Pittsburgh. Pierogies.

	Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette Cara Toman, of Washington Township, pinches a spinach and parmesan cheese pierogi at Rosie's Pierogies in Plum last year. Click photo for larger image. Poll: Who's got more passion for pierogies?

Pierogies. Pittsburgh.

You can't think about the Steel City without visions of these delectable dumplings dancing in your head.

Because everybody knows that Pittsburghers consume more pierogies than anyone else in the world. OK, maybe just the United States.

That certainly should be enough to qualify Pittsburgh as the Pierogi Capital, right?

But noooo!

That distinction belongs to Buffalo, N.Y.

Yes, the city of hot wings and cold weather yesterday bested the 'Burgh to win the Capital of the Pierogi Pocket contest sponsored by Mrs. T's Pierogies, a food company based in Shenandoah, Pa.

Pittsburgh received only an honorable mention, as did Garfield, N.J., Lancaster, Pa., and Providence, R.I.

In addition to the title, Buffalo also received $10,000 to use for community projects of the city's choice. Pittsburgh and the other cities garnered $1,000.

"We're obviously thrilled," said Peter K. Cutler, spokesman for Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

	Post-Gazette PNC Park pierogies Jalapeno Hanna and Sauerkraut Saul head for the finish line in this 2001 photo. Click photo for larger image.

"Buffalo has a long and storied ethnic heritage, particularly among Polish and other Eastern European ethnic groups and so we always felt our entry would be a strong one because of this heritage."

The pierogi pocket is that area of the country in the Northeast and part of the Midwest where folks eat more pierogies than anywhere else.

It includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and parts of New York, southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Mrs. T's solicited entries from 30 cities for the contest, asking them to submit creative ways to demonstrate their enthusiasm for pierogies. The public could then vote online for one of the five finalists.

"We took the opportunity very seriously and mounted what we hoped would be a successful effort and in fact that's what happened," Mr. Cutler said.

Sure, Buffalo's mayor declared last Aug. 25 "Pierogi Pride Day" with festivities n 'at, including a pierogi cookoff and pierogi toss. And OK, they submitted a video and an original song.

But hey, we submitted a letter from the late Bob O'Connor's chief of staff Yarone Zober.

"We are so passionate about pierogies that we include Pierogi Races in every Pittsburgh Pirates home game," the letter stated.

It went on to inform Mrs. T's about the four life-size pierogies -- Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Jalapeno Hanna and Oliver Onion -- that compete during the bottom of the fifth inning at Pirates games.

If that's not pierogi passion, what is?

Helen Mannarino is owner of Pierogies Plus in McKees Rocks. When she opened her store 15 years ago, she researched the area and learned that 40 percent of the Pittsburgh population had Eastern European roots.

"They brought their recipes and their traditions," she said. "All of them know pierogies and all of them make pierogies."

Partly because of an appearance on the Food Network, her store now ships pierogies as far away as Alaska and Hawaii.

"We have to take this title away from them," she said about Buffalo.

Although this latest loss may rank just below the Steelers' humiliating defeat against the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's spokesman Dick Skrinjar said the city has much to be proud of.

"At least we're still the city of trees, bridges, intelligent children and good looking and talented women," he said. And to show there are really no hard feelings, he's issued an invite to Buffalo officials.

"They can come down and eat pierogies and look at our [Super Bowl] trophy," he said.

Correction/Clarification: (Published 11/3/06) Yarone Zober's name was misspelled.