Some Traditional Dishes of the Ukrainian Cuisine

Borsch

A choice for First Dish is Borsch. Although the word “borsch” is not translatable, it is famous all over the world. It is difficult to imagine that there is a person on the planet who has never eaten borsch! It is famous, popular and delicious.

So, what is this famous dish? How is it cooked and what should it be eaten with? At first glance, everything seems simple. Sugar beets are the signature ingredient and borsch is a kind of beet soup. But not everything is as simple as it looks. There are more than thirty varieties of this dish in Ukraine alone, and other versions are prepared in Russia, Poland and even in the United States! So, there are different types of borsch - meat and meatless, hot and cold, with mushrooms, with kidney bean, with prunes, with marrows, turnips, and even with apples! Meat borsch is also varied - it may include beef or chicken. Some recipes recommend the addition of mutton and sometimes ham or sausages.

The cooking process for borsch is unique in that all ingredients, including the beets, are prepared separately! Beets should be sprinkled with lemon juice or vinegar in order to preserve their colour and then they should be cut and roasted. Afterwards they are peeled, diced and added to the borsch. In the beginning, onions, carrots, parsley are fried together for 15 minutes and tomatoes (or tomato paste) is added at the end. Other vegetables should be cooked separately. All ingredients should be put in bit by bit, at the proper time and in the right order. Cooking time for borsch is approximately 2-3 hours. Let the flavours mingle for 20 minutes before the borsch is served. Prepare to feel giddy when you lift the lid from the saucepan- the aroma is truly delicious! A good accompaniment to borsch is small buns flavoured with garlic. This is a temptation you will not want to resist!

Galushky

Even though galushky appear to be very simple, this dish is a very tasty meal. Recipes for it have not changed for hundred of years and have been passed down from one generation to another. Galushky should be eaten hot only! This is a rule! Galushky can be made from different types of flour – wheat flour, buckwheat flour, from manna-croup. It is also possible to add cottage cheese, potato or apples to the pastry. They are boiled in either water, milk, or broth. Galushky are served either with fried onions and cracklings or sour cream.

Second dishes are meat, poultry, fish. Although Ukrainians respect poultry, pork is a big winner. Huge numbers of dishes are made from pork in Ukraine. It is fried, baked, stewed, goes into sausages, various delicacies are prepared with chopped and minced meat. But the most favourite dish for any party is Pechenya (stewed meat). To say pechenya is just stewed meat is to say nothing. Pechenya is tender, flavourful and fantastic. Besides, the traditional way of preparing pechenya leaves a tremendous space for every cook’s creativity. Although the cooking time for pechenya is long, the outcome is worth it!

Uzvar

There are plenty of fruits and berries in Ukraine! You can gather a luxurious harvest in every garden. This remarkable harvest provides the basis of many desserts - varenyky, pyroghy, jellied berries, fruit babkas, and jams. And also drinks - Uzvars. We may say that uzvar is a kind of fruit compote, but it is really much richer and more concentrated than fruit compote. It is delicious mixture of raisins, prunes and spices - cinnamon, cloves, and dried citrus peel.

Kutia

Kutia is a sweet grain pudding, traditionally served in Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian cultures. Kutia is often the first dish in the traditional 12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper. It is rarely served at other times of the year. Traditionally it was made of wheat, poppy seeds, honey (or sugar), various nuts and sometimes raisins. In many recipes milk or cream was also used. Nowadays other ingredients (which were unavailable or just too expensive in earlier centuries) like almonds and pieces of oranges are added. On the other hand, the wheat grain, that is now relatively rarely available in the food stores in an unprocessed form, is sometimes replaced with barley or other similar grains.

12.You have invited your foreign guests for dinner. As your foreign friends are interested in the Ukrainian culture and traditions they want to taste some traditional Ukrainian dishes. Discuss the menu.

13.Work in small groups and discuss the following questions.

1.What is a typical breakfast in Ukraine?

2.What does your family have for breakfast?

3.What is the main meal of the day?

4.What does the main meal consist of?

5.When do the Ukrainian people have supper? What does it usually include?

14.Read the text. Make a list of the special equipment used for cooking in Ukraine.

Here are a few of the equipment items you might find in a Ukrainian kitchen: cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishes and portioners, food pans and food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets and accessories. The Ukrainian cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated Ukrainian dishes, but the traditional recipes can be cooked with only a fire source and a few pots and pans. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking “toolbox”, especially if you are determined to make the most out of any meal you prepare and serve. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Ukrainian food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slices, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups and measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers and strainers. All of the enumerated items can and will be useful at some point, but they are more likely to be specific to restaurants, rather than traditional Ukrainian homes.

15.Make a report on the topic “Traditional Ukrainian Food”.