[In Progress] [2238] [Travel and Culture] Ukraine Untold, Chapter 3: Borscht and Beyond-Ukrainian Food

Smachnoho! That’s Bon appetit! in Ukrainian. Ukrainians always tell me something like that in English, which usually comes out as, “Enjoy your meal!” But that’s really what your server would say at a restaurant. Ukrainians are surprised and puzzled that we don’t really say anything. Maybe we should!

So, what comes to mind when you think of Ukrainian food? Do you think of anything? If borscht is your first thought, that’s a good one. Basically, borscht is to Ukrainians what hamburgers are to Americans. So let’s start there, and continue with other traditional Ukrainian dishes.

BORSCHT

Borscht is, in my opinion, a soup. I say in my opinion, because this is a hotly debated topic. Ask most Ukrainians, and they will say borscht is neither a soup nor a meal. Borscht is borscht!

Borscht, like many world dishes, came from peasant tables, and was originally made with a sour herb called hogweed. This is actually more like the green borscht of today. Beets came into popularity only in the 1700’s, when they began to be grown more widely in eastern Europe.

And borscht, like many other things, came from Ukraine, not from Russia. The Russians have their own soup, a simple cabbage dish called shchi. But Russians like to appropriate borscht, as they do many Ukrainian things.

Nearly every Ukrainian woman has her own borscht recipe, often passed down through generations. My ex would make it with duck meat and beans, along with the usual vegetables — beets, carrots, potatoes, onions. I was always responsible for the grating, and most of the veggies are grated. I would say, “Make an American grate again!”

I absolutely love borscht, and could eat it every other day, at least. Part of the Ukraine tattoo on my heart, I suppose.

In 2022, UNESCO inscribed the Culture of Ukrainian Borscht Cooking on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This underscores borscht’s significance in Ukrainian society, highlighting its role in uniting people and its presence in rituals and festive events. The inscription was expedited due to the threats posed by Russia’s invasion, which has deeply impacted traditional agricultural practices and communal cooking activities in Ukraine. I personally would not consider borscht endangered, though.

So, what goes in a good borscht? Here’s a simple recipe:

Traditional Borscht for 4

🕒 Total Time: About 1.5 to 2 hours (including simmering)

🧂 Ingredients: 100g (3.5 oz) stewed beef, pork, sausage or duck (use mushrooms or beans for a vegetarian option) 2 medium beets, peeled and diced or grated. I’d recommend grating because borscht takes longer to cook than most other veggies. 1 medium carrot, grated 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2–3 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium potato, peeled and diced 1/4 cabbage head (about 2 cups), thinly shredded 1 medium tomato, chopped (or 2 tbsp tomato paste) 1 tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider) 1 tbsp sugar 4 cups beef or vegetable broth (or water with bouillon) 2 tbsp oil or butter Salt and pepper to taste Garnish: sour cream and sometimes fresh dill. The dill is not common, but I love it on borscht. 🍳 Instructions: Sauté vegetables: In a large pot or skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and beets. Sauté 7–10 minutes, stirring. Add tomato or tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes. Simmer the broth: In a soup pot, bring broth to a boil. Add potatoes and cook 10 minutes. Add sautéed veggies, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add meat if using. 2. Add cabbage:

Stir in shredded cabbage. Simmer on low for 20–30 minutes until all vegetables are tender. 3. Add garlic and finish:

Stir in minced garlic and turn off the heat. Let borscht rest, covered, for at least 10–15 minutes before serving. 🍽 To Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with a spoonful of sour cream and (sometimes) chopped fresh dill. Serve with dark rye bread or garlic pampushky (Ukrainian dinner rolls). VARENIKI Vareniki means “little boiled things.” They are like vegetarian dumplings. They’re made from simple ingredients — flour, water, egg, and salt — rolled out and cut into circles.

Savory fillings can include mashed potato with onion, sauerkraut, or farmer’s cheese, a soft and slightly tangy cheese made by curdling milk with an acid (like vinegar or lemon juice) then draining off the whey. Farmer’s cheese has a crumbly, moist texture — something between ricotta and feta.

