Dante Carrillo
Ukrainian cuisine is a culinary adventure deeply rooted in history, tradition, and flavour. It is a lot more varied than the borscht and varenyky often associated with it. The wealth of plants and animals raised in this fertile land account for a rich and varied diet. In addition, the cuisine was enriched by historical contacts with Europe and Asia. Ukrainian dishes show a sophisticated simplicity based on the goodness of the ingredients themselves and their natural flavours. Dishes are seasoned to perfection, with neither highly spiced nor bland flavours.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mainstay of the Ukrainian diet | Bread |
| Meat | |
| Fish | |
| Vegetables | |
| Fruits | |
| Dairy | |
| Soups | |
| Legumes | |
| Cereals | |
| Herbs and spices | |
| Alcoholic beverages | |
| Non-alcoholic beverages | |
| Desserts | |
| Dumplings | |
| Salads |
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What You'll Learn
Bread and grains
Cereal dishes such as kasha, usually made from millet, were common among all groups of the population and also played a ritual role (koliva). Kasha can also be served as a side dish with meat or poultry. Buckwheat was imported from Asia in the 11th century AD, and it is now a very favoured grain in Ukraine. In the 18th century, the standard diet of an inhabitant of Left-bank Ukraine consisted mostly of dishes made of flour and groats (rye, buckwheat, millet and wheat).
Grains and starchy foods are considered more important in the Ukrainian diet than meats. In addition to rye, wheat, and buckwheat, other grains and cereals that have been cultivated in Ukraine include barley, oats, and millet.
Ukrainian cuisine also includes a variety of pastries and dumplings. When made smaller, the dumplings are called pyrohy, and when made even smaller, as appetizers, they are called pyrizhky. The boiled version is called varenyky, and the baked version is called pyrohy. These can be filled with jam, meat, fish, cabbage, potato, mushrooms, and raisins. Kalach or kolach is a sweet bread that is braided and ring-shaped, traditionally served at weddings and on Christmas Eve. Paska is the traditional Easter bread, which is round and decorated with dough in the shape of a cross.
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Meat and fish
Fish is another basic dish of the Ukrainian Christmas supper. Fish is fried, poached, or baked with stuffing. Jellied fish is popular, and fish stock is used in making borshch or soup. Cold appetisers are made from salted herring. Carp, catfish, crayfish, flounder, halibut, turbot, and herring (salted) are among the many varieties of fish found in Ukraine. In the markets, fish is available in many forms—frozen, canned, smoked, salted, and fresh. Carp is ubiquitous, and trout is a Carpathian delicacy. To prolong their shelf life, fish products would normally be salted, smoked, or dried. Caviar, especially from sturgeon, was also popular.
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Dairy products
Dairy is also often used in Ukrainian soups, which are typically served with dinner. For example, the popular cold soup, kholodnyk, or kholodnyi borshch, is made by blending vegetables and beets with sour dairy products like sour cream, soured milk, kefir, or yogurt and is served with a hard-boiled egg. Similarly, the Christmas version of borshch, which is made without meat, is soured with beet kvas and served with chopped hard-boiled egg and sour cream. Soured milk is also a favourite drink throughout Ukraine, with a popular variant being huslianka or riazhanka, made by souring boiled milk with sour cream.
Dairy is also used in dumplings, which are a common Ukrainian staple. Dumplings, called varenyky, are made with dough and stuffed with a variety of fillings, including cheese, potatoes, meat, or fruit. Another type of dumpling is the small dumplings called shchypantsi, which are boiled in milk. Syrnyky, or cottage cheese fritters, are another example of a Ukrainian dish that incorporates dairy.
In addition to the use of dairy in these specific dishes, dairy products are also incorporated into Ukrainian cuisine through the use of butter. Butter was historically consumed by the Cossack elite and is now commonly used as a spread for bread, which is a mainstay of the Ukrainian diet.
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Soups
Ukrainian cuisine has a rich history, with traditional dishes varying from region to region and family to family. One of the most iconic Ukrainian foods is borscht, a classic beet soup. This soup is typically served with a dollop of sour cream and rye bread. While there are many variations, the basic ingredients for Ukrainian borscht are beets, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and onions. Some recipes also include meat, typically in the form of sausage or pork. The soup is seasoned with salt, pepper, vinegar, and sugar, and garnished with fresh herbs like dill or parsley.
Borscht is a versatile dish that can be adapted for vegetarian, vegan, and pescatarian diets. It can also be made with different types of meat, such as venison. In addition to the classic red borscht, there is also a green variety made with spinach and sorrel, which gives the soup its characteristic sour taste. This version, known as Green Borscht or Ukrainian Spinach Soup, is especially popular during the summer months and is often served cold.
The preparation and cooking techniques used in Ukrainian cuisine have been influenced by the country's cold winters, leading to the development of preservation methods such as drying, curing, pickling, salting, and smoking. The use of these techniques can be seen in the traditional preparation of vegetables, which are often salted or pickled to extend their storage period.
In addition to borscht, other Ukrainian soups include solyanka, a thick, spicy soup made with meat, fish, or mushrooms, and okroshka, a cold soup made with vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and kvass, a fermented beverage made from rye bread. While less common, there is also a fruit version of okroshka made with fruit juices and fresh fruit.
Finally, while not technically a soup, holodets is a unique Ukrainian dish worth mentioning. It is made by freezing meat broth to a jelly-like consistency, with pieces of meat or pork suspended within it.
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Drinks
Ukrainian drinks vary from teas to alcoholic beverages. A typical breakfast in Ukraine includes a cup of coffee or tea. One such tea is Travyani nastoi, made from local herbs like chamomile and mint, which are consumed for their health benefits.
A popular non-alcoholic drink is Kysil, a fruit drink or dessert made from fruit juices and starch, which has a jelly-like consistency. It can be made with anything from fruit to rhubarb or milk, and can be as thick as jelly or as runny as a regular beverage.
Ukrainians also enjoy a variety of alcoholic drinks. One of the most famous Ukrainian alcoholic drinks is Varenukha, which consists of vodka mixed with dried fruits, honey, and spices. Mead (Medovukha) is another alcoholic beverage, made from honey, water, and yeast.
Mead has been consumed in Ukraine since ancient times and is often flavoured with spices or herbs.
Another popular drink is Uzvar, made of dried fruits, mainly apples, pears, and prunes. Compote is another drink made from dried or fresh fruits or berries boiled in water. Kvas is a sweet-and-sour sparkling beverage brewed from yeast, sugar, and dried rye bread.
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Frequently asked questions
The Ukrainian diet consists of grain and vegetable-based dishes, with bread being a staple. Cereals and bread formed the base of most people's diets in Ukraine, along with legumes like peas and beans. Meat is also a central part of the Ukrainian diet, including beef, lamb, and pork.
Traditional Ukrainian dishes include borshch, a beet-based soup, and varenyky, which are dumplings with various fillings. Salo and Chicken Kyiv are also popular dishes.
Ukrainian cuisine has a lot of variety, with hundreds of different recipes for a single dish, and regional variations. It also includes unique dishes like holodets, a meat broth that is frozen to a jelly-like consistency with pieces of meat inside. Cold Ukrainian winters led to the development of unique cooking processes like drying, curing, and pickling.
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