An assortment of vegetables and starches were laid out on a metal kitchen counter: a plate of blanched savoy cabbage leaves, a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes, a side of fried onions and a cup of buckwheat groats boiled.
“Ukrainian food is comfort food,” said Yurii Kovryzhenko, the chef and mastermind behind Mriya Neo Bistro, a new Ukrainian restaurant in west London’s Chelsea neighborhood. “We appreciate fresh ingredients with simple flavors.”
This philosophy is central to its holubtsi, cabbage rolls made with simple but complementary ingredients, creating a dish that is subtle, comforting and full of flavor.
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An announced name on the Ukrainian culinary scene, Kovryzhenko was in London for a food project with the Ukrainian Embassy five days before the February 24, 2022 Russian invasion. Amid the uncertainty of war, he remained at London and, in late August, launched Mriya along with a few other Ukrainian transplants, who work tirelessly to keep their culture alive. mriya translates to “dreaming” in Ukrainian, a feeling at the heart of food and space that blends the old-world traditions of Ukrainian coastal and mountain villages with modern innovation and creativity.
Variations of holubtsi can be found in the cuisines of European countries, including Ukraine, Poland, Greece, Romania, and Finland, as well as Turkey. Although the exact lineage of the dish cannot be fully traced, a version of stuffed cabbage known as “holishkes” has been part of Jewish cuisine for around 2,000 years.
The name “holubtsi” is derived from the word for pigeon in Ukrainian: holub. In bygone days in Ukraine, a local dish served at aristocratic feasts was prepared by wrapping pigeons in cabbage leaves and cooking them on a spit or grill. Over time, while the cabbage leaves remained, the birds were replaced by cereals, vegetables and other types of meat, such as pork or veal.
“This dish has become part of everyday cuisine in Ukraine,” Kovryzhenko said. “But before, it was only eaten as a festive food at Christmas or at weddings.”
Although eaten more regularly, holubtsi still features as part of an elaborate Christmas Eve dinner known as Sviata Vecheriaconsisting of 12 traditional meatless dishes (in Ukraine, Christmas Eve is the last day of a 40-day Nativity fast preceding Christmas Day).
