Great Plains Food: Runzas, Bierocks and Chislic

Great Plains food is the cooking of people who crossed an ocean and then a continent to farm open country. Many dishes carry the names and flavors of the Volga region of Russia, where Germans lived for generations before moving to Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas: runzas, bierocks and chislic.

What is Great Plains food?

It is the food of the middle of the country, from Kansas to the Canadian border. Beef, wheat, corn and potatoes are the base, and the cooking reflects the Germans from Russia, Scandinavians, Czechs and Native communities who shaped the region. Church suppers, county fairs and small town cafes are where the dishes survive.

The foods share a purpose. They were designed to be eaten by hand, carried to the field and shared at a table. That is why a pocket of dough stuffed with filling is such a natural fit.

What is Volga German food?

Volga German food comes from families whom Catherine the Great invited to Russia for their farming skill. They kept their language and cooking for generations, and the dishes they brought to the United States include the pirog adapted into the bierock. When the political climate turned against them, many emigrated. Hundreds of thousands of their descendants live in the United States today, and many settled in the Great Plains.

The food is simple, built from flour, cabbage, potatoes, onions and beef or pork. The cooking is also a memory of home, and many families still make the dishes for holidays.

Churches and community halls keep the tradition alive. A fundraiser may sell hundreds of bierocks or noodle dishes in a day, and the volunteers who make them have often done so for decades. If you see a sign for a supper or a bake sale, stop and buy a plate.

What is a runza?

People often ask what a runza is. It is a yeast dough pocket filled with beef, cabbage and onion, baked until golden. The name likely comes from a German word for the pastry, such as krautrunz or runsa, and Runza is a registered trademark held by the Nebraska chain.

Today the chain has restaurants across Nebraska and neighboring states. Order a runza with fries, and try it with mustard if you like a sharper taste.

What is a Kansas bierock?

A Kansas bierock is the same idea with another name. One regional account says that the bierock is a characteristic food of Germans from Russia on the southern plains from Texas to Kansas, while those from Nebraska north call it a runsa. A Kansas newspaper describes the classic bierock as hefty and thick-doughed, filled with ground beef, onion and a mixture of cabbage and kraut.

Bierocks are especially loved in Wichita, and one national food calendar calls them the unofficial state food. They came with Volga German settlers who arrived in the 1870s. In Wichita, M and M Bierock keeps its menu simple, and a food truck sells them as well.

What is chislic South Dakota loves?

Chislic South Dakota treats as its official nosh. It is cubed meat, traditionally lamb, fried or grilled and served with toothpicks, garlic salt and crackers. The town of Freeman in the southeast is described as the traditional home of the dish.

Chislic is a bar snack, eaten with a beer and a game on the screen. In Sioux Falls, guides say the meat often comes in baskets, while Freeman tradition favors a skewer with fried onions. Ask the server what is typical, and share. The meat should be tender with a light crust, and the seasoning should be savory without overwhelming the flavor of the lamb or beef. If the cubes are tough, the cook has overdone them. Dipping sauces, such as ranch or a spicy mayonnaise, are common modern additions.

How are these foods related?

They share a heritage, a purpose and a method. Each takes inexpensive ingredients and turns them into something hearty. The bierock and the runza are baked pockets. Chislic is cubed meat cooked quickly. Kuchen, the custard dessert of South Dakota, is a sweet finish.

The common thread is making do. Farm families had flour, cabbage, onions and meat, and they made dishes that stretched a small amount of beef across a large table. The dishes taste of that economy: nothing is wasted, and everything is seasoned enough to be satisfying.

They also share a seasonality. Many are served at harvest festivals, county fairs and church suppers, so the best time to taste them may be an event day. Check dates with local sources.

What else should you eat around the Great Plains?

For a steak dinner in the Plains, read the best steak in Omaha guide. The food worth a drive in Nebraska guide takes you on the road, and the food worth a drive in South Dakota page continues north. The US guides page lists more.

How can Mosey help you follow Great Plains food?

A saved list in the Mosey app can carry a short title, such as a weekend of runzas and bierocks, and a note on each stop. Invite a friend by link and the shortlist is built by two people instead of one.

A pocket of dough is a small thing, and a good one is worth remembering. Download the Mosey app, rate each runza, bierock or basket of chislic by its dough, its filling and its seasoning, and build a Great Plains list that follows the foods across state lines.