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!

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (2)

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!

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (3)

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.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (4)

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.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (5)

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!

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (6)

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.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (7)

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!

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (8)

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.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (9)

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!

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (10)

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.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (11)

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.

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

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.

12 Authentic Ukrainian Recipes - Valya's Taste of Home (13)

See more homemade recipes.

Thank you for following me onInstagram,Facebook,andPinterest!

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 the most popular vegetable in Ukraine? ›

Ukrainian cuisine
  • The most important vegetables are beets, cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and beans. ...
  • Borshch – the mildly tait beet-vegetable soup, is truly the national dish of Ukraine.
Apr 26, 2023

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.

What is Christmas called in Ukraine? ›

Christmas in Ukraine
Also calledUkrainian: Різдво, Rizdvo
Observed byChristians, many non-Christians
TypeChristian, cultural
SignificanceCommemoration of the nativity of Jesus
6 more rows

What is breakfast food in Ukraine? ›

Ukrainians could serve oatmeal with eggs, cheese, mushrooms, sausages, chicken or bacon. Oatmeal could also be served as a sweet dish with raisins, nuts, berries, honey, fruits etc. Oatmeal with poached egg, cheese, mushrooms and herbs. Sweet oatmeal with seeds, nuts and grapes.

What is Ukrainian folk food? ›

Authentic Ukrainian cuisine

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 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 fruit is Ukraine known for? ›

In particular, bananas, kumquats, lemons, limes, pomegranates, kiwis, papayas, coffee trees, and many other plants.

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 is the number one crop in Ukraine? ›

Grain production can reach 35-45 million t/year, the major grain crop being winter wheat, followed by barley, maize, rye and oats. Leguminous plants of high protein content include peas, beans, fodder lupin, soy and forage crops.

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.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Velia Krajcik

Last Updated:

Views: 6704

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (74 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Velia Krajcik

Birthday: 1996-07-27

Address: 520 Balistreri Mount, South Armand, OR 60528

Phone: +466880739437

Job: Future Retail Associate

Hobby: Polo, Scouting, Worldbuilding, Cosplaying, Photography, Rowing, Nordic skating

Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.