17 Ukrainian Dishes To Try
One of the best ways to get to know a country is to taste it. The cultural code of the nation is encrypted in its food, the methods of its preparation, and in its ingredients.
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Authentic Ukrainian cuisine
Although ethnographic studies of Ukrainian cuisine were first conducted only at the end of the XIX century, recipes of the main folk dishes have been preserved to this day: borsch with pampushkas, varenyky, crepes, buckwheat chicken patties, and banosh.
Deruny
This dish is especially popular in the northern and eastern regions of the country. The very name "deruny" comes from the method of cooking: its main and constant ingredient is grated potatoes, or, as they say, "derty" potatoes.
Varenyky
Varenyky are made from fresh dough and a variety of fillings, such as meat, potatoes, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, cheese, and many more. Their fillings can be salty or sweet, lean or meaty. Recipes vary greatly depending on the region.
Borsch with pampushkas
Borsch is a signature dish in Ukrainian cuisine and is greatly enjoyed all over the world. The dish has dozens of variations, due to the wide geography of Ukrainians. The most common are red, green, mushroom, and cold borsch.
Banosh
Banosh, or banush, is a traditional dish of Hutsul cuisine. It is a viscous corn porridge cooked in cream or sour cream, seasoned with cheese, cracklings, or porcini mushrooms. It is considered a calling card of Zakarpattia.
Bograch
Bograch is a traditional Hungarian goulash prepared by housewives in Transcarpathia. Going to graze cattle, they put a variety of food in a cauldron: meat, lard, vegetables. Then, they cook it all on an open fire for a long time and always add paprika.
Gombovtsi
This dessert is small pies stuffed with sweets and cooked over steam. Fruits or berries are usually added to pies, but not necessarily. An integral part of Gombovtsi, without which this dish is impossible to imagine, are breadcrumbs.
Pies with viburnum
There is no Ukraine without willow and viburnum! And there is also no Ukraine without fragrant and healthy pies with viburnum. Our ancestors knew about the healing properties of this berry and used it not only in medicine but also as a delicious filling for pies.
Salo
Salo is one of the main symbols of Ukrainian cuisine. It is consumed raw, salted, or smoked. However, the main thing is that, with any method of cooking, lard remains always delicious.
Dolma
Dolma, or Tolma, is a common dish among the peoples of the former Ottoman Empire. In Ukraine, dolma is cooked in Bessarabia, and the dish is an integral part of traditional Crimean Tatar cuisine. The classic dolma is minced meat wrapped in grape leaves.
Sprat rissoles
The residents of Odesa are big connoisseurs of fish – not only sea fish, but also river fish, especially if the fish is caught in the Danube. So, it is not surprising that sprat rissoles are one of the favorite dishes in this region.
Chicken Kyiv
Chicken Kyiv has been a calling card of the Ukrainian capital for many years. It is known and loved in all parts of the world. The peculiarity of the dish is that it is prepared not from minced meat, but from a whole piece of chicken filet.
Eggplants in the Kherson style
The Kherson region is known for its vegetables and fruits. No wonder many delicious dishes from the simplest products were invented here. One of the most popular is eggplants in Kherson style, a perfect appetizer for the holiday table.
Kruchenyky
It is impossible to imagine authentic Ukrainian cuisine without gourmet meat dishes. One of these original meat dishes is kruchenyky. The name of the dish is unpretentious and comes from the word “twist" ("krutyty"): to cook kruchenyky, the filling must be twisted into meat.
Hrechanyky
Hrechanyky is a traditional dish in Ukrainian cuisine, especially popular in the Lemko region. These are boiled buckwheat cutlets. They can be lean, but usually still contain minced meat.
Poltava halushky
The monument to halushky in Poltava, in central Ukraine, is surely one of the only monuments to a food dish in the world. Halushky dumplings are made of boiled dough without filling. They are served as a separate dish or used as an ingredient in soup.
Kapusnyak
Cabbage soup, or kapusnyak, is a traditional dish in Ukrainian cuisine, made of sauerkraut. Cabbage ingredients can vary by region. It can be vegetarian, or with meat, fish or mushrooms. In any case, the dish has a special sour taste, typical of sauerkraut.
Donbas-style golyashka
One of the most popular dishes of eastern Ukraine, along with beet soup and okroshka is Donbas-style pork knuckles — golyashka. This is the part of the pig’s leg where the foot connects with the shoulder or hip, baked in foil or dough.
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