Ukrainian Cuisine

Ukrainian cuisine is flavored with black and red pepper, salt, bay leaf, parsley and dill (usually in spring and summer), garlic and onion. Staples include potatoes, cabbage, fish, pork, beef and sausage.The cuisine of Ukraine has a rich history and offers a wide variety of dishes. Ukrainian recipes are also influenced by its neighbors like Russia, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Lithuania and the so-called Soviet cuisine (dishes of mixed origin popular in the USSR). Ukrainian food is intended to be filling and should be served in large quantities.

Soups:

Solyanka (Russian and Ukrainian) – a thick, spicy and sour soup. These are the basic kinds:

Meat solyanka is made with ingredients like beef, ham, sausages, chicken breasts along with cabbage, salty mushrooms, pickles, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers, allspice, parsley and dill.

Fish solyanka with fish like sturgeon, salmon and freshwater crayfish. At the and lemon juice is added to the soup.

Borscht (mostly Ukrainian and Russian) this type of soup is served hot there are also cold borscht varieties. Ingredients may include various vegetables such as beans, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, beetroot and meat such as chicken, pork or beef. May be eaten as a meal itself served with thick dark bread.

Rosolynk (Ukrainian Kidney Soup) Cook carrots, celery, parsley root, onions, and potatoesin stock until tender. Meanwhile, a veal kidney is cleaned and cut into thin slices then cooked with onion. The kidney and onion are added to the soup. Add diced pickles and sour cream and garnish with dill.

Main meals:

Varenyky are boiled dumplings. They are usually made of unleavened dough and stuffed with sauerkraut, cheese, mashed potatoes, cabbage, meat, hard-boiled eggs or a combination of these.

Stuffed duck or goose with apples.

Fish (ryba) fried in egg and flour; baked in the oven with mushrooms, cheese and lemon; marinaded, dried or smoked.

Stuffed zucchini or eggplant oven-roasted, stuffed with tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and/or rice.

Kasha hrechana zi shkvarkamy is buckwheat cereal with chopped, fried bacon and/or onion.

Bosartma – Fry lamb and combine with chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, tomato paste, cherry plums, greens and seasonings, a little broth and stew until done.

Fish Baked a la Russe – Place fish such as pike, cod, catfish, or perch in a baking pan and surround with boiled and sliced potatoes. Mix together sour cream, oil and flour and pour over the fish and potatoes then sprinkled with cheese and bake.

Golubtsy – Boil a head of cabbage just enough to remove the leaves. Mix boiled rice with grated carrots, chopped tomatoes and minced meat. This mixture is then stuffed in each cabbage leaf making cabbage rolls. Some broth mixed with tomato sauce or ketchup is poured into a baking pan into which the golubtsy are placed and baked.

Vegetarian:

Ailazan – Thinly slice eggplant and salt then let it sit for 15 minutes. Afterward, the eggplant is squeezed of excess moisture. Slice up potatoes, onion, tomatoes, sweet peppers, green beans.. Mix together the following spices basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley, garlic, ground black and red pepper. Layer eggplant and vegetables in a deep pan with the spices sprinkled between each layer. Oil and water are poured over, covered tightly with a plate and then the pan cover and stewed until done.

Potato Pie – Grind cottage cheese in a food mill. Combine mashed potatoes with the cottage cheese. Add sour cream, eggs, salt and chopped greens. This mixture is put in a greased mould and sprinkled with grated cheese then baked.

Spinach in Breadcrumbs – Wash spinach and dry then roll in flour, soaked in beaten egg with ground garlic, pepper and salt, then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.

Salads:

Ukrainian Fish Salad – canned fish in oil is combined with macaroni, sliced tomatoes and dressed with mayonnaise.

Ukrainian Corn Salad – Combine canned sweet corn with grated crab sticks and chop up boiled eggs. Then combine with mayonnaise.

Strong spirits (horilka, vodka in Russian; Samohon (moonshine) is also popular, including with infusions of fruit, spices or hot peppers. The largest producers of beer are Obolon, Lvivske, Chemihivske, Slavutych, Sarmat and Rogan, which partly export their products. Wine (vyno) comes from Europe and Ukraine (particularly from Crimea).

Regaining popularity is mead (mid or medovukha) which is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from honey, water and yeast. The taste is similar to cider but the flavor depends on the plants frequented by honeybees, the length of time and method of aging and what yeast is used.

Among non-alcoholic beverages are kompot which is a sweet beverage made of dried or fresh fruit and or berries boiled in water, kvas – a sweet and sour sparkling beverage brewed from yeast, sugar and dried rye bread, kefir which is milk fermented by both yeast and lactobacillus bacteria and having a similar taste to yogurt. Best known mineral water brands are Truskavetska, Morshynska and Myrhorodska. They usually come strongly carbonated, rvazhanka is another kind of natural yoghurt made of baked milk.