Ukrainian food satisfying and varied. Who knows the famous Ukrainian borscht, kulesh, yushki. Moreover, there are about 30 recipes for Ukrainian borscht alone. Combined dishes made from meat and vegetables are especially tasty and healthy - cabbage rolls with meat, meat casseroles, krucheniki. Ukrainian chefs do not skimp on adding garlic to their dishes. It serves as the main hot seasoning, which gives a special taste and smell to any dish. Ukrainian cuisine is also characterized by fish dishes - fish sicheniki, balls and meatballs, fish with cabbage and cottage cheese and other products. Vegetable dishes are very popular in Ukraine (toshchenka, sicheniki and krucheniki made from potatoes, zavinets from potatoes and cabbage, etc.). Including beetroot (beetroot caviar, beetroot balls and pancakes, stuffed beets, etc.). Perhaps beets are the most beloved vegetable by Ukrainians. Ukrainian cuisine is also famous for products made from cereals, legumes, corn, pasta, as well as wheat flour - pampushki, Greek bread, verguna, etc., and dumplings and dumplings have become truly folk dishes, everyone loves them.
Ukrainian cuisine is also rich in sweet dishes (fruit and berry salads, uzvars, aspic from cherries and berries, jelly and foam, snowballs, etc.) and drinks from cherries, apples, pears, currants, watermelons. I offer delicious Ukrainian dishes that will certainly add variety to your table.
All Ukrainians love lard.
Here is the traditional recipe.
pork lard with layers of meat (brisket) - 500 g, salt - 0.5 cups, water - 1 liter, onions - onion peels (for color), garlic, bay leaf, pepper, spices.
Boil water with salt onion skins and spices. Place lard and skin into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Leave the lard in the brine for 7-8 hours, then remove, grate with crushed garlic, sprinkle with pepper and spices, wrap in gauze and put under a press for 4-5 hours, then place in the freezer.
About lard.
Another recipe. Take lard, the larger the layer the better, preferably it should be rectangular in shape. It is cut lengthwise into thin layers, approximately 0.5 cm thick, then the lard is beaten with a hammer so that it is loose. Next, raw liver is wrapped in these beaten lard plates, also pre-cut and beaten with a hammer, but not too much, otherwise it will fall apart. The rolls wrapped in this way are tied with threads so as not to unwind and placed in a saucepan with onion skins, pepper, salt, as you like - spicier or not. And all this cooks for about one and a half to two hours. Then let it cool, remove the threads and cut the rolls into thin slices and place them on a plate, decorate with herbs. This looks and tastes like an extraordinary dish!
Galushki
This soup can be cooked with any meat broth, but I especially like chicken broth. From 2 chicken legs (4-5 thighs, or giblets) we cook broth.
Peel 5-7 potatoes (depending on size), throw them into the broth, and cook until almost done. 1 medium onion (you can have a large one, if you prefer) finely cut into cubes.
Melt 30g butter in a frying pan and sauté the onion until golden brown.
5 minutes before it’s ready, add it to the soup.
Dumplings:
From 2 eggs, 2-3 tbsp. l milk (or water) and flour, knead the dough - not stiff, soft, so that you can pinch it off. When the frying has been added to the soup, add the dumplings. Pinch off small pieces of arbitrary shape from a piece of dough and throw them into the broth (to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands, place a cup of water next to it and wet your fingers).
Once all the dumplings have surfaced, the soup is ready!
Solyanka
Fill the beef kidneys with water and cook the broth; as soon as the water boils, drain and rinse the kidneys thoroughly and cut into small pieces; pour again and prepare the broth; after it boils, after 20 minutes, add finely chopped pork and beef; after 40 minutes, add finely chopped chicken, too. Add spices to the broth to taste. Separately fry very finely chopped onions and carrots, add tomato paste. When there are about 10 minutes left until the broth is ready, add onions, carrots, and tomato paste. and in about two minutes add the olives and capers cut into slices. No cucumbers or potatoes. Serve with a slice of lemon and sour cream.
Borscht with dried mushrooms and fresh cabbage
2 liters of water, 500 g of beets, 30 g of dried porcini mushrooms, 300 g of fresh cabbage, 2-3 pcs. potatoes, 2 carrots, a piece of rutabaga, 2 onions, 75 g of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 3 tbsp. spoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 5 peppercorns, sour cream, salt, green onions to taste.
Boil dried mushrooms. To do this, sort the mushrooms, soak them in cold water for 15-20 minutes and rinse, then pour cold water and leave for 46 hours for swelling. Place the swollen mushrooms in a colander and rinse under running cold water, then cook for 2 hours in the same water. Chop the cooked mushrooms and strain the broth. Peel the beets, cut into strips, sprinkle with vinegar, lightly fry in vegetable oil, add a little water and simmer for 1 hour. Also chop onions, carrots, rutabaga into strips and fry in hot vegetable oil. Place chopped cabbage into the boiling mushroom broth and cook for 30-40 minutes, then add tomato puree and roots, let it boil, add sliced potatoes, mushrooms and boil for 5 minutes, add stewed beets and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Season the borscht with beetroot coloring, salt and sugar. When serving, add sour cream and chopped green onions to the borscht.
Dumplings for borscht
1 tablespoon of dry yeast, 1-1.5 cups of warm water, 0.5 cup of vegetable oil, 0.5 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, flour - as much as the dough will take. (About 3 glasses).
