12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (2024)

These 12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes were passed down to me by my mom. I remember enjoying these recipes very much, during my childhood. They are still my favorite recipes, today.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (1)

Generally, Ukrainian cuisineis a collection of various cooking and baking traditions ofone of the largest and most populous European countries. Many traditional Ukrainian dishes are made with an elaborate heating process. First, they may be fried or boiled. Then, they may be stewed or baked.

What is typical Ukrainian food?

The national Ukrainian cuisine recipe is borscht. It is a well-known red beet soup. However,vareniki (boiled dumplings similar to pierogi) and a type of cabbage rolls known as golubtsiare also national favorites that we love, as well.

Most commonly, Ukrainian breakfasts consist of hot cereals or porridge "kasha" made of buckwheat, rice, or oats. On the savory side, a popular breakfast dish in Ukraine is fried potatoes with bacon and onion.

Pancakes "mlyntsi or "oladi" leavened pancakes are usually made of wheat flour. Also, pancakes made with farmer's cheese are often called cottage cheese pancakes.

Traditional Ukrainian drinks are kompot made of dried apples, birch juice collected from birch trees, kvass is a fermented drink or kisel.

Fresh or smoked bacon "salo" is another very popular, traditional food among Ukrainian people.

Table of Contents
  • 1. Red Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup)
  • 2. Cabbage Rolls
  • 3. Pierogies - Vareniki
  • 4. Potato Salad Recipe (Olivie)
  • 5. Bilyashi Recipe - Pirozhki
  • 6. Herring Shuba (Layered Vegetable and Fish Salad)
  • 7. How to Make Sauerkraut Recipe
  • 8. Pelmeni Recipe (Meat Dumplings)
  • 9. Apple Kvass - Fermented Beverage
  • 10. Fruit Drink - Kompot
  • 11. Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad
  • 12. Vinaigrette Salad - Ukrainian Red Beet Salad
  • Comments

1. Red Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup)

This hearty meal will have you seeing red! Not of fury, but the red of love. Borscht is a national Ukrainian dish, made out of red beets, and served with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with fresh dill. Yum!

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2. Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are another famous Ukrainian recipe. Everybody loves cabbage rolls. They are made with ground beef, grated carrots, and rice stuffing hugged in softened cabbage leaves and baked in tomato sauce. It's absolutely delicious!

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3. Pierogies - Vareniki

Vareniki are classicUkrainiandumplings similar to Polish pierogi. The most popular Vareniki filling is potato filling, drizzle with caramelized onion, and loads of fried bacon bits! As a child I remember, my mom made vareniki with strawberry filling during strawberry season. These treats are very tasty. I love making them. Making them is worth every minute.

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4. Potato Salad Recipe (Olivie)

It’s a very popular Ukrainian salad with diced varieties of vegetables and meats. As a child, I was looking forward to some kind of special event or a holiday to get to enjoy this salad. This is a very old recipe never gets old. My kids enjoy this salad very much, as well.

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5. Bilyashi Recipe - Pirozhki

Pirozhki can have a sweet or savory filling. My childhood favorite is Ukrainian vanilla apple butter (Povidlo) or farmer's cheese. They are absolutely delicious. Give them a try!

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6. Herring Shuba (Layered Vegetable and Fish Salad)

The direct translation of the name of this salad is "fur coat". Due to the many layers over the fleshy herring. I’m not a big fan of herring, but it is very popular among the Ukrainian population.

This salad is similar to Oliviye or Olivier salad except you need to grate most of the cooked vegetables instead of dicing them. I substitute herring with smoked salmon. I absolutely love Smoked Salmon Shuba.

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7. How to Make Sauerkraut Recipe

It is super easy to make and tastes so much better than any store-bought sauerkraut. Give this recipe a try!

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8. Pelmeni Recipe (Meat Dumplings)

Pelmeni is dumplings that consist of a meat filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough. Boiled in water, dressed in butter, and served with a dollop of sour cream. They have always been a family favorite and my kids’ frequent requests.

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9. Apple Kvass - Fermented Beverage

Kvassis a fermented non-alcoholic beverage, sometimes compared to kombucha, for instance. It is super tasty and refreshing, especially over ice on a hot summer day. It is fantastic!

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10. Fruit Drink - Kompot

Kompot can be any flavor depending on the type of fresh, frozen, or dry fruit you are using. It is very similar to juice but much healthier and tastier. Kids enjoy this drink cold during the summer, and warm during cold winter days. Be sure to give it a try.

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11. Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad

This salad made of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes brings me a lot of my childhood memories. My parents use to grow a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouses when I was growing up. Then, we would sell them to market grocery stores and farmer's markets.

As a child, I would go and get these veggies including onion from the garden, chop it, dress the salad with sunflower oil, season it with salt and pepper, and just enjoy it as a snack with a piece of dark rye bread. It is still one of my favorites, especially when made with freshly picked garden produce.

