Cuisine of Western Ukraine

Gombovtsi is a little-known dish of Ukrainian cuisine, which remains quite common in Transcarpathia. This dessert is interesting because its recipe is almost identical to the national Chinese dish baoji. Therefore, some researchers believe that the roots of Gombovtsi should be sought in the era of nomadic lifestyle.

This dessert is small pies stuffed with the sweet and cooked on a steam. Fruits or berries are usually added to pies, but not necessarily. An integral part of Gombovtsi, without which this dish is impossible to imagine, are breadcrumbs.

Halytsky, or Lviv cheesecake is a favorite dessert in many Ukrainian families. Its creator is considered to be the legendary cook Daria Tsvek. A girl from an intelligent family was taught from an early age the intricacies of setting the table and cooking delicious meals. This knowledge later formed the basis of her cookbooks, which are still popular among housewives.

In the bestseller "Sweet Cookies", Ms. Daria shared a recipe for Galician cheesecake.

Traditionally, pastries in Galicia were called plyacky. They are baked in a large square shape and then cut into pieces. They usually combined cakes, cream and fillings. It resembles a cake, but easier to prepare. Now the most popular Lviv dessert, without a doubt, is Lviv cheesecake. It is believed that the original recipe was invented in the middle of the twentieth century by the famous chef Daria Tsvek and was published in her book "Sweet Cookies". But every housewife has her own vision, and now there are more than 30 recipes for Lviv cheesecake.

Perekladanets in Ukrainian cuisine usually means dessert, which is a cake of many cakes smeared with different fillings. In general, the word "perekladanets "or sandwich cake was used for multi-layered closed sandwiches, popular in Ukrainian, Polish and Swedish cuisines. Sweet perekladanets are most often prepared with nut, poppy seed filling or jam.

Bograch is a traditional Hungarian goulash prepared by housewives in Transcarpathia. Researchers believe that the name of the dish comes from the Hungarian name of the cauldron. Bograch was invented by shepherds. Going to graze cattle, they put a variety of food in a cauldron: meat, lard, vegetables. Then they cooked it all on an open fire for a long time and always added paprika.

Traditional bograch is prepared in the open air in a large cauldron. Most of the ingredients vary from house to house, but the large amount of meat (3 to 5 types) and the generous use of paprika remain the same. The various types of meat are used: the necks, the ribs, the skin, and even the fat from the bones and hooves. The finished dish should look like goulash, not soup, so be careful with the dish.

Yokai bob—levesh is a fragrant rich soup, traditional for the diet of the Western Ukraine inhabitants. In the classic version, this dish is served in a bread plate.

The dish is named after the Hungarian writer and politician of the XIX century Mora Yokai. Over the decades, the recipe has changed, every housewife has her own secrets of cooking this soup. Several ingredients remain unchanged: paprika, smoked meat, sour cream and beans.

Mushroom gravy is a traditional sauce on the Christmas table. It is served with dumplings, stuffed cabbage (holubtsy) and other main dishes.

Mushroom season in Transcarpathia lasts all year round. Mushrooms are dried or frozen to later prepare delicious meals. Almost any mushroom is suitable for watering, and, of course, the taste and color of the dish will depend on their choice. Watering from dried white mushrooms tastes best.

Kosash—levesh is a traditional Transcarpathian soup. It was usually prepared on Easter or immediately after it.

What makes this dish festive? It was made using the broth that remained after cooking shovdar — smoked pork ham. Shovdar was traditionally made for Easter. Accordingly, at the same time it was possible to prepare kosash—levesh soup. Otherwise, it was made from any smoked meat, but such version can not be considered authentic.

Pasulya pidbyvana — a traditional soup of Transcarpathian cuisine. The word "pasulya" in the region refers to the ordinary beans, so it is not difficult to guess the main ingredient of the dish.

In addition to beans, the dish must include milk. These two products were widespread in the region and available to ordinary peasants. Wealthier people added smoked and other meat to the beans.