Dissolve yeast in warm water, add sugar, salt, pour in butter, add flour, knead the dough. Form donuts the size of a ball 5-6 cm in diameter. Place tightly on a greased baking sheet. Leave to rise in a warm place for an hour and a half under a towel. If suitable, brush with egg and place in an oven preheated to 200-220 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Garlic dressing: water and sunflower oil in a ratio of 2 to 1, crush the garlic there.
Dumplings baked in pots
Dumplings - 0.5 kg, sour cream - to taste, vegetable oil - to taste, salt, pepper - to taste.
Place the dumplings in 2 or 3 pots, add salt and pepper, and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Shake each pot to distribute the oil and spices evenly. Add 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Cover the pots with lids.
Cook in the oven for 35 minutes at 260 degrees. Sprinkle with herbs before serving. You can add some canned corn, chopped tomatoes and sweet peppers to the dumplings. Serve vinegar separately.
Spicy sea bass
2 skinless sea bass fillets, salt, pepper.
Sauce:
1/2 sweet pepper, 1/3 teaspoon dried paprika, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, pepper.
Salt and pepper the fish and lightly fry on both sides.
For the sauce, chop all ingredients (except cheese) and add cheese. Place on fish and bake in oven until done (about 15 minutes).
Meat in honey sauce
The recipe is simple and delicious.
Pork ribs are washed and cut into small pieces, salted and peppered. In a cast iron pot or other suitable container, heat the oil and place the ribs in it for 15-20 minutes. To form a honey crust, remove a little liquid from the container. Add 2 tablespoons of honey to the cast iron (the sweetness of the meat depends on the amount of honey, so its amount varies according to taste). Simmer for another 15 minutes until done.
Pork roll with delicate cheese sauce
Cut the pork into portions and pound very thinly, add salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix a raw egg with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and 0.5 teaspoon of mustard. Prepare an omelette in a small frying pan. Take eggs at the rate: 1 egg (omelet) per serving of meat. Place the omelette on the beaten meat, wrap it in a roll and pin it together with toothpicks.
Fry the rolls on all sides until golden brown, wrap in foil, removing the toothpicks first, and place in the oven until cooked for 5-10 minutes.
Sauce: Pour cream into a small saucepan and add Viola (1:1), heat until the cheese dissolves, do not boil - otherwise the sauce will become very thick!
Cut the meat into pieces at an angle, pour the sauce onto a plate, and place the meat on top. The dish turns out very tender.
Hutsul scrambled eggs
4 eggs, 1 cup cream, 1 cup sour cream, 0.5 cup corn flour, 1 tablespoon parsley, 50 g butter
Mix all products except parsley, beat and pour into a very hot frying pan with oil. A minute before cooking, sprinkle the eggs with parsley.
Lemishki
For 2 cups of buckwheat flour - 0.75 cups of water, 100 g of lard
Lightly fry the buckwheat flour in the oven on a sheet, pour into an enamel bowl, brew with salted boiling water until the consistency of a viscous porridge and add chopped and lightly fried lard. Stir everything thoroughly, transfer to a mold and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve only hot.
Chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and cheese.
Very simple and tasty.
Let's take it chicken breast, lightly beat, salt and pepper. Place mushrooms, fried with onions, and cheese on top. Roll it into a roll, tie it with threads and fry in olive oil on both sides until cooked.
Potato beds
6 potatoes, 500 g onions, 100 g lard, 1.5 cups sauerkraut, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, 0.5 cups sour cream
Prepare mashed potatoes and mix with raw eggs into a homogeneous mass. Stew the sauerkraut and at the end of the stew season with onions fried in lard. Place the potato mass on a board sprinkled with flour, level it, put minced cabbage and onions on it, cover it with part of the potato mass; transfer to a sheet greased with lard and bake in the oven.
Serve in pieces with sour cream.
Liver puff
beef liver - 500g, egg - 2-3 pcs., water - 1/2 pcs., onions - 3 pcs., carrots - 4-5 pcs., butter - 100g, sour cream - 250g, salt, pepper - each taste, a little flour.
Wash the liver, clean it, cut it into pieces, lightly beat them and pour them with a mixture of eggs, water, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 hours to soak. Then roll each piece in flour and fry in fat until golden brown. Place the liver in a saucepan, layering it with layers of finely chopped onion and grated carrots. On each layer of vegetables, place a few black peppercorns, a bay leaf, and pieces of butter. Pour in sour cream and simmer under the lid for another 10-15 minutes.
Pumpkin Pie with Almonds and Citrus
shortbread dough, 250 g pumpkin, 6 eggs, yolks and whites separately, orange, lemon, 150 g + 2 tbsp. l. sugar, 2 cups almonds, 50 g flour, 100 g candied orange peel, cinnamon on the tip of a knife, breadcrumbs and butter, orange liqueur, orange confiture or jam
Knead regular shortbread dough and leave in the refrigerator for an hour. You don’t need a lot of dough to bake a thin round crust for the base of the future pie.
Boil 250 g of pumpkin in salted water. It should become soft, but slightly undercooked, because... then it goes into the pie and there it reaches the desired condition so that it can be felt. Peel the pumpkin and cut into cubes.
Roll out the dough, place in a mold and bake the cake (the mold for shortbread and pumpkin cake should be the same diameter).
