Topic 13. Ukrainian Cuisine Ukrainian Cuisine

Ukrainian cuisine has significant peculiarities, historical traditions and is influenced by Russian cuisine, Polish cuisine, Hungarian, German, Turkish and Tatar cuisines. Common foods include meats, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, berries and herbs. In Ukraine bread is a main food. There are many different types of bread, and Ukraine is sometimes called the "breadbasket of Europe." Pickled vegetables are also eaten, particularly when fresh vegetables aren't in season.

But especially known and most favorite dish all over the world is famous Ukrainian borsch. Borsch is cooked of fresh vegetables: cabbage, beet, tomato with the addition of lard (сало) with garlic and parsley. The combination of all these products give the borsch its piquancy, aroma and unforgettable taste. There are about 30 types of Ukrainian borsch (Poltava borsch, Chernigov borsch, Kiev borsch, Volyn borsch, Lviv borsch and others). Depending on the region and season, you can enjoy red and green, hot and cold borsch.

Mushroom soup, chicken soup, fish soup, bean and pea soup, soup with meatballs are also popular.

Starting from the second-half of the 18th century, many potato dishes appeared in Ukraine. In our country potato is used as often as rice in Japan. Popular dishes on the Ukrainian table are the potato puree (mashed potatoes) and "deruny". "Deruny" are potato pancakes. You can eat them either hot or cold.

Stewed meat with potatoes, Ukrainian bitki with garlic and lard, stewed cold boiled pork with cabbage and lard, krucheniki and others have the same popularity among Ukrainian lovers of tasty food. 

“Fat” (salo) is a favourite national product. It is served as a separate dish: salt, boiled, smoked or fried. It can also be used as seasoning and fatty basis for different dishes.

"Holubtsi" or cabbage rolls are one of the favorite Ukrainian meat dishes. They are filled with pork and rice. A stuffed pepper is very popular too. Its filling is the same.

Fish dishes enjoy great popularity in Ukraine. For example, crucian (carp) baked in sour cream, fish krucheniki, carp stuffed with mushrooms and boiled buckwheat, carp stewed with onion or sour cream and others.

The dishes from wheat flour have a great importance. "Varenyky" are dough pockets filled with either potato, or potato and cheddar cheese, or cabbage, or cottage cheese, or blueberries, or cherries, or generally anything. "Varenyky" are very often served with onions and sour cream. "Pampushku" are special buns served with garlic sauce and "borsch". Pampushku can also be served with jam or honey when you have them with a cup of tea.

The popular dishes are also porridges: buckwheat porridge, semolina porridge, pumpkin porridge etc.

The famous traditional Ukrainian drink is "horilka". Ukrainian cuisine has also natural nonalcoholic drinks such as "kvas" and "uzvar". "Uzvar" is a sweet drink made of different dried or fresh fruits or berries boiled in water. It is very healthy. You can drink it hot, warm, cold or very cold in the hot summer.