Did you know Ukraine has diverse internationally renowned dishes? Each region features unique variations of traditional cuisine. Ukrainian food is full of history and delicious flavors that will make any foodie’s taste buds dance with joy. Here are the top 11 traditional Ukrainian dishes you must try!
1. Paska
This sweet bread, called Paska, is a popular Easter dish in Ukraine. People usually take it to church on the holiday to get it blessed. Paska is shaped like a cylinder and made with yeast, milk, butter, sugar, and eggs. It’s then topped with creamy frosting and sprinkles to make it even more delicious. There’s also a cheese version of Paska, which is made from cottage cheese.
2. Chicken Kyiv
This dish is a popular classic in Ukraine. You take a chicken fillet, flatten it, and wrap it around a chunk of cold butter. Then, you coat it with a mix of parsley, dill, mushrooms, pepper, and grated cheese. Dip it in an egg yolk mixture and fry it to create a yummy meal that chicken lovers adore.
3. Varenyky
Known around the world as pierogi, this is the Ukrainian take on these little savory dumplings from Poland. They’re often filled with hearty potatoes, meat, cabbage, and mushrooms. For dessert, cherry varenyky is not uncommon, with a dollop of sour cream on top
4. Kapusniak
The star of this meal, like many other Eastern European dishes, is sauerkraut. It’s rinsed beforehand and gives Kapusniak its clear color. It is usually cooked in a mushroom or meat broth alongside carrots, onions, potatoes, and bay leaves with a side of chopped parsley and sour cream.
5. Holubtsi
If you’re not a fan of cabbage, you just haven’t been eating them right. Holubtsi, or cabbage rolls, are packed with minced meat, but the veggie alternative is buckwheat or plain rice. Boiled cabbage leaves wrap the meat, along with carrots, onions, mushrooms, and rice. They are often served with a dill garnish.
6. Pyrizhky
Wondering what Ukrainian comfort food is? These fluffy, boat-shaped pastries have both sweet and savory fillings. Whether they’re stuffed with ground meat and mushrooms or sweet apples, these snacks can be baked or fried. The dough is prepped, flattened, and filled. As a final step, it’s pinched around the edges to seal in all that goodness.
7. Borshch
A meal adaptable for both carnivores and vegetarians, borscht is a hot or cold beetroot soup that’s made richer in flavor by yogurt or sour cream. In Ukrainian culture, it’s often served with garlic doughnuts. Meat-based borshch is cooked in stock, while the non-meat version contains only veggies. You can make it vegan with non-dairy sour cream. In springtime, this country has a tradition of making green borshch.
8. Deruny
Potato pancakes are popular in Ukrainian cuisine and are one of the most versatile sides or mains, especially on a Sunday. In this country, Deruny, otherwise known as potato pancakes, are often prepped with a sour cream sauce paired with mushrooms and fried onions.
9. Walnut stuffed food
When Ukrainians think back to the carefree days of being a kid, walnut-stuffed prunes are a major nostalgic memory. Often served at birthday parties and other celebrations, this unique and tasty dish of walnut-stuffed prunes is often served. Finished off with a pour of sweetened condensed milk, it tastes like heaven.
10. Nalynsky
Sometimes referred to as blinchyky, this is the Ukrainian take on stuffed crepes. They can be filled with cottage cheese and fruit for dessert or for a savory main dish filled with meat, salted fish, or caviar. After the crepes are stuffed, they’re either baked in the oven or fried with butter.
11. Holodets
Some would argue that this is one of the best traditional Ukrainian dishes you can try, but many tourists are shocked by its strange nature. Still, don’t knock it till you try it! Holodets is a jelly-like dish made of frozen meat broth containing pieces of meat inside. Most commonly, it is made from pork leg and hooves.
