Ukrainian Cuisine from Time Immemorial

For a long, long time, visions of wealth, happiness, peace, and tranquility in the home have been
created with friendly words, heartfelt prayers, and age old customs. Families, big and small,
would gather around the dinner table not simply to sate their hunger but to commune in intimacy
with their nearest an dearest: to tell stories, to talk about the weather and the harvest, to tell jokes,
to laugh, to solve problems. During the solemn feasts, as the host gathers the guests—close and
distant relatives, friends, and acquaintances—around the table, a special, holiday mood would
reign over them. With hot drinks and snacks and traditional meats in abundance, they would
make toasts for peace and wellness. And, of course, not a single gathering occurred without the
singing of Ukrainian folk songs, the telling of old jokes, and the creation of a unique atmosphere
of spiritual closeness.
Ukrainian national cuisine grew out of many long eras, ever under the influence of neighboring
cultures: Polish, Belarusian, Russian, Moldovan, Romanian, and Crimean Tatar. By adopting its
neighbors’ methods of preparing various dishes, Ukrainian cuisine developed it’s own unique
identity.
For as long as can be remembered, Ukrainians have grown rye and raised cattle, pigs, and fowl.
They also fished and hunted. Thanks to this abundance of local food, Ukrainian cuisine has
always featured a variety of distinguished dishes.
It is well known that in the 15th through 17th centuries, trade developed significantly. The
domestic market gradually expanded, strengthening the economic networks between different
cities and regions as marketplaces grew. Ukrainians also acquired buckwheat, originally
imported from Asia, which they ground into flour for making bliny, pancakes, grechaniki,
garlicky pampushky, and dumplings with salo—and from whole grains, they made kasha and
lemishka.
Millet was added to pumpkin porridge and boiled to make a gruel. Rice, imported from the east,
was also used in Ukraine. Aside from various grains, legumes were also widely used: nuts, beans,
lentils, and broad beans.
Ukrainians have always had a special relationship with vegetables. They grew cabbage, beets,
carrots, cucumbers, squash, horseradish, onion, and garlic, and stored them throughout the winter.
It is well known that Ukrainian borsch cannot be made without beets and other vegetables.
Mulberries and watermelon came to Ukraine from Central Asia. Corn, imported from America,
was used to make mamaliga, lemishka, Hutsol babkas, Hutsol knish, and kukuruzyanki.
The 18th century saw the rise of the king of vegetables: the potato, imported from America,
without which there would hardly be any first courses today. Potatoes are also used in the
preparation of second courses with meat, salo, carrots, beans, mushrooms, apples, and cheese.
In the 19th century, mass production of vegetable oil began. It is used to dress salads, especially
in vinaigrettes, as well as to fry meats and vegetables. As a seasoning, it started being added to
mustard, which played a definitive role in the development of the flavor profile of Ukrainian
food. However, perhaps the most important acquisition came from overseas: the tomato.
Ukrainian cuisine with out the tomato would be unimaginable. Ukrainians also enthusiastically
adopted other vegetables such as the eggplant, which was once considered to be “Islamic” and
was therefore not used in foods. From the tomato, they made juice, puree, paste, and all varieties
of sauces. With eggplant, they made cold starters. Garlic, dill, anise, mint, lovage, angelica,
thyme, and red pepper were the standard spices and seasonings on the Ukrainian table. Over time,
imported spices were added as well: bay leaf, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.
From the sugar beet, a plant well habituated to Ukrainian soil, Ukrainians started producing
sugar, which greatly enriched the national cuisine. Prior to this development, only honey was
available for making sweets and baked goods, as imported sugar made from sugar cane was very
expensive. The only well-known sweet dishes at that time were kutya with honey, raisins, poppy
seed, and nuts; rice with honey and cinnamon; and uzvar from dried fruits like apples, plums,
and cherries. From raspberries and cranberries they made uzvarets.
Over time, sugar became available to most of the population. Sweet babki, puddings, and
porridges appeared. Ukrainians began to make cordials, varenukhi, and other original homemade
drinks.
National, Traditional Dishes for Everyday
National Ukrainian dishes include kulesh, lemishky, fried cabbage, pickles, green borsch,
solyanka; a variety of pastries from simple, unleavened dough: dumplings, bliny, pancakes,
babky, latkas, meaty zrazy, malay (from millet flour), and even kasha.
Millet, buckwheat, barley, oatmeal, corn, and rice are all eaten with milk and sour cream, or
salted with butter. In some places, grain dishes like banush, lemishka, and mamaliga are also
eaten with cheese.
Beets, carrots, cabbage, pumpkin, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion are all foods that are
fried in butter and served as a complete dish on their own. Pickled vegetables are used in salads,
dressed with various vinaigrettes.
From the variety of produce gathered in the forest, mushrooms of all sorts are a favorite--
especially white mushrooms (dry or fresh). Beans (broad beans, white beans, and lentils) are
often added to vegetable dishes.
Bread and Grain Dishes
The aroma of our bread and the quality of its flavor, particular to home cooking and baking, is
incomparable. Bread is eaten with many soup dishes as well as potatoes, kasha, fresh cucumbers,
onion, and garlic. The Ukrainians’ relationship with bread is reflected in many sayings and
proverbs:
[in Ukrainian:] “A loaf – like down, like air, like a sweeter happiness.”
“Without bread, it can’t be a meal.”
“Bread and water is the food of the Cossacks.”
“Without bread, the conversation dries up.”
“Bread and kasha are our food.”
“Living bread is our father. Buckwheat is our mother.”
“With bread, songs are sweeter and the house is warmer.”
The oldest varieties of bread are unleavened cakes (pryazhmo and flatbreads). Later, sour dough
breads (leavened) began to be baked. The dough was always fermented with hops, and a piece of
dough was always left behind for the subsequent baking projects. The dough is thoroughly
kneaded over a long period of time as flour is gradually added. This is all done in a special basin.
This basin was considered a protector of the family, and was never taken out and used in another
village. Bread was baked once per week in an extremely hot oven near the hearth and the loaf
placed on cabbage leaves. It was more often than not rye bread, as this was more filling.
Wheat flour is only baked into bread on major holidays: at Christmas, weddings, and Easter.
Occasionally barley, buckwheat, or oat is added to rye flour. In Carpathian villages, breads from
oat and corn prevail. In years when the harvest was lean, other things were added to bread
dough: potatoes, nuts, beans, and in the spring, bran, crushed acorns, quinoa, nettles, or plantains.
Round loaves and cakes (like popalky and perepeshky) from wheat dough are brought out for
breakfast, and big fried breads and rye pampushky for borsch. Fried breads and piroshky are
stuffed with cabbage, potatoes, bean purees, cottage cheese, and, in summer and fall, with plums,
apples, snowberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, and raspberries.
On Sunday and other holidays in Polesya, bliny from leavened buckwheat or rye flour are often
brought to the table.
Many grain dishes have remained in Ukrainian cuisine: dumplings, noodles, grouts, lemishka,
kvasha, and oatmeal, etc.
Noodles were also a popular dish on Sundays and sometimes on holidays. Dough for noodles
was made with wheat flour and eggs. The long strips were cooked in either salted water or in
milk.
Dumplings were prepared from buckwheat, rye, or wheat flower, except in Carpathian villages,
where oat flour was also used. They were even made with various fillings: meat, mushrooms,
cheeses, apples, etc. Dumplings are served as a first course baked in large casserole dishes,
boiled in sour cream, served with creamy butter, fried in salo, and in other forms.
Porridge, or oat borsch, is one of the oldest dishes. Thick or thin porridge was often put on the
table with potatoes, bread, or beans during fasts.
Zatrika is also made quite often. For this dish, flour is mixed with a small amount of water,
worked into small balls, and boiled.
People in Podol’, people in Bukovina, and Hutsuls made mamaliga from corn meal. Lemishka
from roasted dough, baked in the oven and eaten with milk or flavored with vegetable oil, was
also popular. Along with dumplings, lemishka replaced regular bread on the table, as is
eloquently demonstrated by the following proverb:
“Dumplings and lemishka are simply bread that’s been stirred.”
Borsch: An Ornament on the Ukrainian Table
Many long-standing traditions have arisen in the preparation of Ukrainian dishes, and this, more
than anything else, is true of the famous Ukrainian borsch. The first Ukrainian dishes were made
from meat or fish broth with vegetables and many different condiments. This was called “boiled
in potion.” It has been suggested that the name “borsch” comes from the Ukrainian word for
beets, buryak, which, it seems, was at one time pronounced byrsch, and this ingredient is
obligatory in the dish. However, borsch is also made with parsnips (borschevik), so it is also
possible that the name originated from this word. Sitting on a hot stove, borsch will never spoil,
and it will be even more flavorful on the second day than it was the evening before. Prior to
ladling the borsch into a bowl, the host will flavor it with mashed pig fat (lard) or with salted,
garlicky salo, and there must be mustard on the table. Generally, pampushky are made to be
eaten with the borsch. These fluffy, little rolls are made from rye flour or wheat flour, and then
smeared with oil and crushed garlic.
Meat does not always make its way to the table. It is usually added to borsch except on Easter
and Christmas—when pigs and poultry were slaughtered for the holiday. Borsch is flavored
further with a spoonful of sour cream.
In each place, they made borsch in their own unique way. This is why we now have Poltavskiy
borsch, Volynskiy borsch, Chernigovskiy borsch, Galichanskiy borsch, L’vovskiy borsch,
Krestyanskiy borsch, Dneprovskiy borsch, etc. In some places, they would give an acidity to the
borsch by adding beet or bread-based kvas or, sometimes, sour varieties of apple. And most
homesteads added their own favorite secret ingredients to the dish as well.
Borsch can be made hot or cold (cold borsch is generally made in the summer), with meat or
without (such as during Lent). The most important ingredients in hot, red borsch, though, are
bright red beets. Other ingredients such as cabbage potatoes, carrots, onions, parsley, dill, and
tomatoes are also added, and they are all traditionally cooked into soup with a meat-based broth.
Red peppers add a spicy flavor to the mix, especially those commonly used in the south of
Ukraine.
Lenten borsch is cooked with mushrooms or with fish. On Christmas and Maccabeus (Aug 14),
it is tradition to add a pig’s ear as well. In the central Dnipr regions, the area around Poltava, and
Podol’, Lenten borsch is often made with beans. In the south of Ukraine, it is made with millet or
buckwheat grouts. In the Poltava region, they also sometimes add dumplings. In Podol’ a soured
borsch is made with special kvas and with steamed rye bran. In western Ukraine, people prefer
borsch with only beets—no cabbage or potatoes at all. For a sweet-and-sour sort of flavor, they
also add fresh cherry or apple juice.
Borsch is not only eaten regularly for lunch. It is also impossible to celebrate any holiday
without it, including Christmas, weddings, and christenings.
Green, sour borsch, or spring borsch, us made with young sorrel and potatoes. In the spring, it is
made with nettle, quinoa, or early beet greens, as well as hardboiled eggs and sour cream or
guslyanka [a dairy drink similar to kefir]. Sour red borsch is also made for Lent without meat
and without salo, which is replaced by vegetable oil, dried mushrooms, and, if possible, dried
fish.
Cold borsch, or botvinya, is usually made in the summer. Early beets from the garden and boiled
potatoes, cut into strips, seasoned with kvas, whey, and sour cream. Greens are also added
(parsley, dill, onion greens, garlic greens) along with hardboiled eggs. This borsch is eaten
chilled, often with boiled potatoes in place of bread.