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12. Vinaigrette Salad - Ukrainian Red Beet Salad

It is one of my favorite childhood salads. My mom made it mostly during the late fall and winter months after the harvest of red beets, carrots, and potatoes. As well as canned pickles. During my childhood, I remember mom was making this salad more often than Olivie. For my siblings and me, it was a huge treat. My kids love this salad, as well.

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12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the most traditional Ukrainian dish? ›

The national dish of Ukraine is red borscht, a well-known beet soup, of which many varieties exist. However, varenyky (boiled dumplings similar to pierogi) and a type of cabbage roll known as holubtsi are also national favourites, and are a common meal in traditional Ukrainian restaurants.

What are Ukraine's signature dishes? ›

The most famous traditional Ukrainian dishes are borshch, varenyky, holubtsi, Chicken Kyiv, banosh, and syrnyky, and it surely is not an exhaustive list.

What is a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dinner? ›

There is usually a particular sequence of meals on Christmas Eve. First, Ukrainians eat Kutia, then borshch, holubtsi, dumplings, fried fish, cabbage, etc., and drink uzvar. As a rule, children bring dinner, for example, to godparents and grandparents.

What do Ukrainians drink at Christmas? ›

A traditional beverage served during Christmas in Ukraine is uzvar, a drink made from dried fruits. Both kutya and uzvar are considered commemorative, as they symbolically welcome the souls of the deceased to join the living for dinner.

Why 12 meatless dishes are Ukrainian Christmas? ›

The number of dishes still usually corresponds to the ritual number twelve, symbolizing the apostles or the months of the year. Since the meal is part of the Lenten fast leading up to Christmas, dishes do not include meat or dairy products.

What do they eat for breakfast in Ukraine? ›

Breakfast in Ukraine is similar to a continental European breakfast. Ukrainian people eat a lot of cereals for breakfast. For example, in cities, a common breakfast will include boiled buckwheat, rice, or oats. In Western Ukraine, corn porridge is also quite popular and is commonly eaten with white cheese.

What is Ukraine's national animal? ›

Ukraine national animal is the European Bison, known as "Zubr." It symbolizes an untamed spirit and a profound link to its natural surroundings. Zubr embodies the harmonious relationship between humanity and the environment, a testament to Ukraine's deep-rooted respect for nature's balance.

What do people drink in Ukraine? ›

What do Ukrainians drink?
  • wine – 36%;
  • beer – 29%;
  • vodka – 20%;
  • cognac – 17%;
  • home-made wine and tinctures – 14%;
  • champagne and sparkling wines – 12%;
  • whiskey – 7%;
  • moonshine – 6%;
Jan 28, 2022

What is Ukrainian folk food? ›

Although ethnographic studies of Ukrainian cuisine were first conducted only at the end of the XIX century, recipes of the main folk dishes have been preserved to this day: borsch with pampushkas, varenyky, crepes, buckwheat chicken patties, and banosh.

What is a Zarke Ukrainian dish? ›

High on the list of favourites is the 'zarke', a thick beef and vegetable ragout served in a warm loaf of bread. Also given high recommendation are the various meat roulades, such as beef rolled with pickles, pepper, bacon and sausage.

What spices are used in Ukrainian cooking? ›

Local herbs such as chives, thyme, celery leaves, garlic, dill, caraway seeds, and parsley, and imported spices such as pepper, cinnamon, bayleaves, and cloves, are used for seasoning. Bread kvas (or syrivets), fruit or dill-pickle brine, and birch sap (in the spring) are popular folk beverages in Ukraine.

What is Santa called in Ukraine? ›

Ukraine's Santa Claus is called Did Moroz (Father Frost) or Svyatyy Mykolay (Saint Nicholas).

What do Ukrainians do on Christmas Eve? ›

Christmas Eve (Holy Eve) is marked by traditional family gatherings in the evening of December 24 – the so-called Sviata Vecheria ('Holy Dinner'). The festivities start with the appearance of the first star, though all preparations traditionally start from the very dawn.

What is the 12 dish Christmas tradition? ›

Why do Poles eat 12 dishes during the Christmas Eve dinner? Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year. But in the past, dinner consisted of an odd number of dishes.

Why 12 dishes for Christmas Eve? ›

Why do Poles eat 12 dishes during the Christmas Eve dinner? Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year.

What is the 12 course Christmas dinner? ›

A twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared to commemorate Jesus' twelve disciples in Central, Northern and Eastern European cultures, especially those that were formerly part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries.

How many courses are in a Ukrainian Christmas dinner? ›

Traditional Christmas food in Ukraine

On the Holy Evening, the table is traditionally served with 12 dishes, which symbolise the twelve apostles. Oksana - who took part in the IRC's Leadership course - said: “Deep believers prepare 12 fasting meals (without meat) because January 6 is the last day of fasting.

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