Ukrainian Cuisine in Historical Perspective

Attitude to pork in Ukrainian, Hungrian, Byellorussian and West-Slavonic cuisine is similar, but use of lard in Ukrainian cookery is extremely various. The lard is not only eaten in salted, boiled, smoked and fried form, but also used for frying-up of any food and larding of lean meat. In combination with sugar and molasses lard is used in sweet courses. For example, such popular dish as "verguny" is fried or boiled in the lard.

Also, the broad use of eggs is characteristic for Ukrainian cuisine. They are served not only for preparation of fried and scrambled eggs ("yayeshnya"), but also as component in floury, floury-egg and fruit-egg sweet dishes.

An abundance of flour produces is characteristic for Ukrainian cuisine. And at that, among all types of pastry Ukrainians prefers unleavened dough - simple unleavened, unleavened semiextracted, unleavened boiled, unleavened fancy pastry with soda as aerating agent. Short pastry is commonly used in Ukraine for confectionery. The produces from simple non-yeast pastry are considered national dishes: varenyky, galushky, lemishky, grechanyky, korzhi and later confectionery - verguny and stavbitsy. In flour produces wheat flour is used in most cases and sometimes it used with additions of buckwheat flour. Among grains millet and rice are more popular (by the way, rice was known in Ukraine starting fourteenth century as "sorochinske psheno" - distorted "Saracenic millet", and was brought from West by Hungarians).

Along with flour produces an important role in Ukrainian menu is played by vegetables. They were used as garnish to fatty meat food or served as individual dish with lard. In Ukrainian cookery beet stands on the first place among vegetables. It may be considered as national vegetable and commonly used not only fresh, but also soured. Of the soured beet the borsch prepares starting autumn till spring, i.e. during the most part of the year. Also, in Ukrainian menu legumes are popular - beans, lentil and particularly haricot (not in pods). The legumes are used broadly as addition to other vegetables.

Among vegetables and plant cultures traditionally used in Ukraine cuisine it is necessary to mention carrots, pumpkins, maize, potatoes and tomatoes. Just as haricot the maize usually is added to other vegetable dishes. Maize has been spread in Ukraine, particularly in southern and south-western regions, since eighteenth century. At the same time penetration of potatoes to Ukraine has begun. Potatoes in Ukraine have not take such special significance as in Byellorussia, though become an important component of various second courses. Mashed potatoes are added often to haricot, carrot, curds, apple, poppy-seed puree. Potatoes are used as effective lard absorber in second courses. Besides, potatoes are the source of starch, which is used for preparation of sweet dishes, particularly fruit kissel and confectionery.

Although Ukrainian cuisine was formed completely in eighteenth century, such characteristic and essential for Ukrainian cookery at present time vegetable products as tomatoes and sunflower-seed oil have come into use only in nineteenth century and influenced significantly on menu. As a matter of fact, since olden days vegetable oils - "oliyi" - were used in Ukrainian cookery along with animal fat (lard), but sunflower-seed oil replaced them. Now this oil is obtained by one of two methods - the oil of hot pressing with peculiar and favourite by Ukrainians odour of fried seeds and the oil of cold pressing, which is usual beyond the bounds of Ukraine. The oil of hot pressing is added commonly to cold dishes - salads, vinaigrette. The oil of cold pressing is used usually for frying and melting of second courses.

Among species and seasonings onion, garlic, dill, caraway-seeds, anise, mint, lovage, angelica, savory, red pepper, and also some imported species - bay leaf, black pepper, and cinnamon (for sweets) - are popular in Ukraine. Meat, vegetable and cold dishes are seasoned often by vinegar, but sometimes it is used excessively.

Among fruits and berries, which are used in Ukraine in fresh, soaked, dried, and smoked states, cherries, plums, pears, currants, watermelons, and to a lesser degree raspberries and apples are traditional. In modern Ukrainian cuisine together with fruits sugar and molasses are used abundantly in pure form and as component of compote ("uzvar"), jams, confitures, and other confectionery.

As stated above, the distinguishing feature of Ukrainian cookery technology is combined heat treatment of produces. At first the raw produce - both of vegetable and animal origin - is undergone light and short-term frying ("smazhennya" as Ukrainians say) and then longer heat treatment, i.e. boiling, baking or stewing. These approaches to food preparation determined the features of Ukrainian cooking battery - deep and medium-deep cauldrons for boiling and pans for frying, low earthenware crockery for the following stewing ("glechyky").

Among techniques of Ukrainian cookery it is worth to mention chopping, cutting and other ways of food (including meat) pounding. From this follows the presence of various rolls ("zavyvantsy"), stuffed dishes, puddings, "kruchenyky" with meat stuffing, and "sichenyky", which are similar to rissoles and cutlets taken from Germany through Polish and Czech cuisines.

As every cuisine with rich history Ukrainian cuisine has many regional variants. For example, West-Ukrainian cuisine differs significantly from East-Ukrainian one. There can be no doubt that Turkish cuisine had an influence in Bukovyna, Hungarian - in Gutzulschina, and Russian - in Slobozhanschina. The greatest variety of dishes is characteristic to cuisine of Central Ukraine, particularly of central right-bank regions. Popular in Ukraine borsch has a lot of variants; almost in every region it is prepared by unique and particular recipe.

Full list of restaurants in current city with Ukrainian cuisine