Sweet vareniki is most often made with cherries, but also can include blueberries, apples or plums, usually spiced with sugar and cinnamon.

Varenyky is more than food — it’s a part of Ukrainian identity and tradition. It is often made during holidays or family gatherings, and is even featured in folklore and songs. Making vareniki is typically a communal activity, especially with grandmothers (babas) and children. I have made vareniki a couple of times. It’s labor intensive, but fun.

The first time I tried vareniki was in Puzata Hata, an economical, cafeteria-style restaurant that is the most popular chain in Ukraine (well, apart from McDonald’s). I always take visitors to Puzata Hata because you can get a sampling of many different traditional foods, and you can just point at what you want. If they ask you how much (Skilki?) I suggest saying, “Sto gram” (100 grams) if it’s meat, and “Dvisti gram” (200 grams) if it’s a side or dessert. Those are smallish portions that will allow you to try a few different things. They will also ask you, “S Smetanoy?” With sour cream on top? I always say yes.

HOLUBTSI One of my favorites! Holubtsi are cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice and baked in tomato sauce. Also normally with sour cream. Are you starting to see a trend here with the sour cream?

The word holubtsi is derived from holub (голуб), meaning pigeon in Ukrainian. The name is believed to come from an old European tradition of serving roasted pigeon, which was eventually replaced by more economical cabbage rolls resembling the shape of small birds. Holubtsi are part of a larger family of stuffed cabbage dishes found across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East.

Below is a basic holubtsi recipe. I have to admit I have never tried to make them myself. This version uses basic ingredients and is designed for about 4 servings (8–10 rolls). For a vegetarian version, try chopped mushrooms instead of meat.

🥬 Simple Holubtsi (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls) 🕒 Total time: ~1.5–2 hours 🍽 Servings: 4 (8–10 rolls) 🧂 Ingredients: For the cabbage rolls:

1 medium green cabbage 1/2 lb (225g) ground beef or pork (or a mix) 1/2 cup uncooked rice 1 small onion, finely chopped 1–2 cloves garlic, minced Salt and pepper, to taste For the sauce:

1 can (14 oz / 400g) tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, for richer flavor) 1/2 cup water or broth 1 tsp sugar Salt and pepper to taste Instructions:

1. Prepare the cabbage: Core the cabbage and place it in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 5–10 minutes, peeling off leaves as they soften. You’ll need about 10 large leaves. Cut off the thick stem at the base of each leaf for easier rolling.
2. Cook the rice: Cook rice halfway (parboil) for about 7–8 minutes. Drain and let cool.
3. Make the filling: In a bowl, mix: Ground meat Parboiled rice Chopped onion Garlic Salt and pepper
4. Roll the holubtsi: Place 2–3 tbsp of filling on a cabbage leaf. Fold the sides and roll tightly like a burrito. Repeat with all leaves.
5. Arrange and sauce: Place rolls seam-side down in a pot or baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour over the rolls. Add a little water or broth if needed to cover most of the rolls.
6. Cook: Stovetop: Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Oven: Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 1–1.5 hours. 🍽 To Serve: Spoon some sauce over the top. Top with sour cream and fresh dill or parsley if you like. SHASHLIK Shashlik is Ukrainian BBQ, and is extremely popular in the summer. Go to any park where “shashliking” is permitted or tolerated, and you will see dozens of columns of smoke rising from the tree tops.

Now, during wartime, shashliks are officially not permitted in Kyiv and some other cities, but enforcement varies greatly. And now, many displaced families and friends will use it as a moment of normalcy, even during blackouts. In some frontline or liberated areas, people use shashlik cookouts as a morale booster or a way to mark milestones.

I can’t count the number of shashliks I have been to or organized. I lived many years on Rusanivka, a Soviet-built, urban island on the left bank of the Dnieper. There’s a large park with beaches and bits of forest that runs half the length of the island, and that was where we held our shashliks.

