Ukrainian food is typical to the country of Ukraine made using diverse ingredients such as variety of spices, vegetables, meats and fruits. The cuisine evolves from peasant and country-made dishes using simple cooking methods and basic ingredients.
Historical and Cultural Influences on Ukrainian Food
Ukrainian cuisine has made way through the long and chaotic history of the country with several external factors that influencing it greatly. Till the 17th as well as 18th centuries, food in Ukraine was majorly predominant with peasant and country-made preparations.
Classification of Ukrainian Cuisine
Ukrainian cuisine cannot be classified into distinguishable types although there are numerous influences of the surrounding regions. The surrounding countries have caused affects on the regional diversities. For instance the Luts’k or Lviv areas of Ukraine, present Ukrainian food similar to that of Polish cuisine, wherein Pork meat happens to be the chief ingredient used in many recipes. North-eastern regions of Luhans’k or Kharkiv present Russian cuisine influences over Ukrainian recipes even as in the Southern Ukraine there are many Ukrainian recipes bearing resemblance to Romania and Moldova.
Ukrainian Canadian cuisine is an outcome of Ukrainian settlers revealing Ukrainian food ideas to Canadians in the late 18th century.
Ingredients Commonly Used in Ukrainian Foods
Ukrainian food makes use of seasonings including red pepper, black pepper, bay leaf, salt, dill (normally during summer and spring), garlic, parsley, and Onion. Staple foods consist of cabbage, potatoes, Pork, fish, Sausage and Beef with the popular one among them being potato. The meat market of Ukraine is diversified with lots of Pork, Beef, Turkey and chickens. The dairy produce in the country is also significant with milk, cheese and butter although the cheese is dearer. The core foods consist of peasant dishes prepared using grains and chief vegetables such as cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms and beets.
Cooking Methods Adopted by Ukrainian Cuisine
Ukrainian recipes make use of regular cooking methods especially with respect to meat.
Meat is prepared through different methods, such as boiling, stewing, frying or smoking.
Ukrainian Recipes Popular in Foreign Culture
Borsch or borshch refers to a vegetable soup made using of cabbage, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, dill, garlic, and also green pepper, had along with sour cream.
Olivye or Salade Olivier refers to a salad made using chopped and cooked potatoes, broiled chopped eggs, chopped and cooked ham, dill pickles, canned peas and chopped onions, combined with mayonnaise.
Paska refers to traditional dense bread shaped in a round short form.