Украин аспанының дәстүрлері

Culinary traditions of Ukraine

Ukrainian cuisine is the collection of the various cooking traditions of the people of Ukraine, one of the largest and most populous European countries. It is heavily influenced by the rich dark soil (chornozem) from which its ingredients come, and often involves many components. Traditional Ukrainian dishes often experience a complex heating process – "at first they are fried or boiled, and then stewed or baked. This is the most distinctive feature of Ukrainian cuisine". 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. These dishes indicate the regional similarities within Eastern European cuisine. 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. Ukrainian dishes incorporate both traditional Slavic techniques as well as other European techniques, a byproduct of years of foreign jurisdiction and influence. As there has been a significant Ukrainian diaspora over several centuries (for example, over a million Canadians have Ukrainian heritage), the cuisine is represented in European countries and those further afield, particularly Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

Chervonyi borshch (red borscht; usually simply called borshch) is a vegetable soup made out of beets, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, dill. There are about 30 varieties of Ukrainian borscht. 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. Bublyk: 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. The braid is then shaped into a circle (circle = kolo in Ukrainian) representing the circle of life and family. Korovai: a round, braided bread, similar to the kolach. It is most often baked for weddings and its top decorated with birds and periwinkle. Palianytsia: regular baked bread (famously difficult to pronounce for non Ukrainian speakers). Savory pampushky: soft, fluffy bread portions, or deep fried pieces of dough, topped with garlic butter. Paska: traditional rich pastry.

Horilka (горілка): strong spirit of industrial production or its home made equivalent – (самогон or moonshine) is also popular, including with infusions of fruit, spices, herbs or hot peppers. One of the most exotic is flavoured with honey and red pepper. Beer (пиво, ): the largest producers of beer are Obolon, Lvivske, Chernihivske, Slavutych, Sarmat, and Rogan, which partly export their products. Wine (вино, ): from Europe and Ukraine (particularly from Crimea), mostly sweet. See Ukrainian wine. Mead (мед, , or медуха, ): a fermented alcoholic beverage made from honey, water, and yeast. 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. (наливка): a homemade wine made from cherries, raspberries, gooseberries, bilberries, blackberries, plums, blackthorns or other berries. Berries were put into a sulija (a big glass bottle), some sugar was added. After the berries fermented, the liquid was separated from the berries, and put into corked bottles. The berries were used to make (baked or fried pastry). The wine has about 15% of alcohol.

Mineral water: well known brands are Truskavetska, Morshynska, and Myrhorodska. They usually come strongly carbonated. Kompot (компот): a sweet beverage made of dried or fresh fruits or berries boiled in water. Uzvar (узвар): a specific type of kompot made of dried fruit, usually apples, pears, and/or prunes. Traditionally served on Christmas. Kysil (кисіль): a kompot that is thickened with potato starch. Kvas (квас): a sweet and sour sparkling beverage brewed from yeast, sugar, and dried rye bread. Kefir (кефір): milk fermented by both yeast and lactobacillus bacteria, that has a similar taste to yogurt. Homemade kefir may contain a slight amount of alcohol. Pryazhene moloko (пряжене молоко): baked milk, a milk product that has a creamy colour and a light caramel flavour. It is made by simmering milk on low heat for at least eight hours. Ryazhanka (ряжанка): fermented baked milk. Syta (сита): water with honey.