Borscht with Pampushky
To start with the classics, the most well-known and symbolical traditional Ukrainian food is, of course, borscht — a vegetable soup, made of beetroot, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes and dill. Sometimes, meat or fish is added into the dish. Borscht has been one of the main dishes on Ukrainian table way back since the 14th century, so it’s no wonder there are more than 30 variations of its recipe. Apart from the classical “red” borscht, in which beetroot gives its recognizable color, many Ukrainians also love “green” borscht, where the main component is sorrel leaves. It is often served in summer and considered the ‘light’ dish.
Red borscht is traditionally served with pampushky — small, fluffy buns often sprinkled with garlic and dill. Flaky dough with sweet taste helps to enhance the taste of borscht. You can taste borscht in Ukrainian restaurants for approximately UAH 60-100.
Varenyky
One of the most famous Ukrainian dishes, varenyky, are dumplings with a variety of fillings, from sweet to sour. Each Ukrainian mistress has her own recipe of varenyky, but the preparation method stays the same: wrapping unleavened dough around the filling. The most ‘basic’ filling is boiled potatoes — this way varenyky are a pretty simple, yet delicious savory dish, often sprinkled with dill. Other savory fillings include pickled cabbage, salty cheese, boiled mushrooms, as well as meat, liver, or fish. The most popular sweet filling, without a doubt, is cherry, which makes sweet varenyky a perfect summer dish. Even Nikolai Gogol wrote about the dish, saving a useful tip throughout the centuries: don’t forget to serve sour cream and dip varenyky in it before eating. The price of varenyky in a restaurant depends on their filling. The prices vary from UAH 50 to UAH 150.
Chicken Kiev
One of the traditional kinds of Ukrainian food, Chicken Kiev (originally called “Kotleta po-kyivsky”) has a long history. According to one theory, recipe was invented by French chefs, who lived on the territory of the Russian Empire during the 19th century. Historians state that Chicken Kiev first appeared in the capital of Ukraine in 1918, during the reign of Pavlo Skoropadskiy. Nevertheless, fried chicken fillet, stuffed with herbs and coated with bread crumbs and eggs, gained its true popularity in a post-WII era; and it hasn’t left the menus of Ukrainian cuisine restaurants ever since. The price of Chicken Kiev in a restaurant is approximately UAH 100-180.
Read: Kyiv Perepichka - Food Attraction of Kyiv
Deruny
Deruny, or potato pancakes, are incredibly popular in Northern and Western regions of Ukraine. The name of the popular Ukrainian dish derives from the way of cooking: verb ‘derty’ means ‘to strip’ or ‘to skin’, which is exactly what Ukrainians do with potatoes to prepare this dish. The recipes are passed from generation to generation and include various ingredients. The most popular way is to add onion and egg to the grated potatoes, and then fry it in the form of small pancakes. Deruny are usually served with sour cream, sometimes with adding garlic. In Ukraine, this dish was traditionally served on Sundays as breakfast or dinner. You can try deryny in a good dining spot for around 80-100 UAH.
Salo
Yet another symbolic traditional Ukrainian dish, salo is cold, white pork fat, which can have skin left on the top or be served without it. Due to its incredibly nourishing qualities, as well as easy preservation, salo has been extremely popular throughout Ukrainian history. It can be consumed solely as an appetizer, or placed on bread, sprinkled with garlic and side-dished with pickled vegetables. Horilka, traditional Ukrainian alcoholic beverage, is the best drink to top salo. By the way, an incredibly popular dessert — salo in cholocate — chocolate sweets with smoled salo, butter and often liquor, is almost impossible to buy in the shops nowadays. There are couple of places in Kyiv or Lviv that still preserve this tradition. A portion of salo costs around UAH 70.
Syrnyky
Often called a Ukrainian analogue of cheesecake, syrnyky are roasted pancakes, made of home cheese, flour, eggs as well as salt and sugar. Syrnyky are definitely one of the best sweet dishes in Ukraine. Known since the 18th century and popular in all regions of Ukraine, syrnyky can be both sour and sweet, depending on the serving. For sour syrnyky, Ukrainians usually add more salt in the mix and serve them with sour cream. The sweet ones can be topped with sugar powder, honey, and various jams. Due to their popularity, syrnyky are often served in cafes and restaurants for breakfast, or as dessert. Tasty syrnyky costs approximately UAH 50-70.