Other Soups: Kapustnik, Ukha, Scherba, Okroshka

Cabbage, especially sour kraut, is an especially honored food in Ukraine, and it is added to
nearly every first-course dish. A soup called kapustnik is made from sour kraut as well as millet,
and potatoes that have been fried in salo. During Lent, it is made with beans or mushrooms.
Ukha, or yushka, is an ancient Ukrainain dish from the early Ukrainians who settled near rivers
or along the coast of the sea. In the 11th and 12th centuries, yushka was Ukrainian’s favorite
choice of broth. Today, it is made as a kind of fish broth with dill, onions, carrots, potatoes, and
spices. Yushka can also be made with fresh mushrooms, sweet peppers, and other ingredients,
and flavored with sour cream or butter.
Making ukha is an art form in it’s own way. As a general rule, it is made from fish, which gives a
clear broth and meat that is sticky, tender, and slightly sweet. Pike, perch, ruffy, or other white
fish can be used. These fish make a delicious dish called white ukha. Lingcod, salmon, lin, and
vyaz can also be added. The flavor of ukha can even be enhanced with carp, eel, chub, koi, or
rudd. This is called black ukha. Ukha from red fish—sturgeon, beluga, and white and red
salmon—is called red, or amber, ukha. It is very nourishing. Saffron is often added as well, as
says the proverb:
[in Ukrainian] When there is dill, saffron, and parsley, the yushka is fragrant.
The word okroshka comes from the word kroshit’ – to crush or grind (like in a mill). It is one of
a variety of cold soups which is made with bread-based kvas, whey, or vegetable broth.
Okroshka is also a traditional Ukrainian dish. Hardboiled eggs are a necessary ingredient, as well
as potatoes, fresh cucumbers, radishes, green onion, and dill. Other combinations of ingredients
can be added for flavor. Okroshka can be made with fish, mushrooms, meat, vegetables, and so
on.

Kasha [Cereals and Grains]

Ukrainians’ favorite garnish of all time is kasha [cereals and grains]. Crushed grain was
traditionally separated from the husk and then ground by mill workers or with a mortar and
pestle. Many cereals are used for cooking: corn, wheat, millet, barley, and oats and buckwheat
that had been lightly fried until they take on a golden color. Before putting a pot of kasha in the
oven, it should be salted. Even today, ancient methods are used to prepare delicious, crumbly
buckwheat kasha. First, the grain must be fried in a small amount of lard, and then boiled.
Stewed kasha must be placed in the stovetop for a long time. It can be cooked into cool grouts
(in water) or into porridge (in milk). Typically, buckwheat kasha is eaten after the borsch, as it is
said:
[in Ukrainian] “If borsch could get married, we would have no more kasha.”
Cool grouts are often mixed with lard, butter, guslyanka, milk, or yogurt. Millet and corn, baked
with sugar, eggs, and milk, appears on the table during family celebrations and holidays.
Krupniki and porridges are also made from grains. Porridge is rarely made from wheat berries.
These are mainly ground into flour.
Potatoes
Polesya and Transcarpathia, where there is always a deficit of grain, have been saved by the
potato, which has become “the second bread” there. Since, as the Hutsuls said, potatoes require
“neither scythe, nor thresher, nor mill.” Most often, they boiled the potatoes “in their jackets”
[with skins on] or baked them in the oven, particularly during Lent. They ate potatoes while
drinking kvas or sour milk, with cucumbers or sour kraut, flavored with butter and onion or fried
in salo.
The Hutsuls made original sauces for potatoes out of grated garlic, butter, and water. From
boiled potatoes, they made potato breads such as pyrozhky stuffed with mushrooms, beans, and
cabbage. They were typically eaten with sour cream, fried salo, or butter.
They made various kinds of potato-pancakes, lepeshky, like teryanishki, knishes, and bulyaniki,
from grated potato baked on cabbage leaves. In Carpathian villages, then also made goluptsy
[stuffed cabbage]. Pancakes fried in vegetable oil were also to be found in the north and western
regions of the country.

