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The true cooking of Ukraine
These recipes and stories are but tiny drops in the sea of knowledge about Ukrainian food, but I hope they will make you want to dive in and discover more about this culture that has so much to offer. Perhaps these recipes will even help you step into Ukrainians’ shoes—if only for a minute—and understand us as an independent people with a unique culture all our own.
—Yevhen Klopotenko
Ukrainian chef, MasterChef Ukraine, restaurateur, cookbook author, and social activist
Pyrizhky
Pyrizhky—little pies stuffed with all kinds of delicious fillings—are mentioned in Ivan Kotliarevskyy’s humorous retelling of the Aeneid, considered one of the first works written in modern Ukrainian. According to the ever-ironic Kotliarevskyy, these little pockets of golden dough are the surest way to capture a woman’s heart. I usually agree with Kotliarevskyy on pretty much everything, but this time I’d like to correct the legendary writer—pyrizhky are the surest way to capture anyone’s heart.
Vegetarian Borsch with Lekvar
We often think of borsch as a meat-based dish, but vegetarian options are widely popular and just as authentic as borsch with pork ribs or beef. In certain regions of Ukraine—for example, Poltava Oblast— a thick plum butter called lekvar is traditionally added to vegetable borsch. The tangy sweetness of the plums balances out the taste of the borsch and makes it even richer and more velvety.
Lvivsky Syrnyk
Some sources claim that the Lviv syrnyk was invented by Daria Zweck, a famous cook, baker, and bestselling-cookbook author from the Galicia region (now Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Ternopil). However, most culinary historians note that similar recipes have long been used in traditional Galician cooking and can be found in ancient historical records from the region. Whatever the history of the dish is, it’s a wonderful and easy dessert. And don’t be alarmed by the fact that this recipe calls for potatoes—they’ll make the cheesecake even more fluffy and creamy.
Cherry and Poppy-seed Varenyky
Varenyky are beloved traditional Ukrainian dumplings and so widely known that I wondered if writing about them was unnecessary. But in the end I couldn’t keep myself from sharing my recipe for cherry varenyky, an iconic dessert that you’re bound to come across in any Ukrainian restaurant.
Shynka
This is probably the most popular and simplest way to prepare pork, and Ukrainians have been using it for centuries. The pork roast, sometimes called buzhenyna, is made in all regions of Ukraine, and the methods hardly vary. The most important thing is to generously stuff the meat with garlic. In Volyn and the Pre-Carpathians, pork for the roast was often soaked in a brine solution and then cooked in an oven slowly to make the meat tender. Workers placed slices of the roast on bread and took them to the harvest fields, as it was a filling and convenient snack. Today, pork roast is served with boiled or fried potatoes or porridges.
Cherry Kompot
Kompots—sweet beverages made with berries and fruit—are hugely popular in Ukraine, especially in the summer. The best thing about this beverage is that you can make it using any kind of fruit that’s available and adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of the fruit and your own preferences. Some excellent combinations include strawberries with mint, cherries with currants, and apples with pears. Unlike a decoction, kompot, which is made from fresh berries and fruits, does not have a smoky aftertaste.