Cuisine of Southern Ukraine

Kherson region is known for its vegetables and fruits. No wonder many delicious dishes from the simplest products were invented here. One of the most popular is eggplants in Kherson style. This recipe can be used to prepare an appetizer for the holiday table. And if you change the recipe a little — you will get a great option for seaming for the winter.

Just a few decades ago, it was not possible to buy fresh vegetables in the winter. But they are necessary for the organism, and they taste good! Therefore, the hostess did a variety of canning for the winter. In the Kherson region, where many aubergines are grown, eggplant preservation was especially popular.

Dolma, or Tolma is a common dish among the peoples of the former Ottoman Empire. In Ukraine, dolma is cooked in Bessarabia, and the dish is an integral part of traditional Crimean Tatar cuisine.

Translated from Turkish, the name of the dish literally means "stuffed", so sometimes the word "dolma" is used to denote any stuffed dish. But the classic dolma is minced meat wrapped in grape leaves. It can be served hot or cold, as a main course or snack.

And the dish is very healthy. First, minced dolma is not fried, so more nutrients are stored. Secondly, grape leaves during cooking emit essential oils that have a healing effect on the body.

Odesa is one of the few cities in the world where an original cuisine has been formed. Most dishes are a symbiosis of Ukrainian, Jewish, Greek, Bulgarian and other cuisines. At the same time, the residents of Odesa are big connoisseurs of fish. And not only sea fish, but also river ones. Especially if the fish is caught in the Danube. So it is not surprising that sprat rissoles are one of the favorite dishes in this region.

And although in Ukraine it is widely said: "Fish is not bread, you will not be full of it", this proverb definitely does not apply to delicious and hearty sprat (or monkey goby) rissoles! This dish is both useful and nutritious, and easy to prepare. Not to mention the fact that it is delicious! After all, can people cook badly in Odesa?

Lagman is a traditional oriental dish. In Ukraine, lagman has become widespread in the Crimean Tatar cuisine.

What is a lagman? Depending on the method of preparation, it can be soup or main course. It all depends on how much broth you add to the dish. The word "lagman" itself means "stretched dough", because to make this soup one must use homemade noodles.

Due to the fact that the dish is widespread, there are many recipes and ways to cook lagman. It can be with or without meat, hot or cold.

Chebureki is a traditional dish of the Crimean Tatar cuisine. 

It is believed that its roots go back to the Mongol-Tatar nomadic tribes. That is why chebureki are eaten wherever nomads set foot in the ancient times. Even in the highlands of Tibet you can taste a similar dish! But the name itself is purely Crimean Tatar and means "meat pie". In Ukraine, chebureki are also common among the Greeks of Mariupol, but under a different name - "chir-chir".

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.

Vilkivskyi soup is a fish dish of Bessarabian cuisine. The name of the soup comes from the name of the village Vilkovo, known as "Ukrainian Venice"

This dish is always served during the gastronomic festival "Danube Feasts", which is traditionally held in the Vilkovo village. In 2018, the record of Ukraine was set here: the chefs prepared as much as 5 tons of Vilkivskyi soup!