Salo
Salo, with its high calorie content, and its ability to maintain its high quality over a long period
of time, was and continues to be a very important ingredient for Ukrainians and for Ukrainian
food. Salo is typically salted. Lard can also be extracted from it, leaving behind the cracklings.
As an ingredient loved by all Ukrainians, salo is served along side borsch, varenyky [goluptsy,
and dumplings, and has become the “calling card” of Ukrainian cuisine.
Ukrainians eat salo with bread and with garlic. Salted salo is added to potatoes and kasha, and it
is often used to fry eggs. It is also difficult to imagine dumplings, varenyky, bliny, noodles,
mamaliga, and many other dishes served without the cracklings from the salo. When a family
eats salo, it means that they eat plenty because there is plenty to eat. Ukrainians like to joke
about it:
[in Ukrainian] “I live well: I eat salo, I sleep on salo, and dress myself with salo.”
“If I am to be a [grown] man, I must eat salo and wear it as well.”
Holiday Dishes
Ritual Ukrainian Food
For ages, our ancestors have carefully preserved and passed down traditional holidays and ritual
celebrations from generation to generation.
On Christmas, it is tradition to serve twelve meatless dishes, corresponding to the number of
months in the year, which represented daily toil, care of ones family, and the daily bread. The
first course is always kutya [a sweet wheat berry porridge] with honey, nuts, poppy seed, and
uzvar [a boiled fruit drink]. This was not only made as a treat, but also as the guardian of the
family.
Kapustnik, boiled beans, potatoes, varenyky, fried and stewed fish (or deep fried drugli), and
goluptsy with millet must also be served. Pies are baked with cherries, plums, dried forest
strawberries, poppy seed, baked beets, or hawthorn berries. The dough is made fragrant with
various herbs like thyme, oregano, and mint.
The whole family, young and old, would sit at the table. In Pokuttya, the last bundle of grain
from the harvest (the didykh—another protector of the family) was decorated with cornflowers
and oregano. Everyone would eat slowly while discussing family affairs.
The ritual of making of kutya traces back to pre-Christian times. There is even a second name for
this dish: kolivo, which is usually made from boiled rice and steamed raisins.
During the Christmas holidays, kutya is made three different times: “Godly kutya” on the Holy
Eve, “generous kutya” on St. Basil’s Day (old new year), and “hungry kutya” on the eve of
baptism.
Ukrainians, like many people of the world, have steadfastly maintained the belief that as the new
year begins, so will the rest of the year unfold. For this reason, the holiday table is filled with an
abundance of dishes. The traditional, ritual table is inextricably intertwined with the church
calendar. The alternating fasts and holidays inform the unique characteristics of Ukrainian
cuisine. Ardent believers fast every Wednesday and Friday, all year long, with the exception of
Christmas eve (when only “hungry kutya” is eaten), Forgiveness Sunday (the last Sunday before
Lent begins), Holy Week (after Easter), and the week after Pentecost. The longest fast is The
Great Fast, which ends at the resurrection of Christ, Easter. In the last week of the fast, on
Maundy Thursday, they kill and butcher a boar. The women bake paskhi (an Easter cake) and
bake the meat. On Saturday, it would come time to make Easter eggs—pysanky. After the vigil,
all the dishes were blessed, and then, in the home, they generously broke fast.
In the summer, ritual dishes are prepared in connection to the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul and
even to Maccabeus and the Transfiguration. And then comes autumn festivals, and the annual
ritual cycle begins anew.
Karavay (Round, Decorated Loaves) traditionally carry a deep, ritual meaning. Easter, wedding,
and forgiveness (pre-Lenten) loaves have been dedicated to the sun, Dazhbog (the sun god), and
Yarilo (god of war and harvest). Along with pysanky and Easter eggs, the loaves symbolized the
renewal of the universe. The top of the loaf was decorated with pinecones, doves, larks, and
ducks, all made from dough. Flowers, pine needles, periwinkles, berries and guilder roses, and
branches from fruit trees were also added, and red ribbons were braided into the dough.
Kalach (Challah) is a ritual bread that is made into a round or an oval shape—a symbol of
abundance and family welfare. It is baked for the spring and autumn equinoxes, the summer and
winter solstices, and for weddings. Made from leavened dough, and braided out of three or four
strands of dough, with a hole left in the middle. Small kalachy are also sculpted into the size of a
fist. In the south of Podol’, in Bukovina, and in the Carpathians, many kalachy are made and are
frequently given to guests.
Lezhen’ is a ritual wedding bread, a variety of kalach. They are made into large, oval shapes.
The tops are covered with decorative dough, much like karavay. The loaf of lezhen’ is broken on
the second day of the weeding. Before this takes place, it “lies” [lezhat’] intact on the table in
front of the young couple, which is where it gets its name. Lezhen’ was popularized on the left
bank (east bank) regions of Ukraine as well as in the south.
Diven’ (Verch – Virtue) is a ritual wedding bread that takes an oval shape, also a variety of
kalach and lezhen’. It is often baked on Polesya. It is, as a rule, never decorated. More often than
not, it is prepared from a three- or four-strand braid with the ends combined so as to form a
closed circle (Ukrainians consider round objects with holes in the center to be majestic). Diven’
symbolize the married couple’s wedding rings.
Shishki (Pine Cones) are made out of karavay dough and traditionally baked at weddings. They
symbolize the celestial lights—stars. The dough is rolled into strips and one side is marked with
notches or teeth. Then, they are rolled up with the notches on the outside, and girdled with small
nibs of dough. Shishki are used to decorate karavay and lezhen’. They are given to the guests at a
feast.
Babkina Kasha is a dish made from eggs and butter, which is typically prepared by the midwife
and brought in a pot to the christening. All of those in attendance pass the pot to the person on
their right to break. The highest price is typically paid by the child’s godfather. He receives the
pot with kasha, which he breaks on the corner, so the table so that shards and the kasha remain
on the table. Babkina kasha is common in Polesya, Volina, and northern Sloboda.
Slasteny [Eng: sweet tooth], Oreshki [filled pecan cookies], and Verguny [beignets] are all
made from wheat-based dough and fried in high-quality vegetable oil. They are only made for
guests, holidays, fasts, parties, and given to children.
Shuliki [Shulaki] are shortcakes made from fresh dough on Maccabeus or sometimes on
Transfiguration. They are eaten bit by bit over the course of the holidays, mixed with poppy seed
and honey.
Korochun [Krachun, Krechun] is a ritual bread that is baked in the place of kalach for carolers
and as a symbol of the completion of the agrarian year, after the harvest. Along with the didykh,
it is one of the most important symbols of the end of the harvest.
Paskha [literally: Easter] (Kulich in Russian) is a spring-time ritual bread that is made for
Easter. It is made from a very rich, buttery dough with eggs, butter, sour cream, vegetable oil,
sugar, and saffron. Once baked, it is it is iced and decorated with millet or poppy seed. The
paskha, along with Easter eggs (pysanky) and other dishes that adorn the holiday table, must be
blessed in a Church.
Zhabronki [Larks] (Soroki [Magpies]) are pastries that are made on the holiday of the Forty
(sorok) Saints. In each home, to this day, families bake forty knyshiky, kalachy, bubliky, or other