Mix the yolks (without beating) with the zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange. Beat the whites (chilled) with 150 g of sugar and carefully place them in the yolks. Add pumpkin, nut mass (1.5 cups of almonds with flour, 100 grams of candied orange peel and cinnamon). Mix everything carefully, place in a pre-greased and sprinkled with breadcrumbs form, place in hot oven and bake at 200 degrees for 25 minutes.
Mix lemon and orange juice (preferably two) with 2 tablespoons of sugar and bring to a boil. Leave for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat, let cool slightly and add orange liqueur.
Grease the shortbread with orange confiture or jam, place the pumpkin cake on top (after letting it cool slightly without removing it from the mold for about 10 minutes), soak it in juice (with liqueur), coat it with a thin layer of orange confiture, sprinkle with candied fruits and nut crumbs.
The pie turns out very light and tasty.
Ukrainian cuisine or National cuisine Ukraine is a set of delicious traditions that are revered all over the world. For example, in almost all corners of the globe you can find cafes and restaurants serving Ukrainian folk cuisine, which enjoy considerable interest from gourmets! Why is the cuisine of this country so revered?! There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the history of Ukrainian cuisine goes back hundreds of years. During this time, cooking methods changed and improved, dishes were also perfected in recipes and some other nuances, thanks to which, without exaggeration, ideal flavor combinations were achieved! Secondly, Ukrainian housewives have always been famous for their ability to create a culinary masterpiece out of practically nothing. It is for this reason that one can highlight such a feature of national Ukrainian cuisine as ingenuity in preparing dishes.
In general, if we talk about the features of traditional Ukrainian cuisine, it is worth noting that it is quite diverse. The range of her dishes is extensive! Among them you will find first and second courses, salads, pastries, as well as all kinds of desserts. The country's favorable climatic conditions contributed a lot to this diversity. From time immemorial, all kinds of grain crops, vegetables, fruits and berries have been grown on its territory. The rivers have always been rich in fish, as well as the sea coastal zones. In addition, many households raised pigs, cows and birds (chickens, geese, turkeys, etc.). Therefore, it was not surprising to see meat, eggs, milk, dairy and fermented milk products on the Ukrainian table. In general, as can be seen, food products on the territory of Ukraine were the most diverse, which could not but play a decisive role in the variety of dish recipes.
The most famous dish In traditional Ukrainian cuisine is borscht. Different regions prepared it according to their own special recipe. Therefore, you should not be surprised to find dozens of variations in the preparation of this dish! However, it is worth noting that all varieties of borscht have one thing in common - a multi-component composition. So the list of ingredients in recipes can contain from twenty to thirty items.
Speaking about Ukrainian folk cuisine, one cannot fail to mention lard. It is most often served as an independent cold snack in saline or boiled. Lard is also included in a wide variety of dishes. For example, the dressing for classic Ukrainian borscht is usually made on the basis of this particular product! Lard is also used for frying, called lard or simply fat.
However, Ukrainian cuisine is not only borscht with garlic dumplings, jellied meat and lard. These are also the dumplings that we all have known since childhood. They are unleavened dough with filling (vegetables, fruits, berries, mushrooms, cottage cheese) boiled in salted water or steamed.
The menu of modern Ukrainian cuisine is certainly different from the old one. This is largely due to the processes of globalization, which have introduced new products and methods of processing them, as well as new traditions, into the cuisine of Ukraine. So don’t be surprised if suddenly in your arsenal culinary recipes Ukrainian girls You will suddenly find some variation of pizza or sushi.
Baking has always occupied a special place in the Ukrainian diet. It was on both the everyday grocery list and the holiday list. In the first case, we are talking about ordinary rye or “life” bread or buckwheat bread. The daily menu also included dumplings (boiled pieces of lean bread). Festive flour dishes are, first of all, wheat bread, various loaves, Easter cakes and rolls, nalistniki (pancakes).
Western Ukrainian cooking (also called Galician or Hutsul cooking) occupies a special place in traditional Ukrainian cuisine. It was formed under the influence largely of the Austrians, Hungarians and Germans. For example, Austrian cuisine enriched Galician cuisine with all kinds of sweet dishes, Hungarian cuisine with dumplings or dumplings, as well as goulash, German cuisine with a wide variety of sausages and sausages. In general, Hutsul cuisine is more rural (village). However, this does not mean that the dishes are easy to prepare. On the contrary, they are somewhat intricate, and therefore in order to get that very special taste you will have to try, exactly following all the recipe instructions for preparing a particular dish.
The most famous dishes of Western Ukrainian cuisine:
- herring appetizer;
- aspic;
- horseradish sauce;
- banosh (Quite a tough porridge, cooked with cream or sour cream from corn flour and always by a man. This dish does not tolerate women’s hands!);
- dzyama (This is a thick first course in pork broth with pieces of pork and a thick mixture of wheat flour, eggs, and vegetables. It is seasoned with sour cream and acidified with a few drops of vinegar.);
- poprikashka or paprizhanka (this dish is more of an appetizer, which is thin slices of salted lard).
Of course, this list can go on and on, but it’s better to get acquainted with such dishes directly in the recipes!
