made Pirogs but not too often. They smelled great.

[@sideeffect2]

My great grandparents had similar path. Odessa, to North Dakota and then settled in Washington.

[@diamondflaw]

@@sideeffect2 if he was Ludovicus (Louie), son of Valentin (not giving last names), then we might be related 😂

[@youtubeuser_custom_1]

@@sideeffect2 Do your parents still preserve some traditions or maybe speak Russian? I was always curious how language tradition changed from generation to generation

[@gabrielballiet9282]

My grandmother was from Odessa and lived in ND@@sideeffect2

[@lnbjr7]

My grandmother and grandfather were Volga Germans. Grama made these all the time, as she and my grandpa were german farm labors in Washington state. After gramma made them she would wrap them in a cloth wrapper and give them to my grandfather who would put it in his front pocket. He labored in the fields all day but but when he needed a bit of energy he would pull the Bierock out of his pocket and enjoy a savory bite or two. Thank you for bringing this culinary delight to your viewers!

[@kryw10]

I’m so excited I found this! It’s fun to hear some Kansas history. The Runza near me went out of business because of Covid restrictions, I miss them.