Ukrainian Food Recipes

The diversity of Ukrainian food recipes reflect a tumultuous history located on the crossroads between Central Asia, Europe and The Middle East. This huge country with fertile soils, plenty of sun and much fresh water have had a large production of varied foods for millenia. Lets start with a brief account of its history.

A Brief History
There is evidence that cave men lived in the region as long as 30.000 years ago, by 5000 BC simple agrarian cultures had evolved. Until the Middle Ages the area was dominated, invaded and occupied by many; Among them Scythians, Goths, Huns, Greeks, Romans, Bulgars and Khazars. In the 9th century AD Varangians, most likely Vikings from Scandinavia, founded the Kievan Rus state that included large parts of modern Ukraine. It was a very prosperous empire and lasted until the 13th century when Mongol hordes invaded and put it to an end. The Kievan Rus with the capital Kiev is very much part of the Ukrainian and Russian national identity. The south of modern Ukraine was under Mongol and Islamic Turkish rule until 1783 when it became part of Russia. The other parts were under Lithuanian rule that changed to a repressive Polish one; outraged Ukrainians led by a East Slavic step tribe called the Cosacks, resisted. After the Russo-Polish war in the mid 17th century the eastern part of today's Ukraine, became part of the surging Russian Empire; the Western regions remained a part of Poland and later Austria-Hungary. In the following century many Germans emigrated to Ukraine. The time after the First World War was tumultuous time, the old Russian parts eventually became a socialist republic part of the Soviet Union. The years of industrialization, reform and central rule in the USSR were quite disastrous for the Ukraine; for various reasons up to 10 million starved to death. The Ukrainian national identity was forcefully quenched, many times with plain executions. Old Ukrainian food recipes were forgotten and replaced by Russian. When Russia and Germany divided Poland in 1939 also the western regions of modern Ukraine became a part of the republic, later areas in the south were absorbed. The Second World War took a heavy toll on the Ukrainians since the land to a large extent was pillaged. It remained a part of USSR until 1991 when it became a sovereign state. The transaction to market economy did initially not go so well, nowadays things are looking up for this huge country with its many natural resources.

Ukrainian Cuisine
If you have read the history section above you understand that the nature of Ukrainian food recipes owe to a lot of historical factors. There have been influences from several Asian and European cuisines; Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Greek, Austrian, Hungarian, Polish and German to name a few. Another important factor is how this country have many different biotopes and fertile soils; this granting a quite bountiful and varied food production. Many types of vegetables, cereals, meats, herbs and mushrooms can be ingredients in a typical Ukrainian food recipe. Many fruits grow in Ukraine, they are often prepared to desserts or to go with main courses. Bread and pastry like foods are very common, these can be made from various types of flours. The preparation methods can be quite elaborate with a large number of ingredients.

Some Typical Foods And Dishes Of Ukraine
In the list below you can easily see how the dishes are related to many other cuisines. This is only a small selection:

Kvasheni ohirky Pickled cucumbers. Extremely popular.
Holubtsi Cabbage rolls filled with meat and rice.
Borscht There are plenty of Ukrainian versions of this vegetable and meat soup. Red from beet roots.
Deruny Potato pancakes. Often served with sour cream.
Kotlety Fish or meat balls.
Mlyntsi Crêpes with different fillings.
Pampushki Wheat bread spiced with herbs and garlic. Traditionally eaten with borscht.
Kovbasa Smoked sausages.
Kutia Christmas dessert. Poppy seeds, wheat, nuts, honey and dried fruits.
Guliash A stew more or less faithful to its Hungarian ancestor.
Perohy Stuffed dumplings. The Ukrainian pierogi.
Syrnyky Curd fritters often garnished with fruits and sour cream.
Kapusniak Pork and sauerkraut soup.

Ukrainian Beverages
Beer and vodka (called horilka) is popular. Mead is a traditional drink. Wine is popular and produced in quantities in the south. Kefir is fermented milk. Kompot is a fruit drink.

Submitted Ukrainian Food Recipes

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