In general, Ukrainian cuisine is a real abundance of all kinds of delicacies, only the memory of which awakens the appetite! By the way, you shouldn’t think that only Western Ukrainian cuisine has a charming originality. It is typical for cooking in the northern, central, southern, and eastern parts of the country. For example, residents northern Ukraine the most popular dishes are: red borscht, cabbage soup, meat pancakes, buckwheat pancakes, jellied meat, kulebyaka with fish, as well as all kinds of potato and cereal dishes. In the central part of the country, fish dishes are most popular; pancakes with all kinds of fillings and jelly are also quite often prepared here. The folk cuisine of southern Ukraine is famous for its special abundance of dishes, since more than a hundred different nationalities live in this part of the country. A common feature in the cuisine of this region is a special love for meat dishes with vegetables, and indeed for vegetables and fruits, of which this land is rich. Residents of eastern Ukraine, like southerners, most of all prefer meat dishes, as well as all kinds of vegetables and fruits.
Delicious national dishes of Ukrainian cuisine deserve special attention, and therefore we invite you to familiarize yourself with them in those recipes with photos that are given in abundance on this site! They all have detailed descriptions stages of preparation. The pictures provided with each stage will clearly demonstrate how to perform this or that operation correctly. Thus, even a novice cook can cope with preparing even the most intricate dishes using these recipes!
As they say in Ukraine: “ Let us be kind and savory!"("Good luck to you and bon appetit!").
Ukrainian cuisine is based on three “pillars” – lard, beets and garlic. These are iconic products, perhaps. Also, of course, buckwheat, millet, sour cream. As you can see, everything is very satisfying and nutritious.
The most famous and celebrated, of course, are borscht and dumplings; they are loved everywhere. There are also all sorts of krucheniki and vivantsy - meat or fish rolls, kartoplyaniki - potato cutlets, sicheniki - cutlets, nalistniki - pancakes with filling. Soups with buckwheat and millet, with or without meat, seasoned with crushed or fried lard, kulesh and yushka. In this collection we invite you to breathe new life in ancient dishes, as well as prepare the most popular and delicious dishes of modern Ukrainian cuisine.
Shpundrya
The dish is ancient, mentioned in Kotlyarevsky’s “Aeneid”. What is hidden under this funny name? Everything is simple, meat stewed with beets, ideally pork belly, but you can also take beef, although it is not typical for Ukrainian cuisine, because oxen have long been used as draft animals and were little consumed as food, unlike pork. Traditional for many Ukrainian dishes is a combined preparation of products - frying, then stewing and simmering. I decided to cook an ancient dish in a modern unit - a slow cooker; stewing is its strong point. The only seasonings are garlic and a little oregano.Ingredients:
Pork (neck) 600 g
Beetroot 800 g
Onions 2 pcs.
Garlic 3 cloves
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp.
Dried oregano pinch
Salt
Pepper
1. Cut the meat into medium pieces. Heat half the fat in a frying pan and fry the meat over high heat until golden brown. Transfer to a stewing dish, cast iron, or, in my case, to a slow cooker.
2. Cut the onion into small cubes. Fry in the same pan where the meat was fried and transfer to it.
3. Peel the beets and cut into medium cubes. Fry in the remaining fat, sprinkle with dried oregano. Place on meat. Pour in enough water to cover the food, add a spoonful of red wine vinegar, crushed garlic, salt and pepper, close the lid and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Buckwheat with liver
Buckwheat has been widespread in Ukraine since the 11th-12th centuries, and is very popular, both the cereal itself and the flour made from it. Soup is made from buckwheat, added to blood sausage, and buckwheat fried. In the ancient tradition, Greek pancakes are more of a type of pancake, but in modern kitchen this name was assigned to a variety of cutlets made from buckwheat with various additives. I suggest preparing one of the most delicious options, with liver, and wrapped in an omentum - pork fat mesh. It is this culinary technique that allows the buckwheat not only to retain its shape, but also to remain incredibly juicy. The dish is very, very filling/Ingredients:
Buckwheat 200 g
Veal or pork liver 500 g Omentum (fat mesh) 500 g
Onion 1 pc.
Garlic 2 cloves
Salt
Black pepper
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp.
1. Wash the buckwheat and boil until tender. Cool. Clean the liver from films and ducts and pass through a meat grinder.
2. Finely chop the onion and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Crush the garlic. Mix buckwheat, liver, fried onion, garlic, salt and pepper the mixture, mix well.
3. Carefully straighten the oil seal, cut off thick pieces of fat along the edges and cut into rectangular pieces of approximately 10 by 12 centimeters. Place 2 tbsp on each piece. minced meat and roll the stuffing like a cabbage roll.
4. In a large frying pan with a thick bottom, melt the fat cut from the stuffing box and place the buckwheat pancakes. Cover with a lid and fry over medium-low heat for 8 minutes on each side. Serve hot.
Dumplings with cherries
Dumplings come with almost any filling. home distinguishing feature- this filling is always brought to full readiness, the meat is boiled and chopped, the liver too, the mushrooms are fried, the cabbage is stewed. Only berries in season are used raw; they are usually covered with sugar in advance, and then the released sweet syrup is used as a sauce for the finished dish. Non-sweet dumplings are served with lard cracklings, fried onions, sweet paprika and sour cream. Sweet with sour cream, melted butter, sugar and berries. My favorite dough recipe is choux pastry; the dumplings turn out incredibly tender.Ingredients:
Flour 450 g
Fresh or defrosted cherries 600 g
Sugar 120 g
Egg 1 piece
Butter 30 g + for serving
A pinch of salt
1. Remove the pits from the cherries and sprinkle the berries with sugar. Leave for 30 minutes.
2. Pour flour into a deep bowl, add egg, 1 tbsp. sugar, salt and melted butter. Boil about a glass of water. Mix the dough with a mixer, adding boiling water. When it comes together into a ball, continue kneading by hand. The dough should be as soft as an earlobe and not sticky.