Dzyama is a Transcarpathian dish, which is traditionally prepared on Easter. The fact is that the main ingredient of Dzyama is shovdar — smoked pork ham. It is traditionally placed in an Easter basket next to Easter eggs and Easter cake.

Interesting fact that in the "Ukrainian language dictionary" edited by Borys Hrinchenko, dzyama is defined as beef broth, although pork is used in the dish.

The term "kalatusha" in Polissya refers to a dish that combines seemingly incompatible ingredients. For example, mushrooms and fish.

Varenyky are Ukrainian national dish that is not inferior in popularity and importance even to borscht. Varenyky are made from fresh dough and a variety of fillings, such as meat, potatoes, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, cheese and many more. Their fillings can be salty or sweet, lean or meaty. Recipes vary greatly depending on the region. Thus, in Polissia, crushed beans are added to the filling, in Zakarpattia  it is cheese, in Chernihiv region bacon crisps are added to the dish.

Varenyky also have important folklore and even magical significance. Our ancestors invested great symbolism in this dish. The shape of the varenyky resembles the new moon, so the dish was used as a sacrificial offering. The process of kneading the dough was identified with the origin of the universe, and the filling symbolized the continuation of the genus. Dumplings were a must-have dish at important events. For example, girls brought varenyky to recently delivered women. People ate this dish also when the cow was calving to keep the calf healthy. Varenyky were eaten during the harvest, while people believed that this food should give inspiration and strength to the reapers.

Banosh, or banush, is a traditional dish of Hutsul cuisine. It is a viscous corn porridge cooked in cream or sour cream, seasoned with cheese, cracklings or porcini mushrooms. It is considered a calling card of Zakarpattia, because banosh is served there in almost every restaurant. And, of course, it is cooked in every family.

Although banosh is a very simple dish, there are many important details in its preparation. For example, according to tradition, this dish should be prepared by a man. This is explained by the fact that sheep cheese was used in the preparation, and all dishes related to sheep are prepared only by men. Another peculiarity includes  dishes for banosh. It is believed that real banosh can be cooked only in a cauldron on an open fire, and porridge can be stirred only with a wooden spoon. Of course, not every household has the opportunity to cook a meal outdoors, but if you have such an opportunity - be sure to use it!

Mazuryky are a traditional Ukrainian dish, that is a small turkey sausage with cheese and butter. They were most common in northwestern Ukraine, especially in Volyn. Usually served with potato garnish in the form of boiled potatoes or deruny (potato pancakes).

In general, golubtsi or stuffed cabbage are known in the different cuisines: Greek, Eastern European, Kazakh, Turkish, but they all have some differences. Even in Ukraine there is no common traditional recipe and Ukrainian golubtsi differs depending on the region. For example, millet was mainly used as a filling, but depending on the region it was often replaced by corn grits or buckwheat. On the Left Bank of Dnipro river and in the southern regions, stuffed cabbage was made large, using the whole cabbage leaf, though in the West it was considered as a sign of a lazy host, and the cabbage leaf was divided into several parts. Cabbage (steamed or pickled) was first stuffed with cereals, fried onions and pork greaves. Meat was added only on holidays.

Golubtsi was stuffed in the oven with meat soup and sour cream or with kvass, if it was a fasting season. In the 1920s and 1930s, cabbage rolls changed to the version that is more familiar to us today: with rice and meat filling and tomato paste. Stuffed cabbage was usually an everyday dish, but in some right-bank regions it was traditionally served at a festive table.

Shpundra is a festive meat dish, known mainly in Western Ukraine.

Although this dish is not very common in everyday life anymore, it is as important as borscht and dumplings. It was even mentioned in "Aeneid" by Ivan Kotlyarevsky: "There was borsch and shpundra with beets"

Hutsul Varya is a dish native to Bukovyna. Its main ingredient is boiled beets. This salad is usually prepared during Lent, because it does not contain meat and other animal products. At the same time the dish turns out very hearty and tasty.

