There's more to Ukraine's culinary heritage than the beet-based soup, borscht and varenyky dumplings. With the cookbook "Ukraine. Food and History" getting a new translation out next month in French from publishing house La Martinière, we take a look at some of these specialties in order to maintain the transmission of Ukraine's culinary heritage.
> Pork lard, the bastion of the Ukrainian cuisine's meat repertoire
There is not one Ukrainian form of lard but many. The salo consumed in Ukraine doesn't offer the same taste depending on its thickness, since it can be cooked in a thin form of three centimeters or very thick, i.e., more than 10 cm. "Salo with a thin strip of meat is most esteemed; even better if it has several," the authors write. The preparation of this form of lard follows very specific rules, consisting of grilling the skin of the pig, and covering it with straw, then it is surrounded by straw and roasted again, before removing the layer of lard. It is then cut up and left to mature for a few hours or days, after which the pieces are cured with salt. Considered a staple in the Ukrainian food repertoire, it is often put aside to be further aged, which has the effect of giving it new flavors. One of the main ways to eat salo is spread on bread.
> Pickled gherkins, an emblematic food
And to go with the lard, it is customary to serve a crunchy pickled gherkin. The cultivation of the herbaceous plant whose long fruit is eaten dates back to the 17th century. In the 19th century, the town of Nizhyn became famous for its production of pickled gherkins. While pickled and fermented products are widely available at farmer markets in the country, according to the book, almost every family also has a homemade pickle recipe.
> Watermelon and its diverse uses
Many people are surprised to learn that Ukraine is a producer of watermelons. Since ancient times, the cucurbit has been cultivated in the Kherson region. Watermelon is eaten on bread with cucumber, onion or cheese, washed down with a rye beer. The fruit can also be pickled or fermented. A tradition in the south of Ukraine is to reduce the watermelon juice to a thick, gooey paste. The slices can also be dried to make sweets, called rechel.
> Soured, fermented and baked milk
For a long time Ukrainians did not consume fresh milk. Instead, milk was baked or stewed in a stove for a few hours. A preservation technique to keep the milk, known as pryazhene, longer and which gives it a characteristic golden yellow color. Naturally soured kyslyak milk and sour cream or smetana are also key elements in Ukrainian cuisine.
> Honey, an essential ingredient in Ukrainian sweet recipes
Did you know that Ukraine is a major producer of honey? It is a leader in Europe and among the top five honey exporting countries. And to tell "each honey is linked to a particular season or landscape, which gives it an original taste. Among the varieties cultivated are buckwheat honey and sunflower honey. It is used in desserts -- from pancakes to cottage cheese, but also as a seasoning for salads or as a sauce for meat.
> Bread, a historic part of the diet for a grain-grozing nation
Made with oatmeal, barley or maize, fermented sourdough or unleavened, kneaded without yeast but with butter... There is a multitude of bread specialties, a tradition fostered by the country's extensive production of wheat. There's a reason that Ukraine was nicknamed the breadbasket of Europe. The country's land is suitable for this crop thanks to its rich black "chernozem" soil, with high levels of humus and depths of up to two meters. Agricultural land accounts for more than 70% of Ukraine, or 42 million hectares.. The country provides 12% of the world's grain exports.
*rench-language cookbook "Ukraine, Cuisine et Histoire - Olena Braichenko, Maryna Hrymych, Ihor Lylo & Vitaly Reznichenko - Chefs cuisiniers : Yaroslav Artyukh, Vitaliy Guralevych, Denys Komarenko, V'Yacheslav Popkov, Oksana Zadorozhna & Olena Zhabotynska" comes out April 8, 2022 from éditions de La Martinière.***
*Ukraine. Food and History" - Olena Braichenko, Maryna Grymych, Ihor Lylo and Vitaly Reznichenko is in English and Ukrainian available through the Ukrainian Institute and Їzhakultura project.*