3. Divide it into two parts. Cover one with a damp towel, roll the second thinly with a rolling pin. Cut out circles from the dough. I use a molding ring. Place a few cherries without juice on each circle of dough and seal the edges tightly, first just flat, and then in a pigtail.
4. Fold the dumplings and cover with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. Boil about 2-3 liters of water in a large saucepan and add salt. Drop dumplings in batches of 10, bring to a boil and cook covered for 5-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, place in a ceramic bowl and pour over melted butter. Bring the cherry juice with sugar to a boil in a saucepan and cook for several minutes until thickened. Drizzle the syrup over the dumplings and serve.
History of the development of Ukrainian cuisine
The history of the development of Ukrainian cuisine has not yet been fully studied, since much was lost as a result of the Mongol-Tatar invasions and others. Nevertheless, it is known that she is closely connected with the history of her people. It takes its origins during the existence of Kievan Rus. Scientists have discovered numerous writings and archaeological sites indicating that already in the 9th – 11th centuries, Ukrainian housewives prepared a huge number of delicious dishes. Among them: palyanitsy, crumpets, kulesh, borscht, dumplings, rolls, pies, pancakes, buckwheat, uzvar, roast, smazhenina, pike and much more.
Already at that time, their favorite products included: lard, pork, wheat and buckwheat flour, garlic, onions, beets and millet. Around the 14th century. They tasted rice, and after another 400 years - sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower oil and corn.
In the 11th century The first professional chefs began to appear at princely courts and monasteries. They were also in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It is thanks to them that Ukrainian cuisine has been enriched interesting recipes flour, fruit and curd dishes based on eggs, which were prepared exclusively for religious holidays, for example, Easter.
Ukrainian culinary traditions
At different periods of its existence, Ukrainian cuisine was influenced by the traditions of the cuisines of other nations - German, Hungarian, Tatar, Turkish, Russian, Lithuanian, Polish, etc. Nevertheless, it managed to preserve its basic national features, while still borrowing only the most the best from neighbors or conquerors.
Since ancient times, the favorite meat product of Ukrainians was pork. Juicy and tender, it served as the basis for preparing many dishes. It was used to make roasts, dushina and gurka, or homemade sausage.
Carrying out their raids, the Mongol-Tatars took everything from the occupied lands, including livestock. But they always left pigs, considering them unclean animals that are completely unsuitable for food. Thanks to this, the Ukrainian people survived during the difficult years. And that is why they erected a monument to a pig in Lutsk, or so they say.
And Ukrainians have revered lard for many centuries. At different times, it was salted, boiled, fried, smoked, filled with stuffing for homemade sausages, made into cracklings, and sometimes even used to decorate sweet dishes, such as verguns. This is evidenced not only by archaeological finds, but also by sayings that were popular among local population: « I live healthy: I eat lard, I sleep in lard and cover myself with lard" or " If I were a gentleman, I would eat lard and lard».
Exquisite meat dishes have always been a decoration of Ukrainian holiday tables. This includes jelly (jellied meat), shpundra (a dish made from pork or pork ribs and beets), roast duck with apples, and suckling pig with horseradish. By the way, beets were called one of national products Ukraine, as it was part of many Ukrainian dishes.
But everyday dishes also included incredibly tasty and original dishes - sicheniki (borrowed from the Germans and are fried flatbreads made from minced fish, meat or vegetables), krucheniki (meat rolls stuffed with cheese, cabbage or mushrooms), tovcheniki (a prototype of pancakes, topped with gravy with meat), meatballs (similar to French medallions). There was always blood sausage and borscht on the table, accompanied by dumplings with garlic.
Since ancient times, Ukrainians have loved cabbage soup and porridge. The latter were cooked with meat, beans, dumplings, mushrooms and potatoes and homemade noodles. Kulesh made from millet, seasoned with fried lard and onions, were also revered. Their recipes have survived to this day under the name “field porridge”.
In addition, people in Ukraine have always loved fish, which they knew how to cook in a special way. passed down from generation to generation best recipes stuffed pike, crucian carp cooked in sour cream or honey, bream with apples and horseradish, tench with cabbage, pike soup or fish soup.
A special place was given to dairy products. Desserts were made from them - cheesecakes, babkas, machankas or feta cheese. The porridge made from milk, pumpkin and millet, beloved by many children, also has its roots in ancient times.
During the times of Kievan Rus, Ukrainian housewives were famous for their ability to excellently prepare sweet dishes from flour - dumplings, butsiki with honey, sochniki, magai, pundiki, honey cakes, platuny, malozheniki, makorzheniki, etc.
Also here lived real masters of making homemade drinks - beer, kvass, uzvar, sweet liqueurs and liqueurs, including varenukha, palenki, tertukha, etc.
In the XIV century. Vodka or vodka appeared. Later they learned to make moonshine from berries or fruits and sugar. In the southern regions of the country they made a living from winemaking.
