Best Ukraine traditional Foods

HISTORY OF FOOD

The earliest known farmers in the Ukraine were the Trypillians (4500–2000 B.C. ). The territory of the Ukraine had rich soil and a favorable climate perfect for cultivating crops. The Trypillians grew barley, millet, rye, and wheat. They also herded sheep, pigs, and cattle. Wheat was plentiful, and soon trading routes were established along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast to market the grain. The Ukraine territory became the crossing road connecting Arabia, Europe, and Asia.

Life depended on the activities of cultivating soil for crops. In pre-Christian times, holidays were celebrated during times of transition from one type of agricultural activity to another. These seasonal festivities were later incorporated into Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.

Over time, Ukraine fell under the power of many different countries, including Poland, Austria, and Russia.

Ukrainians proudly kept their native traditions, customs, and cuisine. 

 Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Varenyky

Varenyky is a popular Ukrainian dish made of boiled dough with diverse fillings, such as meat, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, cheese etc. Varenyky is not a festive dish, but their taste leaves no one indifferent. These Ukrainian dumplings can be the main course as well as the dessert.

https://ukrainianpeople.us/ukrainian-varenyky-history-recipe-interesting-facts/

 Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Ukrainian Borsch

Borsch is a famous ukrainian soup.
Borsch is originally Ukrainian but it is made by most Slavic people. It is almost always made with a broth made of beets, potatoes, carrots, spinach and meat.
It may be eaten as a meal in itself, but is usually eaten as an appetizer with bread.
By the way, Borsch can be Borsch or Borshch.

https://ukrainianpeople.us/ukrainian-borscht-with-meat-recipe/
Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Holubtsi (Ukrainian cabbage rolls, stuffed cabbage)

Early in the XX century Ukrainians began to stuff cabbage rolls with the mixture of rice and meat and use tomato juice or paste as a sauce. Nowadays these are the most common ingredients for holubtsi in Ukrainian families. The name for stuffed cabbage rolls in Ukrainian language is “golubtsi” or “holubtsi” (singular – “holubets’”). The etymology of the word is vague, though there are two versions.

First – the word “holubtsi” derived from Serbian with meaning “dumplings” (similar in shape).

Second – the word “holubtsi” derived from Ukrainian word “holub” meaning pigeon under the influence of French cuisine. French cooks served roasted pigeons and Ukrainians found more affordable variant of the dish and named it “holubtsi”.

This a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings.
https://ukrainianpeople.us/golubtsi-ukrainian-cabbage-rolls-recipes/

 Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Ukrainian Potato Pancakes – Deruny, Plyatsky, Tertyuhy

The pancakes are very filling, satisfying, and keep you full for quite a while. Since it’s a c ommon Slavic culture recipe, it’s made similarly by many people.

https://ukrainianpeople.us/ukrainian-potato-pancakes-deruny-platsky-tertyuhy-recipe/

 Best Ukraine traditional Foods


Halushky 

Halushky are a traditional variety of thick, soft noodles or dumplings cooked in Ukraine. Do these bring back memories? We always loved them. We like them with homemade kapusta and kovbasa. My mama makes these all of the time. Our family loves them with a nice mushroom gravy. They taste delicious fried in some bacon fat with onions and crisp bacon. I sometimes cut them up into small pieces and add them to my homemade chicken soup. I have even gone so far as to fry them up and serve them with sunnyside eggs, scrambled and poached. Yummy, yummy!

Best Ukraine traditional Foods
Holodec (Kholodets)

Holodec is an ukrainian aspic.
Holodets is a jelly-like dish from meat broth. It gets its name from ‘Holod’, the Ukrainian word for cold and is traditionally served in Ukraine during winter holidays.

When served, holodec (holodets, kholodets) has the shape of the basin where it was chilled. The meat pieces are clearly seen through the transparent broth-turned jelly. Kholodets is served cold as an appetizer with hot mustard or strong horseradish sauce.

 Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Salo 

 Salo is a traditional Ukrainian food, a national Ukrainian appetizer.

A much-maligned yet indispensable part of Ukrainian cuisine is salo, or lard – cured pork fatback that’s typically salted and treated with garlic, paprika or black pepper. Thin slices of garlicky salo on rye or sourdough bread go hand in hand with alcohol consumption.

Salo is considered to be a source of national pride. Salo dates back to the 16th century, when Ukrainian peasantry were under attack from the Crimean Tatars and the Ottoman Turks. The invaders would wreck their farms, enslave them and take all their livestock bar the pigs, leaving Ukrainians to appreciate pork all the more.

When foreigners visit Ukraine, they first of all want to taste salo because Ukrainians know how to cook delicious and piquant salo.

 

4 FOOD FOR RELIGIOUS AND HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Around 85 percent of Ukrainians are Christian. Therefore, the most important holiday in the Ukrainian church is Easter, followed by Christmas. Both holidays are celebrated according to the old-style Julian calendar, resulting in Christmas Day falling on January 7. Christmas Eve is called the Sviaty Vechir celebrating January 6 (Holy Evening). To celebrate, a ritual meal is traditionally prepared with 12 mostly meatless dishes, which symbolize the 12 apostles who gathered at the Last Supper. In some homes, the supper table is scattered with some hay, in memory of baby Jesus in the manger, with an elaborate tablecloth. Kolach is a traditional bread placed in the middle of the table. The meal usually begins with a small bowl of kutya , a mixture of cooked wheat, honey, poppy seeds, chopped nuts, and apples. This is followed by several fish dishes, mushrooms, holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), varenyky (dumplings), fruits, cakes, such as makiwnyk (poppy seed cake) and bread. Borshch is usually included as well.

Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Kutya (Sweet Porridge)

Ingredients

1 cup cream of wheat

¼ cup margarine or butter

2 cups water

¼ cup each honey, poppy seeds, and chopped nuts

Procedure

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.

Add the cream of wheat and chopped nuts. Stir until soft and the water is absorbed.

Pour the mixture into a serving dish and add the butter and honey.

Mix in the poppy seeds, saving a few for sprinkling over the top.

 

Makiwnyk (Poppy Seed Cake)

Ingredients

¾ cup poppy seeds

1⅓ cup milk

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

⅓ cup oil

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ lemon or orange rind, grated

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2½ teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon sugar

Procedure

Soak poppy seeds in milk for 1 hour in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Add cornstarch, oil, sugar, vanilla and rind to the poppy seed-milk mixture and stir.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the poppy seed mixture and mix well.

Pour into a greased cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Top with glaze (see recipe).

 Best Ukraine traditional Foods

Makiwnyk Glaze (Poppy Seed Cake Glaze)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon sugar

Procedure

Add the lemon juice and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Stir gently until it forms a syrup.

Drizzle over Makiwnyk.

Bon appétit! Smachnogo