Runza facts for kids
A runza
|
|
| Course | Main |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Nebraska |
| Created by | None/Traditionally Ethnic (Volga Germans) |
| Main ingredients | Bread, Ground beef, Cabbage, Seasonings, Onion |
| Variations | Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese & Mushrooms, Italian style, Jalapeños, Vegetarian |
| 530 (Standard/"Original") kcal | |
A runza is a tasty bread pocket filled with delicious ingredients. It's made from yeast dough and usually has beef, cabbage (or sauerkraut), onions, and special seasonings inside. Runzas can be baked into different shapes, like a half-moon, a rectangle, or a round bun.
The runzas you find at the Runza restaurant chain are shaped like rectangles. However, many similar pastries called bierocks in Kansas are round buns. This unique sandwich is a very popular regional dish in Nebraska. Some people even say it's "as Nebraskan as Cornhusker football!" It's so important that it represents Nebraska at special food events.
The Story of the Runza
The runza sandwich has a long history, starting with a baked good from Eastern Europe called a pirog. A smaller version of this, called a pirozhok, was the inspiration.
In the 1700s, a group of German people known as Volga Germans moved to the Volga River valley in the Russian Empire. They were invited by Catherine the Great because they were skilled farmers. These Volga Germans changed the pirog to create the bierock. It was a yeast pastry sandwich with similar savory fillings.
Later, things became difficult for the Volga Germans in Russia. Many decided to move to the United States to find a better life and avoid being forced into the Russian army. They settled in communities across the Great Plains, bringing their bierock recipes with them.
One family, the Brenings, settled near Sutton, Nebraska. Sarah "Sally" Everett (whose maiden name was Brening) is famous for taking her family's bierock recipe and turning it into the runza we know today. She also came up with the name "runza." In 1949, Sally Everett and her brother Alex started a business selling runzas in Lincoln. This was the beginning of the famous Runza restaurant chain.
Where Did the Name Come From?
Many people agree that Sally Everett created the name "runza." She might have adapted it from an older German name for a similar sandwich, krautrunz. Another idea is that it came from the Low German word runsa, which means "belly." This could refer to the gently rounded shape of the pastry. The word "runza" is now a special trademark owned by the Runza restaurant chain.
See also