pastries in the shape of a bird. Little pieces of dough are rolled into a string and tied into a knot,
and then pressed down, to make a shape like a bird’s comb and tail, and then baked. These
“zhabroniki” are given to children.
Mandriki (Mandrigi) are ritual pastries that are made for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Cottage cheese is blended with flour with a bit of butter, eggs, and salt. The resulting dough are
formed into little pampushky (round dumplings). Mandariki were traditionally baked in each
home and given to shepherds working in the fields.
Knysh is a kind of bread from finely ground flour. It is made from rye flour (or, less often, of
wheat flour) dough formed into a round shape with fingers and an oiled spoon (or with the oiled
edges of a glass and notched on the edge. After shaping 5-7 ‘leaves’ of dough in this way, they
are pressed back into the middle with a spoon. The stuffing is made from fried onions, cheese, or
sour kraut with onion and butter. Knysh are traditionally made for fasting holidays and when
visiting relatives and godparents at Christmas.
Varenyky
[In Ukrainian] Blessed boiled varenyky! Bless them all, just don’t boil them all!
Varenyky—especially for couples—is an important, celebratory food, because the process of
making them requires outstanding culinary abilities. Certain varieties of varenyky have achieved
a special glory, including those filled with cheese and sour cream, with poppy seed, and with
cherries and black berries drizzled with honey. The word “varenyky” comes from the verb “to
boil” [varit’] (in Western Ukraine they are occasionally called “pirogi” or “boiled pirogi”). On
Christmas Eve [also called Generous Day, as this is when gifts are given. – Jen], cabbage-
stuffed , cabbage-stuffed varenyky should be on the table. On the evening of Shrove Tuesday,
during the week before Lent known as Butter week or Cheesefare week, the most important
traditional breads are bliny and varenyky, which symbolize the Sun and the Moon. Not a single
holiday passes without this beloved national dish. Recall the Hutsul Pastyul from Dikan’ka who,
in majestic fashion, used them to settle his accounts! “…Patsyuk gasped, gazed upon the upon
the varenyky, and gasped again. At that moment, he threw the varenyky from the bowl, and
vigorously threw sour cream on top of them. He turned them over, threw them into the air, and
popped them into his mouth. Patsyuk ate them all, and then, again, he gasped.”
Meat and Sausage
[In Ukrainian] “There’s no fish on the line and no meat on the pig.”
Ukrainians typically use fried and stewed pork more than any other meat product. They also
prefer beef and fowl. The majority of dishes, however, are made from pork: goluptsy, home-style
roasts, Ukrainian-style chops, garlic and salo-stuffed boiled pork, bigos, krucheniki, and
zavivantsy. The flavor especially pronounced when roasted in earthenware vessels in the oven.
Sausage is usually made before Christmas and Easter. It is a practically obligatory and honored
dish on the holiday table. Sausage has been made in Ukraine since ancient times. The historian V.
Tatishchev has observed that Rusichi, ancient Russians, were able to salt pork for Prince
Svyatoslav, and according to N. Karamzina, ham appeared in among the Rus’ in the era of Prince
Vladimir.
In the traditional Ukrainian kitchen, sausage was a food that was made in the case of rationing or
for storage. Thin pork intestinal linings were thoroughly washed, soaked, and filled with ground
meat, salted salo, garlic, and peppers. The sausages were put into rings and broiled on both sides
on a baking rack in the oven. In western Ukraine, sausages were treated in special smokehouses
or in the chimney. For extremely long chains of sausage, the whole thing would be put in a pot,
covered in lard, and put in the cellar or the barn.
In Zakarpatiya, and sometimes even in Gugul’shchine and the Prikarpatiya, they make
“gurka”sausage that is stiffed with offal (lungs, liver, and cracklings), rice or corn, blood from
other domesticated animals, fried onion, and seasonings. The world “gurka” (a borrowing from
Swedish) means “cucumber,” since sausage, to this day, takes on a similar form.
Drinks
We still, today, possess an ancient image that once decorated Ukrainian houses: Cossack
Mamay—a Cossack character and representation of the invincible spirit of the people—sits, deep
in thought, on a sacred oak tree. Next to him stands his black horse. A song quietly pours past his
lips, as he smokes mint and oregano in his pipe. Next to him sits a bottle filled with drink and a
glass. Everything in the image is in a world of harmony, because, as legend tells us, the Cossack
fiercely drove evil away from the homeland so that his people could live forever.
Food and drink clearly express the customs of the people, and characterizes their relationship
with nature and their aesthetic norms, which have been handed down from generation to
generation.
Ritual drinks have a special place in Ukrainian culture: they are drunk at weddings, christenings,
wakes, and at the end of the harvest.
Kvas and Syrovets
Kvas is a common, traditional drink that hails back to the time of Kievan Rus’, and it is still
made by the same ancient methods. Fried rye, oat, and barley grains are put into a large tub with
dried bread or crackers and salt. Kvas is made without sugar, but honey is added to taste.
Uzar (Zvar, Var)
Uzvar is one of the most common, traditional drinks in Ukraine. It is made from fresh fruits and
berries in the summer, and from dried fruits in the rest of the year. These fruits may be dried on
the stove, in the sun, or in a special oven. Cherries, plums, pears, apples, apricots, blueberries, or
raspberries are poured over with boiling water, placed in the oven, left to sit and infuse, then
strained out of the broth. Both the broth and the boiled fruit are eaten. Uzvar is made for holidays,
as well as for everyday.
 Kisel’
This ancient Ukrainian dish is traditionally sweet. At first, kisel’ was made from oat grains. They
were fried, ground into flour, and boiled. Then, pieces of bread are added and it is left in a warm
place overnight to ferment. This drink gets it’s name from the process of making bread, which
must rise [ukisnut’] well before it is cooked.
Gorilka [Ukrainian: Horilka, (vodka)]
Greeks and Romans considered the drinks of the barbarians, drinks used by those living in colder
cloves, sinnamon, made stronger drinks from grain and other materials like wild honey and juice
from forest berries. The first gorilka was made somewhere between the end of the 12th and
beginning f the 13th centuries. It was called “bread wine.” The type of the raw ingredients used
by these populations included inexpensive oat, rye, and barley kernels, coarsely ground.
Varenukha (Varenaya, Varyokha, Zapekanka)
This mildly alcoholic drink was popular among our ancestors. At first, they prepared uzvar from
dried pears and prunes. Overnight, the drink sat. It was then strained, and hot red peppers were
added to the drink (in order to confuse and hinder the spirit). Mint, thyme, oregano, and, when
available, other foreign spices like cloves, cinnamon, and all spice were added for flavor. Finally,
the mixture was put over the fire with honey and then served either hot or cold. Sometimes, it is
served mixed with a bit of gorilka.
Medovukha (Mead, Bread Mead)
This drink was widely consumed during the era of Kievan Rus. At first, it was made with a
honey solution and flavored with baked pinecones and hops and left in a warm place to ferment
over several days—up to a week. Then, the mead was strained and drunk when cooled. Not a
single gathering or holiday took place without medovukha. Only during religious fasts is the
consumption of this beverage limited.