Sunflower oil appeared in Ukraine only in the 18th century. along with the sunflower itself. Before this, it was replaced by imported olive oil or lard. About another hundred years later, eggplants and sugar beets appeared, from which they learned to make sugar.
Features of Ukrainian cuisine
Ukrainian cuisine has always been rich in both plant and animal products. This was largely facilitated by the favorable geographical and climatic conditions of the country, as well as the knowledge and skills that its inhabitants inherited. The fact is that already during the period of the Trypillian culture, and this was almost 5,000 years ago, barley, millet and wheat were known here.
At different periods, the Ukrainian people were subjected to attacks by invaders, which, on the one hand, brought a lot of inconvenience, and on the other, provided a unique opportunity to enrich Ukrainian cuisine with new, tasty and healthy dishes. And even though today many of them are considered national, in fact they came from neighbors or “adversaries”.
One of the main features of Ukrainian cuisine is its regionality. At different periods, certain parts of Ukraine belonged to different states, the traditions and habits of which left their mark on the culinary preferences of the inhabitants. That is why today in the west of this country they prepare dishes that they don’t even know about in the east and vice versa.
And finally, the phenomenon of Ukrainian cuisine is the oven, a kind of home in which food was prepared. It was designed in a special way, thanks to which the dishes prepared in it were not only incredibly tasty, but also healthy, since they retained the maximum of nutrients.
Basic cooking methods:
The last two were borrowed from Turkic and German cuisines.
Despite the huge variety of dishes, a few still stand out in Ukrainian cuisine. Those that form its basis and are revered throughout the world.
Borsch. Today it is difficult to imagine Ukrainian cuisine without it. But in fact, he came to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, where he was considered national dish Ancient Rome. Of course, he was very different from modern version, was prepared with vegetables with seasonings and among the locals was called “ brew with potion" Later they improved it and, having brought it to the level of a world masterpiece, presented it to the whole world. Today there are a huge number of borscht recipes. It is prepared differently in each family. The old classic version also lives on, containing about 20 ingredients, among which for some reason there was no place for meat. The most delicious borscht is still served with garlic dumplings.
Salo. Previously, it was considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Today it is included in many dishes, sometimes even original ones. Just look at “Lard in Chocolate” - a real gourmet delicacy called “Bounty”, or “Snickers in Ukrainian”.
Bloodwort. Homemade sausage, which is prepared from purified veal or pork blood.
Dumplings are products made from unleavened dough with various fillings. A national dish, beloved far beyond the borders of Ukraine. Previously, they were made not only with cottage cheese, berries and fruits, but also with mushrooms, meat, cracklings, vegetables and even nettles.
Dumplings. Pieces of dough that are boiled in boiling water and added to soups and broths. Dumplings are the national dish not only of Ukraine, but also of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, as well as Chechnya and Ingushetia.
Zrazy. Beef cutlets or meat rolls with filling. Very popular not only in Ukraine, but also in Belarus and Poland.
Kulesh. Thick soup made from millet with lard and cracklings, sometimes vegetables are added to it. Its uniqueness is that it combines the qualities of the first and second courses.
Verguns. Dough products that are fried in oil and served with powdered sugar. An analogue of “brushwood” from Bashkir cuisine.
Mlyntsi, or pancakes. A symbol of Maslenitsa and simply delicious flour products that can be prepared with various fillings, both salty and sweet, and are called, accordingly, nalistniki.
Deruny, or potato pancakes. Original potato pancakes, the recipe of which has taken root not only in Ukrainian, but also in Belarusian and Russian cuisines.
Chicken Kiev. A cutlet made from chicken fillet, in which a piece of butter is wrapped. Scientists are still arguing about its homeland. Some claim that it was invented by the Frenchman Charles de Montier and brought to Russia during the reign of Elizabeth. Then it was forgotten for some time and was remembered only in 1947, when it was prepared by one of the Kyiv chefs, who called it “Cutlet Kiev”. Others say that it came to Ukraine in 1918, and still others that it was created by emigrants from Ukraine to the USA. But, be that as it may, it still exists and is associated with Ukraine.
Kutya, or Kolivo. A funeral dish, which was previously prepared from wheat, and today - from rice with raisins and honey. In ancient times they believed that kutia on the table was a symbol of prosperity and good luck.
Liver. A dish of potatoes and meat baked in clay pots with spices and sour cream. In the 20th century they started adding tomatoes to them, Bell pepper And so on.
Kapustnyak. A vegetable dish based on sauerkraut, which is an analogue of “shchi” in Russian cuisine.
Apples baked with cinnamon and honey. One of the most delicious and aromatic delicacies of Ukrainian cuisine.
Stuffed cabbage rolls. A dish that was borrowed in the 14th century. from Turkish cuisine. There it was called “dolma” and was somewhat different from the improved Slavic version. Cabbage was then replaced by grape leaves, rice by millet, and pork by lamb.
Useful properties of Ukrainian cuisine
Ukrainian cuisine has always been considered one of the healthiest. And there are at least three reasons for this.
Firstly, she welcomes the three-course combination served for lunch. The meaning of each of them was studied at one time by I. Pavlov. It was found that liquid dishes - soups and borscht - prepare the stomach for more satisfying second courses by introducing special substances into it that provoke increased production of enzymes. Desserts complement the beneficial effect. In Ukrainian cuisine, they contain a maximum of fruits, thanks to which they enrich the body with vitamins and microelements.
