Shanga shanezhki - 8 cooking recipes

This dish is prepared in the northern part of Russia, mainly in the Urals region. It is believed that the word “shangi” came into Russian from the Komi language. And it got there, in turn, from Karelia, because from Finnish it is translated as “harvest”.

In fact, shangi are nothing more than cheesecakes. More precisely, these are their closest relatives. The only difference is that shangi is prepared only with unsweetened filling. Moreover, in cheesecakes, a special depression is usually made for the filling, and in shangi it is applied or spread on top. At least that's how they used to be prepared. Now shangi are more like cheesecakes, because many housewives prefer to fill them with filling rather than spread it.

The shape of shanegs is classically round, but can be oval or curly. The size also differs: from small, portioned circles that easily fit on a child’s palm, to larger ones, the diameter of a dinner plate.

What fillings are added to shangi? As is the case with any pies, the fillings for shanegs can be anything: potatoes, mushrooms, cheese, cottage cheese, puree from any cereal or legumes, meat, chicken, porridge. The dough for them is usually made unleavened so that it does not draw the flavor from the filler onto itself. But options with yeast, wheat or rye flour are acceptable.

Shangi is baked in the oven and then greased with butter or vegetable oil. They are served hot as an addition to other dishes, such as soup, fish, coffee, tea. In Russia today there are many recipes for shaneg, very different. During the Soviet Union they were just as popular.

By the way, in addition to the already mentioned cheesecakes, the closest relatives of shanegs are also: perepechi, kalitki, kastybai, rasstegai, echpochmak, tabani.