Have you tried Ukrainian cuisine? If you haven’t you certainly should. There are numerous traditional dishes in Ukrainian cuisine and they vary from region to region, and since Ukraine is a massive country you’ve got a lot to choose from. When most people think of Ukrainian cuisine they probably think of borscht, a delicious red beet soup that made it into UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage – it’s that good! But it’s not the only delicious dish Ukraine is proud to offer. There’s a great deal more and today we’re going to share a few of our favorites.
Bread
There’s a reason Ukraine is called the breadbasket of Europe. Ukraine grows a lot of wheat, covering the needs not only of the local population but also enough to export it to Europe and even Africa. With this much wheat, it’s no wonder that bread in Ukraine is a symbol of happiness, welfare, hospitality, and safety. Ukrainians bake a plethora of various kinds of bread but let’s just mention the most common ones.
Palyanytsya
Traditional pyatnytsya is baked from yeast dough. It’s a type of flatbread that’s easy to make at home as it doesn’t require any special shaping and is just baked as is in an oven. It’s made big enough so that it can feed a family and it’s eaten by ripping off chunks to share among friends and family.
Rye Sourdough Bread
This dark loaf of bread is made of rye flour or a mix of different flours and sourdough starter. This bread is denser than white yeasted bread, but it’s also moister, richer in taste, more aromatic, and lasts longer. Caraway seeds are often added to the dough which adds to the taste and aroma.
Pampushky
Pampushky are leavened buns or bread rolls that are usually baked or deep-fried. They can be made with or without filling and can be made sweet or savory. The savory ones without filling are often rubbed with garlic and served alongside borscht. Sweet pampushky can be plain but sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, or they can be made with sweet filling like berries, jam, or poppy seeds. Sweet pampushky are often made for holidays like Christmas.
Paska
Paska is a holiday sweet bread that’s made for Easter. It’s made of leavened wheat dough and the top is decorated in a festive way. Each region has its own traditional recipes for how they make and decorate their paska. Some make it plain and sprinkle it with confectioners sugar, others do elaborate designs on top of Paska, certain regions like adding nuts or raisins into the dough, it all depends. The only thing that’s for sure is that the result is fluffy, sweet, and delicious. It’s also quite a ritual to make one, since traditionally the person making Paska has to be in a good mood and once the dough is done it has to rise in complete silence for hours.
Soups
Borscht
And finally, we’ve gotten to borscht, the famous Ukrainian soup. The main ingredient of borscht is red beetroot, which gives the soup its vibrant color. Other ingredients include potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes. Borscht can be made with meat or vegetarian, both versions are equally common. In fact, many restaurants offer vegetarian borscht during lent. Borscht is typically served with a hefty dollop of sour cream that you mix into the soup in your bowl.
Sorrel soup
Sorrel soup is a slightly sour-tasting soup that’s also popular in Ukraine. It’s basically a vegetable broth with cubed veggies like potatoes, carrots, and leafy greens (usually lots of sorrel, which gives the soup its signature taste). Eggs are also added to the soup. Some choose to simply crack the eggs into the soup as it’s cooking, creating swirls of eggs, while others prefer to add hard-boiled eggs once the soup is already cooked.
Main Dishes
Varenyky
Varenyky are Ukrainian dumplings. They’re usually made from relatively thin dough and shaped like half moons. The filling can vary. The most popular fillings are potatoes, cabbage, cottage cheese, and mushrooms. But some make them with meat too. Oh, and varenyky are always served with a side of sour cream as a dip. Varenyky can also be made sweet, in which case they are filled with fruits and berries. Most commonly sweet varenyky are filled with cherries, blueberries, apples, or poppy seeds and served drizzled with honey.
Holubtsi
Holubtsi are a popular Ukrainian main dish. They’re cabbage rolls that are filled with a mixture of rice, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and meat. They can also be made vegetarian by simply omitting the meat in the recipe. They’re usually slow-cooked in a big pan, all stacked tightly together and drizzled with a tomato sour cream sauce.