Secondly, Ukrainians are fasting. For several weeks a year, they deliberately avoid eating meat, dairy, fish and excessively fatty foods. This helps cleanse and rejuvenate the body.
Third, in Ukrainian cuisine there are a huge number of recipes for liquid dishes - soups, borscht, pickles, fish soup, etc., which have a beneficial effect on digestion.
The best for that proof is the average life expectancy in Ukraine, which is 73 years for women and 67 years for men.
You should not deny yourself the pleasure of eating traditional Ukrainian cuisine.
Of course, any national cuisine reflects the character of the people, their history, and living conditions. And Ukrainian cuisine is the same as the Ukrainians: it is generous, loves more and tastier everything, and does not care at all about the figure:))). Its peculiarity is the widespread use of pork, vegetable oil, tomatoes, “tsybul” (onions), “buryak” (beets), potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and wheat flour. Our land is generous and all the freshest and most delicious things fall into the hands of the cook: cereals and flour; pork, beef, lamb, chicken, goose, quail; many varieties of fish - carp, pike, pike perch, trout; vegetables, roots and fruits. For our best dishes, we take all the best that is in nature and grows on our land.
So, what Ukrainian dishes should a guest in Ukraine try first? We will tell you about two dozen of the most popular dishes, so that when you come to a Ukrainian restaurant, you will be prepared and be able to choose a treat to your taste.
Ukrainian treat
To begin with, just a list:
- Salo
- Ukrainian bread
- Beet salad
- Red borscht
- Green borscht
- Yushka (ear)
- Vareniki
- Galushki
- Stuffed cabbage rolls
- Chicken Kiev
- Kulesh
- Krucheniki
- Liver
- Tsybulniki (tsybulya is onion in Ukrainian)
- Zrazy
- Homemade sausage
- Mlyntsi (pancakes)
- Nalistniki
- Syrniki
- Deruny
- Drinks: uzvar (this is a Ukrainian compote), kvass, beer, vodka (Ukrainian vodka), mead, horseradish, varenukha, various liqueurs
Now let's tell you more about each dish:
1. Lard. Pork lard and borscht are most associated with Ukrainian cuisine. This product and the attitude of Ukrainians towards it even became the “heroes” of many anecdotes and aphorisms. Lard is eaten in in different forms: raw, salted, in brine, smoked, fried, ground with garlic and spices. We highly recommend trying this legendary product - in a restaurant or at a good market. By the way, contrary to the popular stereotype, fresh lard does not make you fat. Due to the huge variety of recipes for making lard, you may have to try several types to choose the one you like.
2. Bread. “White” wheat bread used to be baked mainly for holidays. On ordinary days, the main dish on the table was “black” rye bread, called “zhitnym” (from the Ukrainian “zhito” - rye). One of the Kyiv markets still bears the name “Zhitny”. It is rye bread that should be ordered for lunch with Ukrainian dishes.
A small digression. The expression “Ukrainian Stravy”(pronounced “Ukrainian Stravy”) translates as “Ukrainian dishes.” Such an inscription on the sign of a food establishment, on its business card or menu means that Ukrainian dishes are prepared here. That is, “Ukrainian Stravy”, as a rule, is not the name of a restaurant. However, in Kyiv there is still one restaurant with that name.
Let us return, however, to our topic. The most popular Ukrainian dishes that are worth trying. The pillars of Ukrainian cuisine: borscht, dumplings, cabbage rolls, dumplings, sicheniki, zrazy.
3. Beet salad. Buryak is beet in Ukrainian. There are many beet salads. The simplest and most delicious: boiled beets are grated and served with vegetable oil.
4. Borscht. This dish has many varieties, it can be lean or made with meat broth. Transcarpathian borscht is not similar to Odessa, Poltava - to Chernigov, Volyn - to Kiev, and Lviv - to Kharkov, etc. We will talk about red borscht (classic, with meat broth), however, in most establishments you can also try green borscht, and in some places also lean borscht. The obligatory components of red borscht are beetroot (beets) and cabbage. Onions, garlic, peppers, dill, parsley and other aromatic herbs give borscht a tantalizing, appetizing aroma. A large piece of meat and sour cream are required on the plate. Borscht can also contain beans, mushrooms, up to 20 or more ingredients in total! Wheat dumplings with garlic are served with real borscht. In principle, you can have a good borscht for lunch, that is, you can eat your fill, so much so that you no longer want cutlets or cabbage rolls. In general, Ukrainian borscht is the highlight of the gastronomic program.
5. Green borscht - a soup in which the main ingredient is sorrel leaves, which gives it a characteristic green color and a delicate sour taste. In addition to sorrel, green borscht contains potatoes, meat, dill, parsley, onion and egg. Served with sour cream.
6. Yushka (ear). During the times of Kievan Rus, any soup was called yushka. Therefore, a definition has always been added to the word “yushka”: chicken soup, pea soup, fish soup. Today, yushka in Ukraine is called fish soup, that is, fish soup, which is prepared with the addition of herbs, onions, sometimes potatoes and cereals and other products. Some chefs cook fish soup using rooster broth.
One thing is certain: Yushka is one of the oldest traditional Ukrainian dishes and is a real object of worship for connoisseurs.
