Cuisine is also cultural heritage of the nation as language, literature and art. Food is an important component of traditional culture. It retains ethnic characteristics of the nation. Ukrainian cuisine can not be mixed up with any other in the world! It has its own secrets, its unique dishes for the most demanding gourmets. Our cuisine is appreciated far beyond the country. Ukrainian borsch and dumplings became a part of international menu.
The roots of our national cuisine reach to the heyday of Tripoli culture and have more than 7,500 years. Ukrainian cuisine is very rich. Housewives in various parts of Ukraine are preparing more than 30 varieties of borsch. It consists of 20 ingredients. Ukrainian Cossack soup as a dish of the first course based on millet cereal is an excellent way to prevent cancer. Since ancient times, our ancestors have known how to cook different meat dishes. Our cuisine has various kruchenyky, zavyvantsi, bigos, and dishes from stuffed poultry. Traditional Ukrainian cuisine has a variety of porridges such as millet, buckwheat, pumpkin. It is impossible to imagine our cuisine without donuts. Potato dishes began to appear in Ukraine only in the 18th century. But tomatoes and sunflower oil entered the cuisine only in the 19th century.
Ukrainian writers of the 18th-19th centuries depicted peasants who liked to drink vodka in their novels. But did you know that wine and various fruit and berry liqueurs were more typical alcoholic drinks used by our ancestors than vodka? Also mead was more natural drink in Ukraine. Beekeepers are trying to restore those recipes of mead nowadays. As it turned out, vodka is not a traditional drink of Ukraine. Although, now we have a lot of traditional liqueurs made from vodka with nice tastes and some healing properties. Pertsivka, chasnykivka, liqueur made of nuts and mead are among them.
Undoubtedly Ukrainian cuisine is famous for its dumplings! Delicate and delicious dumplings with sour cream are known by everyone. Dumplings in Ukraine are so popular that they became the part of folk songs and works of writers. Ukrainian dumpling is immortalized in a … monument. Yes, the only monument to dumplings is in Cherkasy.
But when and by whom Ukrainian dumplings were first prepared? As it turned out, dumplings have their own interesting history and its special place in Ukrainian culture.
One legend says that the origin of our dumplings came to us from Turkish cuisine. Turkish dish “Dyush-Vara” looks like the dumplings, so Ukrainian liked the dish and they started to cook a dish, called “varanyky”. After a while the name “varanyky” had transformed into “varenyky”, it is dumplings in English. Ukrainians gave dumplings their unique national character. Our dumplings have large variety of fillings. More than 30 different products are used as fillings for dumplings in various parts of Ukraine. Nowadays we have filling from potato with onions, potatoes and cheese filling and only cheese filling. We also make dumplings with berries, meat, bacon, and of course, with cherries. Dumplings with fresh cherries and buckwheat honey poured on them are delicious.
According to another legend, it is believed that the dish existed in pagan times. Its symbolism varied in different ideas. The dumplings symbolized in them the moon and fertility. The filling of dumplings symbolized procreation. Dumplings with millet porridge had been seen as a symbol of future life. Dumplings with poppy seeds symbolized plurality of starry world. Great life-giving power was granted to eggs filling in the dumplings. Our ancestors believed that mushroom filling helped the male power and fish one was helpful for women. Ukrainians believed that dumplings had magical significance. They consist of at least five components that create the symbol of ancient beliefs and knowledge. Each event in the life of Ukrainians accompanied with dumplings cooking.
Dumplings that you can find in Poland are “pierogi ruskie”. They are very rare in Russia or Ukraine but they are very popular in Poland. They came to Poland not from Russian cuisine. It is believed that the recipe along was spread throughout Poland from Galicia (part of Ukraine) – the area that a few centuries ago was called “Red Rus”. And this kind of dumplings became the most popular one. It is hard to find a cafe or restaurant, whose menu does not have “Pierogi ruskie”. These dumplings stuffed with a mixture of boiled potatoes and cheese, flavored with various spices and are served with fried onions and bacon.
Continuing the theme of bacon let’s talk about it a little bit. Salo is another integral part not only of Ukrainian cuisine, but also its culture. Salo is pork fat with garlic and different spices. The frequency of eating the pork fat can be compared with well-known national dishes like borsch and dumplings. Salo or pork fat is unique meal in the sense that the Ukrainians eat it by pieces, often with bread and garlic or with pickled vegetables. Today there are many ways of cooking pork fat. We just salt it, or pickle the fat. Baked salo is very delicious; it is added to soups and porridges.
Of course, I have not told everything about calorie rich and very tasty Ukrainian cuisine and I hope that the information provided did broaden your horizons.