Friga is a dish that is common in the mountainous regions of Transcarpathia. It is also called "Hutsul fondue" because of the similarity of cooking with the famous Swiss dish.

The history of the friga is probably similar to the history of the fondue. The shepherds went to the mountains for a long time and took with them food that did not spoil for a long time. Including cheese. However, after a while the cheese dried up, so it was heated in a cauldron. And so the friga appeared.

The cooking method described above is called "poor frigo". If you add lard and sausages to the cheese, you will get a "rich fridge".

Salo is one of the main symbols of Ukrainian cuisine. It is consumed raw, salted or smoked. But the main thing is that with any method of cooking lard remains always delicious.

Archaeological research shows that Ukrainians have been consuming salo since ancient times. At that time, this dish had a symbolic meaning: the boar embodied strength, courage and bravery. Subsequently, lard was highly valued for its long shelf life and the ability to stock up on food for the future. And today, scientists insist on the unique beneficial properties of this product. Regular consumption of small amounts of salo is the prevention of serious diseases, including atherosclerosis.

Polyadvytsya or polyadovytsya is a dish of Western cuisine, which is also common in Belarus and Poland.

Actually, the word "polyadvytsya" means a special part of the carcass of an animal. It is cut from the femur so as not to damage the ham muscles. Pork, beef and even horse meat can be used as the main raw materials. 

Traditionally, our ancestors cooked polyadvytsya for several months. The meat was prepared during the autumn slaughter, marinated in a special way and dried in boxes until spring. Modern housewives do not have so much time to cook, so the recipe has become much simpler and faster.

Shovdar is a delicatessen meat product prepared in Transcarpathia. Like borscht, each household prepares its own, special shovdar. So there are many recipes.

Shovdar is an integral part of the Easter basket. This dish is quite difficult to prepare: you will need a lot of salt, a lot of time and your own smokehouse. Not surprisingly, it is prepared only for major holidays, such as Christmas. In Uzhhorod, even a monument in honor of this remarkable dish was erected.

Skybka or slice or, as it is also called, banky (emphasis on the last syllable) or "turnip baked on a spur" (Rakhiv style) is one of the typical dishes of Zakarpattia cuisine. It was often prepared by housewives both during the fasting season and in other seasons. It is very simple, because for its preparation, in fact, you need only one ingredient - potatoes, which are fried on a heated cast iron surface of the oven - called shpora or shparguty. In fact, this way you can fry not only potatoes, but also other vegetables or even meat. By the way, this dish inspired the Zakarpattia artist Jan Potrogosh to create a designer author's grill for cooking culinary masterpieces in this way.

In the menu of Western Ukrainian cuisine, a place of honor belongs to mushroom dishes, especially white ones. They are cooked, fried, stewed, and are used to cook soups, sauces, etc. In the Hutsul region it was and still is quite common to cook mushrooms in sour cream sauce.

Tovchanka is one of the most common side dishes in Ukrainian cuisine. It is believed that it comes from the Ternopil region and is a puree of boiled potatoes and beans that are cooked separately and then pounded (Ukrainian: "tovchut"). Hence the name of the dish comes. The third main ingredient in the mash is poppy seeds. In addition to beans, other legumes can sometimes be used.

Uzvar (compote) or, as it was also called kisselitsa, var, zvar, still remains one of the most popular drinks of Ukrainians. It is made from dried berries: pears, apples, plums, cherries, blueberries, in the southern regions uzvar made of apricots is quite widespread. Ukrainians dried the fruits in the sun, in ordinary or special ovens - dryers or baths.

The uzvar was cooked mainly in the oven both on holidays and on weekdays. Compote was the second most important dish after Christmas. The liquid was poured into a beautiful jug and placed next to the corner. The thick of the berries was poured into a bowl and also served to the table.