Just as many Ukrainian women have a cherished borscht recipe, many Ukrainian men have their favorite shashlik marinades. The best shashlik I’ve ever had was from a friend who marinated pork in onion juice and chicken in mayonnaise and lemon juice. Sometimes he brought the marinating meat to my place the night before, and boy did that onion juice stink up my fridge and kitchen.

Everyone else at the shashlik would bring sides. These were potato salad, beet salad, flatbread, rice pilaf, stuffed peppers, or crepes. I always made deviled eggs–a lot of work, but a big hit.

OLIVIER SALAD Olivier, known outside the post-Soviet world as “Russian salad”, is a hearty, creamy salad typically made with finely diced boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs, pickles, peas, and some kind of meat (commonly bologna, ham, or chicken) — all bound together with mayonnaise. It is traditionally served cold, often as part of festive meals such as New Year’s Eve, weddings, or birthdays in Russia, Ukraine, and across much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The salad is named after Lucien Olivier, a Belgian or French chef of the Hermitage, a celebrated restaurant in Moscow in the 1860s. The original recipe was a closely guarded secret but was widely admired by aristocratic patrons for its exotic presentation and luxurious ingredients.

Lucien Olivier’s original version reportedly included grouse or partridge, veal tongue, crayfish tails, capers, gherkins, anchovy paste, potatoes, and a special Provençal-style dressing (a precursor to modern mayonnaise)

After Olivier’s sudden death in 1883, a rival chef, Ivan Ivanov, supposedly stole the recipe and commercialized a simplified version. Apparently he snooped at the prep table while pretending to clean or assist. Over time, especially during the Soviet era, the expensive ingredients were substituted with cheaper and more available items.

Olivier salad may be Russian, but it might just be the most widely-consumed food in Ukraine after borscht. You’ll find it in every deli section of every supermarket.

KAPUSNIAK A hearty sauerkraut soup made with pork, barley, and potatoes. Tangy and warming, and especially popular in winter. In villages, Kapusniak is often made after sauerkraut is is made in late autumn. It’s eaten all winter. It’s commonly cooked in a cast iron pot over a wood stove for a smoky flavor. Also, millet is more traditional in Ukrainian kapusniak than barley, especially in central and eastern Ukraine.

Traditional sour cabbage soup with pork and grains

🕒 Time: Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 1.5–2 hours 🧅 Ingredients: 1–1.5 lbs (500–700 g) pork ribs or smoked pork (hocks, bacon, or kielbasa) 1–2 tbsp pork fat or sunflower oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, grated 1–2 potatoes, cubed 1/3 cup millet or pearl barley (washed well) 2–3 cups sauerkraut, chopped (some juice optional) Optional: 1 cup shredded fresh cabbage 1 bay leaf 5–6 black peppercorns Salt and black pepper to taste Optional: a bit of tomato paste or diced tomato for color 🍲 Instructions: Make the broth In a large pot, cover the pork ribs or smoked meat with about 2 liters (8 cups) of cold water. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, add peppercorns and bay leaf. Simmer for 1 hour, covered. Prep the base In a skillet, heat pork fat or oil. Sauté the onion until soft, then add grated carrot. Cook until lightly golden. Stir in tomato paste if using, and sauté for 1 more minute. Combine soup Add potatoes, millet or barley, and sauerkraut to the soup pot. If using both fresh cabbage and sauerkraut, add fresh cabbage first and sauerkraut 10 minutes later. Simmer 30–40 minutes until grains and potatoes are soft. Final touches Add sautéed onions and carrots to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer another 5–10 minutes. Let the soup sit off heat for at least 15 minutes before serving to meld the flavors. Serve Ladle into bowls, ideally with black rye bread (chornii klib) and a dollop of sour cream (smetana ). Some interesting points about kapusniak: In villages, kapusniak is often made after sauerkraut is pickled in late autumn and eaten all winter. It’s commonly cooked in a cast iron pot over a wood stove for a smoky flavor. Millet is more traditional in Ukrainian kapusniak than barley, especially in central and eastern Ukraine. Or try a Carpathian Hutsul version — they sometimes add mushrooms or beans.