Nalysnyky
One of the best examples of Ukrainian traditional food, nalysnyky are sometimes overlooked or lost in the shadow of other popular dishes. Nevertheless, if you open a fridge of an average Ukrainian, you might see these intriguing rolls. The dish is essentially rolled thin crêpes with cottage cheese, which can be left sweet or mixed with dill to become savory. The other popular fillings include cabbage, mushrooms, caviar, and berries, but cottage cheese stays the classical one throughout centuries. If you want to taste nalysnyky, you can find them in menu for around UAH 70-110.
Read: Where to Taste Traditional Ukrainian «Nalyvka» in Kyiv
Kruchenyky
Also called zavyvantsi, kruchenyky are one of the best Ukrainian Hutsul dishes that come from Volyn’ region. These are meat rolls stuffed with minced meat, pate, and prunes with nuts. As always, every village and house had their own version of the recipe, but usually meat used for kruchenyky is pork, accompanied by mushrooms. Turkey, chicken, beef, and even liver are also used up to the chef’s taste. Kruchenyky are incredibly nourishing and can be served as a main dish. A portion of kruchenyky in a restaurant costs around UAH 100-160.
Banusz
An incredibly popular dish of Western Ukraine, banusz or banosz is a stew from cornmeal with sour cream, pork rind, mushrooms and savory cheese. The meal was typically served in the region for guests during various holidays, and up to this day is beloved by hundreds of tourists who visit Carpathians in any time of the year. Banusz costs around UAH 80-100.
Kutya
One of the 12 traditional Ukrainian Christmas dishes, kutya historically became the main food associated with Christmas time in Ukraine. It is the first of 12 dishes that are to be tasted on Sviat Vechir (Christmas Eve), and has to be tasted by every guest in the house. The recipe is known from the ancient times, and hasn’t changed much since: wheat or barley grains were processed in stupa (mortar), then crushed poppy seeds, walnuts and steamed raisins were added to the mix. It was then boiled in a clay pot. According to tradition, on this day kids, preferably young boys, brought kutya to the table. They also served other dishes to their elderly relatives. Kutya is quite cheap: you can taste it in a restaurant for around UAH 50.
Read: Ukrainian Traditional Dishes for Christmas Table
Ukrainian Vegetable Dishes
Though traditional Ukrainian cuisine is well-known for large amounts of meat, there are still plenty of meatless dishes that will perfectly suit those who keep to vegetarian diet. You can try vegetable borscht with beans and mushrooms instead of meat; cabbage rolls with rice, mushrooms and vegetables; fried marrows; varenyky with cherries, mushrooms or cabbage; stuffed pepper; potato deryny with sour cream; pumpkin porridge (very healthy and nutritious); “Huzul Varya” salad with boiled beet, beans, dried plums, garlic and oil; beet salad with nuts and herbs. As you can see, Ukrainian cuisine has something for everyone`s taste.
Most Popular Drinks in Ukraine
Non-alcoholic drinks in Ukraine are traditionally made of diverse fruits and berries. For an example, you can taste such drinks as uzvar (traditional Christmas drink), kysil` or compote. There is also an interesting drink called “kvas” made of rye bread, sometimes with addition of different fruits such as peaches or apples. Kvas is a very good choice for allaying thirst. As for alcoholic drinks, Ukrainians prefer vodka and beer. Many of them also love to drink different homemade liquors. For example, “khrenovukha” – an authentic liquor with taste of horse radish, or “medovukha” with sweet honey taste.
Ukrainian Dishes for Easter and Christmas
Traditional Ukrainian Christmas dinner always consists of 12 dishes. These dishes are kutya, uzvar drink, bread with garlic or beans, cabbage soup, cabbage rolls, beetroot salad, pickles, varenyky, fish, mushrooms, fast pies and baked apples. And what about Easter celebration? This holiday also requires serving particular kinds of food to Ukrainian tables. The two most important dishes for this Christian holiday are boiled painted Easter eggs (“pysanky”) and traditional sweet festive cake – “kulich”. On the Easter, people even take these dishes to the church so that the priest could consecrate them.
Ukrainian traditional cuisine varies from region to region, and from host to host, but all dishes possess irreplaceable qualities — deliciousness and love.
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