Kalganivka is one of the most popular traditional Ukrainian nastoikas, which is a horilka infused with the root of galangal (a herbaceous plant that grows mainly in forests). The drink has a reddish-amber color, a pleasant floral scent and is quite easy to drink. Kalganivka was often used for medicinal purposes and as a simple drink for the table.

Kotlyarevsky even mentioned it in the Aeneid, which indicates that it really is a drink with a long history.

With the advent of horilka in Ukraine in the fifteenth century, soon began to appear also many nasktoikas and liqueurs prepared on its basis. They were made mainly on berries (plums and cherries) or on herbs and roots of plants using 20-degree vodka, left to ferment in a warm room. Compared to liqueurs, tinctures were stronger and were considered a privileged drink. It was drunk and made by well-off people.

Horilka (vodka) is an alcoholic beverage made from a solution of ethyl alcohol (usually 40%). The name (from Ukrainian “hority” - “to burn”) is explained by the fact that to check the alcohol content in the drink it was set on fire. If the amount was sufficient, the liquid burned with a green-blue flame.

The first analogue of horilka was made in the X century by a Persian doctor. In Ukraine it appeared in the XV - XVI centuries. during the Cossacks. Moreover, at first it was called "hot wine", "bread wine" because it was made from cereals. And the word "horilka" began to be used only in the XVIII century. By the way, Ukrainians made horilka from wheat, while Russians made vodka from rye or a mixture of oats, rye and barley. In the Zaporozhian Sich, the production and export of "Cherkasy wine" (as it was then called) to various countries, including Moscovia, was established.

The classic value of ethanol content in the drink was 38%, but later a standard of strength of 40% was set for convenience.

Today Ukraine is considered one of the countries of the so-called "vodka belt" and is known for its classic wheat horilka infused on pepper.

Spotykach is a sweet alcoholic tincture with spices, (30 degrees in strength). In Ukraine, this drink appeared in the XVIII century. The name obviously comes from the effect that the “spotykach” (meaning “stumbling”) had on consumers. There are also options for preparing the drink not on spices, but on berries or with the addition of fruit juices.

The honey—based drink is perhaps the oldest known Slavic alcoholic beverage. Honey as a drink was incredibly popular in the days of Kievan Rus, when no feast or reception was held without it. Only during Lent did religion forbid drinking this drink. At the wedding, it was a tradition to give the newlyweds a tub of honey, which they had to drink during the first month of married life, perhaps this is where the term "honeymoon" comes from. In addition, honey had a ritual significance. It was shared with the gods and compared with the rivers of the afterlife, where honey and milk waters flow.

At first, it took years to prepare mead, because then honey was mixed with the juice of sour berries and left to ferment in tubs or vats. Then the liquid was poured and sealed in barrels underground for decades. This method was called put.

Later, hops were added to the honey—berry mixture before the fermentation process to speed up the process. This mead was stronger and could be drunk after two years.

Later, boiled honey appeared, when honey was first boiled with water (this decoction was called a sieve and was an independent non—alcoholic honey drink and an addition to many dishes).

In the 17th century, with the advent of wine and beer, mead lost its popularity. But in the twentieth century, the drink of mead became widespread, which continued the tradition. Then beekeeping became very common, a lot of so—called "immature honey" appeared, which could not be sold and they came up with a drink made by fermenting it with yeast.

Compote is a traditional drink of Eastern European peoples, including Ukrainians. It is prepared from fruits and berries with sugar. Can be prepared from fresh, dryed (uzvar), canned or frozen fruits and berries. With the spread of freezers in households since the second half of the twentieth century the latter option has gained popularity.

Compote could be prepared from one type of berries or fruits, or from their mix. Apples, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, apricots, plums, and grapes were most often used in Ukraine.

In Soviet times, compote was also called a dessert, which was a berry (fruit) cooked in compote. They were served chilled in glasses or cups.