[In Russian:] We prepare today, just as we have always done, casual and holiday food and drink.
The priceless heritage of many generations shows that each one set on the table brings blessings
to family, to life, and to our homeland. This helps us survive in this difficult world, where there
must be accord and brotherhood, happiness and love.
Walnut and Garlic Caviar
1 cup shelled walnuts
3-4 cloves of garlic
1-2 slices of dried bread
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Parsley and dill
Salt to taste
Crush the garlic. Add the walnuts and pound them. Dunk the bread slices in water, squeeze the
excess water from them, and mix them into the garlic and walnuts. Whip the resulting mixture
with a wooden spoon, gradually adding in the vegetable oil until it forms a puree. Finally, whip
in the lemon juice and salt. Serve on slices of bread, topped with the green herbs.
[note: Ukrainians are more likely to be in possession of a mortar and pestle and a lot of gumption
than they are a food processor. I recommend choosing the food processor if you have one. - Jen]
Roulette “Raduga”
650g / 23oz / about 1.5lbs chicken filet, without skin
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup dried apricots
½ cup pitted prunes
1tbsp cognac
1 tsp gelatin
green parsley and dill
salt and pepper to taste.
Soak the apricots and prunes ahead of time. Thinly pound out the chicken filet. Lay it out on a
cheese cloth and spread the tomato paste over one side. Lay down the apricots and prunes on top.
Drizzle the cognac over the top and sprinkle over the salt, pepper, and gelatin. Tightly roll the
roulettes together and tie them with white string. Boil for 30 minutes. Serve by slicing them into
portions and topping each slice with green herbs.
Beet Salad with Prunes, Raisins, and Walnuts
2-3 beets
10-15 prunes
½ cup raisins
½ cup shelled walnuts
100g / 3.5oz mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic
½ tsp salt
[Boil the beets ahead of time - Jen]
Put the prunes in hot wader and let them soak for 15 minutes. Then remove the pits and cut them
into strips. Dry off the walnuts and crush or chop them. Wash and dry the raisins.
Cool the boiled beets, peel them, and cut them into thin strips. Then add them to the prepared
prunes, the raisins and the walnuts. Add the mayonnaise and garlic, and stir. Mix in salt and
pepper to taste.