Deruny
Deruny are a very popular and easy dish, beloved by Ukrainians. They are kind of like hashbrowns or potato pancakes. They’re delicious, and yes, you guessed it, they’re also eaten with sour cream. Ukrainians really do love their sour cream.
Meats
Salo
Salo is cured of slabs of fatback with or without skin. It usually contains mostly fat and little to no meat. It can be dry-salted or smoked, with the addition of spices depending on the region where it’s made. Salo is usually served cut into thin slices.
Kovbasa
Kovbasa is a type of sausage that’s made of meat, fat, and spices in a natural casing. It’s commonly made of minced beef or pork and traditionally smoked. However, some are boiled, baked, or fried. Kovbasa is commonly served simply sliced on a platter and you can have it on the side or make sandwiches with it. Kovbasa sandwiches are very popular in
Chicken-Kyiv
You must’ve heard of chicken-Kyiv. It’s made of chicken filet that’s been pounded and rolled around a knob of butter with dill, then coated in butter and breadcrumbs. Chicken Kyiv can be baked or fried. It’s very tasty and the combination of textures makes it a very satisfying dish. If you haven’t had it yet, we urge you to try it.
Desserts
Nalysnyky/Mlyntsi
Nalysnyky or Mlyntsi are basically crepes. They’re thin pancakes made of flour, milk, and egg mixture. Depending on where you’re having them they can be served differently. If you’re having them at home for breakfast, you’d usually make a little pile of plain ones and have them with a selection of jams and fruits. But it’s also not uncommon to make them rolled with various fillings like chicken or meat, sweet cottage cheese, stewed apples, and cherries.
Syrnyky
Syrnyky are cottage cheese pancakes. They’re a very popular breakfast dish but can also be eaten as a dessert. They are served with sour cream and jam or chocolate drizzle. They make quite a delicious and nutritious meal, and are very protein rich thanks to the cottage cheese.
Lvivskuy Syrnyk
This is a popular dessert that is similar to a cheesecake that originated in the west of Ukraine but is nowadays popular everywhere in the country. It’s made by finely blending cottage cheese and mixing it with sugar, lemon zest, and eggs. The batter has to be smooth, without any lumps, then raisins are mixed into the batter. You bake it in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes and then it has to cool for a few hours before you pour chocolate glaze on top. The resulting dessert is absolutely scrumptious.
Plyatsky
Plyatsky are a type of cake that’s easy to make and very popular in the west of Ukraine. You bake the dough part in separate trays and then just put various cream fillings and fruits in between. Most commonly plyatsky are made in a rectangular shape and cut into pieces. They’re made for various holidays and celebrations, usually, you’d make a few different ones at once and serve them on a tray so that guests can have a bit of each.
Kyiv Cake
Kyiv cake, named after the capital city of Ukraine, is sweet, creamy, and crunchy thanks to the combination of buttercream, meringue, hazelnuts, and cocoa. It’s pretty light and airy in texture so once you try it, you’ll likely want to have more than one slice. Knowing how tasty it is, we don’t blame you if you do. Thankfully these cakes are sold in various sizes so you can even get a personal cake.
Regional Dishes
Kulesha
This meal is made of cornmeal, butter salt, and water with the addition of either brynza cheese, bacon, or mushrooms (or all at once). The closest thing you can compare it to is polenta. It’s called Kulesha in the west and Mamalyga in central regions of Ukraine, but just as a rose by any name will smell as sweet, Kulesha, no matter what it’s called in different regions always tastes amazing.
Banosh
Banosh is another regional dish that’s very popular in the Carpathian mountains. While it’s also made with cornflour it’s quite different in texture to Kulesha. It’s typically richer in taste since it’s cooked using cream or sour cream and butter, it’s also served with brynza cheese, bacon, mushrooms or fried pieces of salo called shkvarky.
Kutya
Kutya is a holiday dish made specifically for Christmas in Ukraine. It’s a kind of grain pudding made with wheat grain, poppy seeds, nuts, and dried fruit (usually raisins) and sweetened with honey. It’s traditionally the very first thing you eat to start your Christmas dinner of 12 dishes.
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