Zaporozhye Cossacks valued yushka very much, they prepared different types of it in large copper cauldrons. Moreover, the Cossacks used fish broths as medicines, adding various herbs to them - they ate and treated themselves at the same time. After all, the ear is rich in phosphorus compounds and calcium salts - it improves the functioning of the brain, optic nerves, ensures the strength of bones and cartilage, as well as the flexibility of joints.
Real fish soup is difficult to prepare; there are many recipes and technologies for its preparation. In general, there are three main types of fish soup: simple; double or triple; with a rooster or old lard. To prepare a simple fish soup, first cook the vegetables, then add the fish. To prepare double fish soup, first boil small fish, strain the broth, and then boil vegetables and large fish. By the way, connoisseurs believe that adding potatoes to fish soup turns it into “soup.”
Classic fish soup is made from pike perch, perch, ruffe, whitefish, adding catfish and tench. There are recipes for asp, carp, carp, and rudd. Yushka made from red fish is called red or amber. In addition to these types, Ukrainian cuisine knows more exotic species fish soup: stewed and even sweet.
In the south of Ukraine, tomatoes appear in yushka, in Polesie - dried mushrooms. In Odessa they cook yushka without any additives, and everyone adds to their plate a mixture of tomatoes, herbs and garlic grated with salt.
In short, every good chef prepares this wonderful dish in his own way. You can try it in different restaurants, getting new shades of taste.
7. Liver (accent on the second syllable) - an old Ukrainian dish of meat and potatoes. It is wrong to call this dish the word “roast”, because this would lose its entire meaning. The fact is that the “liver” is baked in a pot without water; this method of cooking gives it a special taste. In addition to potatoes and meat, the composition may include mushrooms, onions, lard, carrots, black pepper, and garlic. Some cooks add tomatoes, sour cream and other ingredients to the liver.
This set of products included in the dish makes it tasty and very filling. Liver was and is highly valued by Ukrainians; it was traditionally prepared for all holidays (but not during Lent). The liver cooked in the oven is especially tasty.
8. Dumplings - it's just delicious. The main Ukrainian dish, it was described in “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. And the document “Description of the Kharkov Viceroyalty,” created in 1785 by order of Empress Catherine II, says: “In the evening, for the most part, residents prepare themselves pies, called dumplings, the crust of which is made of wheat or buckwheat dough, and the filling is made of fresh tvaragu, which is called cheese; and they are not baked, but boiled in water, from which they hopefully received their title.”
Today, dumplings are prepared with a variety of fillings, not only with cheese: with potatoes, cherries, mushrooms, meat, and stewed cabbage. But the main thing in dumplings is the dough; it should be as soft as a down pillow.
Dumplings must be served with sour cream or melted butter. Sweet dumplings are also served with honey and jam, and savory dumplings are served with “shkvarniks” - fried lard with onions.
They also prepare " lazy dumplings"- without filling, cottage cheese is added directly to the dough.
Dumplings with cherries. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol sang an ode to this dish
9. Cheesecakes. Syrniki, like borscht, have spread widely beyond the borders of Ukraine - their “historical homeland”, and are well known in the territory of the former Soviet Union. The name of this dish comes from the word “cheese”. Ukrainians call cottage cheese cheese.
Syrniki are sweet pancakes made from cottage cheese, often with raisins. Served with sour cream. Their delicate curd taste will be a good end to the meal.
10. Nalisniki are very tasty egg pancakes with filling. Egg yolks in the dough give the leaves a bright yellow color. The pancakes are filled with filling, most often cottage cheese and raisins. Each roll is cut in half lengthwise. Serve nalistniki with sour cream and melted butter.
In addition to cottage cheese, the filling can include mushrooms, meat, caviar, and jam.
Nalistniki are not the same as filled pancakes. The dough of the pancakes is unleavened, yellow, thin, different from ordinary pancake dough. The purpose of the dough is to present the taste of the filling in an advantageous way and to retain its juice.
Nalistniki are very common and loved in Ukraine.
Nalistniki - a delicious Ukrainian dessert
11. Drinks. Ukrainians traditionally drink drinks obtained by natural fermentation: kvass, honey, beer; as well as by distilling fermentation products - vodka, and tinctures made on its basis.
By the way, “gorilka” is not a small monkey (“baby gorilla”), but Ukrainian vodka.
The famous Varenukha is a hot alcoholic drink made from vodka, spices and honey.
Many restaurants serving Ukrainian cuisine serve home-made moonshine and liqueurs (khrenovukha - vodka infused with horseradish, klyukovka - with cranberries, sea buckthorn - of course, etc.).
Beer. We are, of course, not talking about bottled beer, but about real, live, freshly brewed beer. Many restaurants and pubs in the capital of Ukraine serve beer brewed at their own brewery (which is located right there, behind the wall of the hall). And this beer is of excellent quality. And with great taste. “Beef”, “Dva Beavers”, “Beer Duma”, “Pivarium”, “Porter”, “Solomenskaya Brewery” and other equally worthy establishments offer their beer.
Among non-alcoholic drinks, we recommend uzvar - a drink prepared by brewing dried fruits (apples, cherries, pears, plums, raisins) and berries. Some fruits are only brought to a boil, not boiled, while some are boiled - this is dictated by the fact that their readiness time is different. The fruits are soaked before cooking. Traditionally, uzvar was prepared the day before church holidays Epiphany and Christmas, and today it has become a more common drink.
That's all for now. We will add descriptions of other Ukrainian delicacies based on inspiration.