Shukhi
2 beets
50g / about 2oz dried mushrooms
OR
300g / about 10oz fresh mushrooms (champignons)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Boil the beets, skin them, and cut them into strips. Soak the dried mushrooms in cold water and
then boil them. Fresh mushrooms should be boiled for 10-15 minutes, drained, and cut into slices,
and then fried with the vegetable oil. Fry the mushrooms with the shredded beets, the garlic
(chopped or crushed), the vinegar, salt and pepper.
Baked Onion Salad
3-4 heads of white onion
2 whole cucumber pickles
2 hardboiled eggs
100g / 3.5 oz grapes, marinated or fresh
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
green parsley and dill
salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
Bake the raw onions on the upper (hottest) rack of the oven. Let them cool, peel them, and cut
them into slices. Add the vinegar, sliced eggs, and the cucumber pickle cut into strips. Slice and
add the grapes. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Toss in the vegetable oil and sprinkle the top
with herbs.
Carp with Honey
1kg / 2.2lbs fresh carp
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp raisins
½ onion
½ carrot
½ parsnip
10g gelatin
1 cup broth or bouillon [I recommend using the bouillon from the fish, prepared below -
Jen]
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ lemon
½ hard boiled egg
green parsley for a garnish
salt and pepper corns to taste
Clean, gut and wash the carp.
In a large pot, shred the carrot, parsnip, and onion. Add salt and peppercorns, cover with water,
and boil for 15 minutes. Add the prepared fish to the vegetable mixture and cook it to your liking.
Preparing the jelly:
Boil the bouillon down to 2/3 of its original volume. Add the gelatin to the liquid and stir until it
is entirely dissolved. Then add the vinegar and bring back to a boil, then add the raisins and
honey. Boil, but do not allow it to curdle.
Place the cooked carp on a plate. Pour the prepared gelatin mixture over the fish and cool.
You can garnish the dish with lemon slices, sliced boiled egg, and green herbs.
Ukrainian Borsch
400g / 14oz beef brisket 2 liters / about 8.5 cups water
¼ head of cabbage 4 potatoes
1 carrot 1 beet
1 parsnip 1 onion
2 sweet peppers 2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp wheat flour 20 g / less than 1oz bacon fat (or any other
2 cloves garlic fat)

about 2 pieces of red pepper, oregano, sour cream and salt to taste
and bay leaf
Boil the meat until thoroughly cooked and removed from the bouillon.
Cut the beets into strips. Add the fat and the tomato puree, and the beets to a frying pan [and fry
until the beets begin to cook and soften]. Slice into strips and add the carrot, parsnip, and onion
to the frying pan and fry until just beginning to caramelize.
Bring the bouillon to a boil and add chopped potato and shredded cabbage. Boil for 15 minutes.
Add the stewed, fried vegetables to the bouillon as well as a bit of sautéed red pepper (cooked in
a pan without fat until golden brown). Add the flour, diluted in a bit of bouillon or cold water,
and boil for 5 min.
Chop the meat. Place a portion into a bowl and pour the borsch over it. Top with sour cream and
chopped green herbs [dill is always best].
Ukrainian borsch is especially tasty when eaten with garlicky papmushky.

