Often referred to as “the breadbasket of Europe”, Ukraine is known for its fertile land producing grains and cereals which are at the heart of its cuisine. He is also known for his recipes, including Borscht, holubtsi (cabbage rolls) and varenyky (ravioli) – made with garden vegetables, such as beets, cabbage and potatoes, and fruit. And while many of its dishes are similar to those of its neighboring countries, such as Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, they are also distinctly Ukrainian (although they can also vary from region to region, and even from one family to another).
For Lena Sutherland, who grew up in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa and recently opened Lena’s Ukrainian Kitchen in the northern English city of Hull, her sour cherry varenyky reflect Ukrainians’ access to fresh ingredients . Her mother harvested sour cherries and used them for the dish, and she said most people during her Ukrainian childhood had a garden that served as an outdoor pantry of sorts.
For cooks like Sutherland and Voloshyna, who don’t currently live in Ukraine, sharing their dishes and recipes brings a sense of comfort to refugees who lack home, but also connects non-Ukrainians to their kitchen.
Cookbook author Olia Hercules, who lives in the UK but is from Kahovka about 74 km north of Crimea and recently published Home Food: Recipes to Comfort and Connect, said encouraging others cooking Ukrainian food helps people relate to Ukrainians and helps humanize them, despite the often tiring cycle of negative news from the war. For chef Yurii Kovryzhenko, who was in London during the initial invasion last year and stayed to open Mriya Neo Bistro, “Ukrainian food is comfort food”. Its aim is to blend old world traditions with modern innovation and creativity, taking dishes to a new level.
Whatever their specific approach, these five chefs (and no doubt many more) collectively carry Ukraine’s culinary torch at its most critical time and spread its light to others around the world, ensuring that it will stay alive and continue to evolve. Here are five of their recipes that offer a real – and unforgettable – taste of Ukraine:
