Ukrainian cuisine is the collection of the various cooking traditions of the people of Ukraine, one of the largest and most populous European countries. The national dish of Ukraine is borscht, the well-known beet soup, of georgian borscht many varieties exist. The cuisine emphasizes the importance of wheat in particular, and grain in general, as the country is often referred to as the “breadbasket of Europe”.

The majority of Ukrainian dishes descend from ancient peasant dishes based on plentiful grain resources such as rye, as well as staple vegetables such as potato, cabbages, mushrooms and beetroots. Borscht is a vegetable soup made out of beets, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, dill. There are about 30 varieties of Ukrainian borscht. It is to note the word “borscht” is not implying beet’s presence. Solyanka: thick, spicy and sour soup made with meat, fish or mushrooms and various vegetables and pickles.

Yushka: clear soup, made from various types of fish such as carp, bream, wels catfish, or even ruffe. Kovbasa: various kinds of smoked or boiled pork, beef or chicken sausage. Olivier: salad made out of cooked and chopped potatoes, dill pickles, boiled chopped eggs, cooked and chopped chicken or ham, chopped onions, peas, mixed with mayonnaise. Vinigret: salad with cooked and shredded beets, sauerkraut, cooked and chopped potatoes, onions, and carrots, sometimes pickles mixed with some sunflower oil and salt.

Bread and wheat products are important to Ukrainian cuisine. The country has been considered one of the traditional “breadbaskets” of the world. Decorations on the top can be elaborate for celebrations. Babka: Easter bread, usually a sweet dough with raisins and other dried fruit. It is usually baked in a tall, cylindrical form. Bublik: ring-shaped bread roll made from dough that has been boiled before baking.

It is similar to bagel, but usually somewhat bigger and with a wider hole. Kolach: ring-shaped bread typically served at Christmas and funerals. The dough is braided, often with three strands representing the Holy Trinity. Korovai: a round, braided bread, similar to the kalach.

It is most often baked for weddings and its top decorated with birds and periwinkle. Pampushky: soft, fluffy bread portions topped with garlic butter. Pyrizhky: baked buns stuffed with different fillings, such as ground meat, liver, eggs, rice, onions, fried cabbage or sauerkraut, quark, cherries etc. Pyrih: a big pie with various fillings. Mlyntsi or nalisnyky: thin pancakes usually filled with quark, meat, cabbage, fruits, served with sour cream.

Stuffed duck or goose with apples. Guliash: refers to stew in general, or specifically Hungarian goulash. Kruchenyky or Zavyvantsi: pork or beef rolls with various stuffing: mushrooms, onions, eggs, cheese, sauerkraut, carrots, etc. Kasha hrechana zi shkvarkamy: buckwheat cereal with pork rinds and onion. Deruny: potato pancakes, usually served with rich servings of sour cream. Deruny in a traditional crockery dish.

Kutia: traditional Christmas dish, made of poppy seeds, wheat, nuts, honey, and delicacies. Pampushky: sweet dough similar to doughnut holes. Traditionally filled with rose preserve, but can also be filled with poppy seed or other sweet fillings. Torte: many varieties of cakes, from moist to puffy, most typical ones being Kyivskyi, Prazhskyj, and Trufelnyj. Varennya: a whole fruit preserve made by cooking berries and other fruits in sugar syrup. One of the most exotic is flavoured with honey and red pepper.

Obolon, Lvivske, Chernihivske, Slavutych, Sarmat, and Rogan, which partly export their products. Its flavour depends on the plants frequented by the honeybees, the length of time and method of aging, and the specific strain of yeast used. Its alcohol content will vary from maker to maker depending on the method of production. After the berries fermented, the liquid was separated from the berries, and put into corked bottles. Mineral water: well-known brands are Truskavetska, Morshynska, and Myrhorodska. Homemade kefir may contain a slight amount of alcohol. It is made by simmering milk on low heat for at least eight hours.