Pampushky
2-3 cups of wheat flour 4 cloves of garlic
1 cup water 1 egg
1 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp vegetable oil
25g / 0.9oz yeast salt to taste
Make a slurry from the yeast, sugar, half the flour, and 1 cup of warm water, and let it stand in a
warm place to rise. When it has just risen, add the salt, the vegetable oil, and the remainder of the
flour. Let stand in a warm place to rise again. When the dough has risen, roll it with oiled hands
into balls the size of a pigeon’s egg [about the size of a quarter] and drop them on to a pan, coat
them in egg, and cook them in a hot oven.
Once cooked, coat them in vegetable oil and garlic and dunk them into your borsch.
Green Borsch
500g / 17.5oz pork 1 tsp sugar
5 potatoes ½ cup sour cream
1 parsnip 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
300g / 10.5oz sorrel and spinach 2 hard boiled eggs
1 beet 3 tbsp butter
1 carrot 2 bay leaves
1 onion 2 tbsp green onion
1 tsp wheat flour salt and allspice to taste
Boil the pork until it is thoroughly cooked, and then shred it. Retain the broth.
Cut the beet into strips. Add the vinegar and roast until soft, adding to it the sugar and a small
amount of the bouillon as needed. Peel the carrot, parsnip, and onion. Cut them to strips and fry
them all in the butter. Dry off and add the beets. Cook them all to a golden brown.
Bring the rest of the broth to a boil and add the chopped potatoes. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Then
add all of the fried vegetables. Wash and finely chop the sorrel and spinach, and add them to the
bouillon as well as the allspice, bay leaf, and salt. Cook until ready [a few minutes more].
When serving the borsch, add the shredded pork to the bowl, along with a slice of boiled egg, a
dollop of sour cream, finely diced dill, and green onion.
Okroshka
1.2 L / about 5 cups kvas [you can find this at most European grocery stores]
300g / 10.5oz boiled beef
4 potatoes
4 fresh cucumbers [Ukrainian cooking ONLY uses fresh gherkins]
1 bundle of green onions
4 hardboiled eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp mustard
salt and lemon slices to taste
Dice the potato and the meat into cubes about 5mm/1/4” in size. Grind the green onions with a
wooden pestle with a little salt until it releases its juice. Dice the cucumber into cubes (large ones
with rough skins should be parboiled and peeled first. Cut the hard boiled eggs and finely chop
the egg whites, and blend the yokes in with a bit of the sour cream, the mustard, salt, and sugar
until smooth. Then dilute this mixture with the kvas. Into the kvas mixture add the salted and
crushed green onions and all of the other chopped ingredients. Mix well. Serve garnished with
sour cream and a slice of hardboiled egg.
Home-style Roast
500g / about 1lb beef
1kg/ about 2lbs potatoes
2 onions
1 carrot
1tbsp rendered fat
¼ cup tomato puree
3-4 cloves garlic
1 cup bouillon or water
fresh or pickled cucumbers (any amount you prefer)
Green herbs (dill, parsley, etc.)
Salt, pepper, and bay leaf to taste.
Cut the beef into small pieces and salt them. Fry the pieces in the fat, in a pot, searing the outside,
then cook them to your desired level of doneness in the tomato puree and the bouillon, added to
the pot. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Chop the onions and the carrots and fry all of
the cut vegetables together. Then add the bay leaf and the pepper and transfer the whole
vegetable mixture into a somewhat thin earthenware pot with a lid (for baking). Onto the potato
mixture, put pieces of the beef, then another layer of vegetables, then more beef, and so on, until
the pot is full, with the last layer being vegetables. Pour in the water or bouillon. Cover the pot
with a lid or with a layer of dough (like a pot pie) and bake. Once thoroughly stewed, it can be
seasoned further with crushed garlic.
This dish can be served fresh or picked cucumbers, and sprinkled with fresh, chopped green
herbs.
Pork Ribs
1kg / about 2lbs pork ribs
2 onions
2 carrots
½ cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted prunes
½ cup raisins
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Place half the ribs in a shallow pot or casserole dish. Salt and pepper them. Cut one of the onions
into half-rings and lay it down in a layer over the ribs, followed by one of the carrots, chopped,
half of the apricots, half the grapes, and half the prunes. Then repeat with the rest of the
ingredients.
Dissolve the honey in a cup of water, and stir in the cinnamon. Pour this mixture over the ribs in
the dish. Cover the dish with a lid, and place in a very hot oven (390-430 degrees Fahrenheit),
and cook for 1.5-2 hours.
Chicken and Dumplings
800g / 28oz chicken
1 carrot
1 onion
1 cup bouillon or water
salt and pepper to taste.
2-3 tbsp butter

For the Dumplings:

1 cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup water
salt to taste
Prepare the chicken and cut it into small pieces. Fry it in the butter and then add chopped carrots
and onions. Cook for 10-15 minutes. And then add hot water or hot bouillon, salt, pepper, and
cook until everything is done.
To make the dumplings: Mix the flour, eggs, and water to make a dough. With two clean spoons,
scoop and form little dumplings and then boil them in salted water or in bouillon. Drain the
dumplings in a sieve, and fold them into the chicken and vegetables.
Home-style Chicken Kiev
2 chicken filets
2 tbsp butter
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
3-4 cups of vegetable oil, for frying
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Wash the chicken and clean off any film or fascia. Dry it off and pound it until you get an even
layer of meat throughout the cut. Lightly salt the chicken. In the middle of the filet, put a piece of
cold butter mashed together with the chopped parsley, rolled into the form of a small stick or
baton, and wrap the chicken filet around it so that all of the butter is sealed inside the meat. Form
the filet in your hands into a sort of pear shape and salt it. Dip it in egg and then roll it twice in
the breadcrumbs. Fry the chicken to golden brown, and then roast them until they are fully
cooked (165 degrees Fahrenheit internally) in the oven. They can be served garnish with boiled
vegetables, fried potatoes, etc.
Deruny
4-5 potatoes
1 onion
2 tbsp flour
1 egg
2 tbsp salted butter
salt and pepper to taste
Grate the potatoes on a regular setting and then grate the onions finely. Mix these with the egg,
flour, salt, and pepper. Form these into fritters and cook them in hot, salted butter.
Goluptsy in a Creamy Tomato Sauce
1 head of fresh cabbage
1.5 cups sour cream
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
sugar and salt, to taste

For the Stuffing:

300g / 10.5oz pork
2 cups rice
3-4 inions
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the stem off the cabbage, but not so far that the leaves fall apart. Put them into a stockpot
with boiling salted water, and cook them until they are half-softened with the heat set on low.
Then remove the head. Separate the leaves and cut out the thick center rib. Lay down filling on
each leaf and then wrap the leaf around the filling to enclose it.
Put the goluptsy in a stockpot that has been lined with cabbage leaves. Fill the pot to a quarter
full with boiling, salted water. Cover with more cabbage leaves and cook over a low flame for 40
minutes.
Make a roux with the flour and butter. Pour the sour cream into the roux and as well as the
tomato sauce. Flavor it with salt and sugar to taste, and pour it over the goluptsy. Place the
goluptsy in the oven for 10-20 minutes.
Dough for Varenyky
3 cups wheat flour
¾ cups water
1 egg
½ tsp salt

Mix everything together into a dough, and let it sit for 30-40 minutes.

