Ukraine
Ukrainian food is characterized by its complexity and many ingredients. For example the traditional Ukrainian food – borsch – contains 20 components.
The way food is cooked is odd as several types of thermal processing for the preparing of the food (frying, boiling, stewing, baking) is used. The rules of food processing are strictly held in Ukrainian restaurants, to reach the best taste of the national dishes.
The recipes of the Ukrainian cuisine include the number of different fruits and vegetables, as well as meat, poultry, fish, mushrooms and berries. The most common meat product is pork. The meat is present in large amounts in first courses, among which the major one is borsch.
Borsch (a famous soup)
The beet-based soup can contain as many as 20 different ingredients, depending on the season, region, and of course, personal preference of the cook. It can be meatless or prepared from a rich meat stock and contain either beef or smoked pork.
Salads
Salads are often prepared with mayonnaise. The Olivier salad is made of boiled vegetables, eggs and meat seasoned with mayonnaise. And is also a very popular salad in Ukraine.
Salads are very common, but rather than being lettuce-based, combinations of fresh, cooked, and preserved vegetables may be mixed with meat, cheese, or fish.
With so many different recipes, the only constant of Ukrainian salads are the presence of vinegar or mayonnaise.
Salads are very common, but rather than being lettuce-based, combinations of fresh, cooked, and preserved vegetables may be mixed with meat, cheese, or fish.
With so many different recipes, the only constant of Ukrainian salads are the presence of vinegar or mayonnaise.
Main Courses
- Varenyky (Perogy): Dumplings stuffed with fillings such as potato and cheese, often served boiled.
- Perohy: small pastries made with fillings, such as mashed potatoes and fried onions, ground meat and fried onions, liver and fried onions, fried cabbage with fried onions, cherries, and strawberries. Served with sour cream and butter or sugar, when filled with fruits.
- Pyrizhky: Small potato filled buns baked in thickened rich cream and dill.
- Cabbage rolls: cabbage leaves (fresh or sour) rolled with rice filling and may contain meat (minced beef or bacon), baked in oil and carmelized onions and may contain as a baking sauce tomato soup, cream or sour cream, bacon drippings or roasted with bacon strips on top.
- Syrnyk: cottage cheese fritters, sometimes with raisins, served with sour cream and jam.
- Mlyntsi: crêpes, filled usually with cottage cheese, meat, cabbage, fruits, served with sour cream.
- Stuffed duck or goose with apples.
- Roast meat (pechenya): pork, veal, beef or lamb roast.
- Fish (ryba): fried in egg and flour; cooked in oven with mushrooms, cheese, and lemon; marinaded, dried or smoked variety.
- Kasha hrechana zi shkvarkamy: buckwheat cereal with pork rinds and/or onion.
- Sausage (kovbasa): various kinds of smoked or boiled pork, beef or chicken sausage. Sosysky: (hot dogs without buns) typically eaten for breakfast.
- Kotlety/Sichenyky (cutlets): minced meat or fish mixed with eggs, onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, and milk, fried in oil and sometimes rolled in breadcrumbs.
- Deruny: potato pancakes, usually served with rich servings of sour cream.
- Kruchenyky or Zavyvantsi: pork or beef rolls with various stuffing: mushrooms, onions, eggs , cheese, sauerkraut, carrots, etc.
Desserts
The sweetness of the dessert is meant to compensate for the salt and often spicy dishes that were served for the main course. Here are some of the desserts you can expect to find in a Ukrainian restaurant or in a traditional home: Christmas poppy seed rolls, cinnamon walnut crescents, coffee torte, and cottage cheesecake.
The delicious Varenyky (dumplings) is well known in all the different parts of the country, while dried fruit candy desserts are also popular. Easter also gets its specific share of desserts, such as Easter Babke, Easter cheesecake with raisins or Easter paska. Most of the Ukrainian desserts are easy to prepare and have their roots in recipes that go backs hundreds of years.
The delicious Varenyky (dumplings) is well known in all the different parts of the country, while dried fruit candy desserts are also popular. Easter also gets its specific share of desserts, such as Easter Babke, Easter cheesecake with raisins or Easter paska. Most of the Ukrainian desserts are easy to prepare and have their roots in recipes that go backs hundreds of years.