One of America's Favorites - Runza

A runza (also called a bierock, krautburger, fleischkuche, or kraut pirok) is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. They are baked in various shapes such as a half-moon, rectangle, round (bun), square, or triangle. At Runza restaurants, the runza is baked in a rectangular shape. The bierocks of Kansas, on the other hand, are generally baked in the shape of a bun.


The runza sandwich originated in Russia during the 1800s and spread to Germany before appearing in the United States. Bierock comes from the Russian pirogi or pirozhki and is the term for any food consisting of a savory filling-stuffed dough. The recipe was passed down from generation to generation and is available throughout the Americas, particularly Argentina and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba. The recipe was spread throughout the United States by the Volga Germans (Germans from Russia) and can be found in Colorado, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and California.

The term "runza" is registered as a trademark in the United States by Nebraska-based Runza restaurants.