Varenyky with Farmer’s Cheese, Baked in a Jar

For the Filling:
800g / 28oz Tvorog style farmer’s cheese
1-2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs

For the bake:

1 cup sour cream
1 egg

Mix the cheese, sugar, egg, and a touch of salt, and mix well.
Roll the varenyky dough into a thin sheet and cut out round pieces about 3” across. Place a
spoonful of filling on each, and fold the edges over to close the dumpling. Place the varenyky in
an earthenware pot or jar. Mix the sour cream and remaining egg together, and pour this into the
jar, and then bake. For the varenyky to be soft, the jar must be covered with a lid or with a layer
of dough.
Varenyky with Cabbage
For the Filling:
800g / 28oz of fresh cabbage or sour kraut
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt, sugar, and pepper to taste
Wash and chop the cabbage. Pour a cup of water, the tomato paste, and half of the vegetable oil
over the chopped cabbage and cook until it is softened. Then add diced onions, salt, pepper,
sugar, and fry a second time.
Roll the varenyky dough into a thin layer and cut out round pieces about 3” across. Place some
filling on each one and then fold over to seal. Cook in boiling water for 5-7 minutes.
[You should definitely top them with sour cream when they are ready to eat. – Jen]
Kutya
1 cup wheat berries (or pearl barley)
4 cups water
½ cup honey or sugar
½ cup raisins
½ cup shelled walnuts
½ cup poppy seeds
Wash the grain and cook it over low heat for 3 hours, stirring adding more water while it cooks
as needed. Add the honey or sugar to a small amount of water and boil it for 1-2 minutes, or
dilute it into uzvar. Wash the raisins and chop the walnuts. Drain the grain and mix it with the
poppy seed, raisins, and walnuts. Pour the honey or sugar mixture over everything and stir.
Uzvar from Rosehips and Apples
2 cups dried rosehips
3-4 apples
1 cup sugar
3L / a little more than 3 quarts water
Lemon juice to taste
Wash the rosehips and then boil them for 20-30 minutes. Drain the rosehips, reserving the fluid.
Add the sugar and lemon juice to the fluid and mix well. Clean the apples and remove the core.
Cut them into slices and place them into the syrup. Boil over a low flame for 5-10 minutes more,
depending on the type of apples used. Chill.

Uzvar
200g/ 7oz dried fruit (apples, pears, prunes, cherries, apricots, raisins)
½ cup honey
1.5L / about 1.5 quarts water
Chop up or break up the dried fruit, was it a few times in warm water, and remove the pears and
apples. First, boil the pears and apples until they are soft, even the large pieces. Then add the
other fruits and boil an additional 10-15 minutes. Add the honey to the mixture, and bring back
to a boil, then let stand in a cool place to infuse.
Kompot from Prunes and Raisins
200g / 7oz prunes.
1 tbsp raisins
2 cups water
1 tbsp sugar
Wash the dried fruits. Dilute the sugar in boiling water and then add the prunes. Cook for 15
minutes on a low flame. Then add the raisins and cook on low heat for an additional 5 minutes.
Chill.
Apples Stuffed with Cottage Cheese
6 fresh apples

For the Filling:

250g / about 9oz farmer’s cheese
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp raisins
vanilla and salt to taste
Core the apples and fill then with the cheese filling. Place them on a pan and bake for 30 minutes
at 370-390 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the filling: Wash the raisins. Mix them with the cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Cheese Pie
500g / about 1lb of farmer’s cheese
4 eggs
1/2/ cup sugar
2 tbsp flour (or semolina)
2tbsp raisins
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp breadcrumbs or pastry crumbs
1 tbsp sour cream
¼ tsp salt
Wash the raisins. Separate the eggs and cream the yolks with the sugar. Add this to the cheese
along with the flour, salt and raisins. Whip the egg white into a thick foam and gently fold it into
the cheese mixture.
Carefully grease the baking pan and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the surface. Transfer the pie
batter into the pan, and cover the top with sour cream. Bake at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for
40 minutes.
Pukhkeniki (Old-Fashioned)
1.5 cups flour
1 tbsp butter
1.5 cups water
6 eggs
3-4 cups oil for frying
2 tbsp crushed crackers
Powdered sugar, vanilla, jam to taste
Boil the butter and water together, then add flour to make a batter. Continually stir the batter
over low heat until it begins to pull away from the pot. Let the dough cool to 140-160 degrees
Fahrenheit, gradually bringing it to a golden brown. Stirring constantly, gradually add egg
whites to the batter. Scoop the prepared batter into a spoon and fry each piece until golden brown.
Roll the prepared pukhkeniki in the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and then vanilla. They can
be eaten with jam.
Quick Dough for Piroshky
1 kg / 2.2lbs wheat flour
2 cups water or milk
40g yeast
3 tbsp butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Mix the yeast with a small amount of warm water or milk, and add 1 tsp of the sugar. Allow this
to stand for 15-20 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs with the rest of the sugar, and then ad the salt,
yeast mixture, and remaining mil or water. Gradually add the flour to make the dough. Allow it
to rise for 1-1.5 hours, and then prepare piroshky.
Piroshky with Various Fillings
From the prepared dough (previous page), make a medium-sized bun and let it stand for 20
minutes. Then roll each bun with a rolling pin into a round, flat cake and place filling in the
middle of each. Tightly seal the dough around the filling and place bun on a pan with the seam-
side down. Brush with egg and bake at 425-445 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. You can
also fry them in a pan or in a deep fryer [What are they talking about? Use the deep fryer. There
is no other option here. – Jen]. For fried piroshky, make the same dough, but use less sugar.

Filling
Meat Filling No. 1
600g / 21oz meat
1-2 onions
1 tbsp wheat flour
1-2 tbsp fat
boiled rice (any amount you prefer)
salt, pepper corns, bay leaf to taste
Place the meat in hot water and boil until it is done. At the end of the boil, add salt, pepper, and
bay leaf to the water. Remove the meat and run it through a meat grinder. Chop and fry the onion
with the flour and ground meat until golden brown, and then once again run the mixture through
the meat grinder.
Add 2-3 tbsp of bouillon (the water in which you boiled the meat) to the ground mixture and salt
and pepper to taste. You can add cooked rice as well, if you like.

Meat Filling No. 2

600g / 21oz meat
1-2 onions
1tbsp wheat flour
1-2 tbsp fat
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Wash the meat and grind it in the meat grinder and place it in a pan. Cook it, adding a bit of
water as needed, until it is completely done. Run it through the meat grinder again.
Finely dice the onion and fry it with the flour with fat. Add a bit of bouillon and the ground meat.
Add salt and pepper and finely diced parsley and mix well.