Eastern European home cooking, grounded in tang, comfort, and care
Привіт (Pryvit) and welcome to my post about Ukraine! Ukraine is a country that has been in the news far too often, and for deeply unfortunate reasons.
A necessary preface
Before diving into food, I want to be clear: Ukraine needs and deserves continued and active international support in defending itself against a war of expansionist aggression.
If you’re looking for ways to help, I recommend this overview by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute: How You Can Help Ukraine.
Disinformation that obscures responsibility or reframes aggressors as victims only prolongs suffering. The Ukrainian people (and also many Russians) are paying the price for expansionist politics that have already claimed well over a million lives.
Thank you for staying informed, outspoken and supportive in order to achieve just and lasting peace.
Representing Ukraine in food
Cooking this meal mattered to me for several reasons. Ukraine is often referred to as the breadbasket of Europe, yet its food culture is not that well known in the West and has historically been flattened, misattributed, or absorbed into broader “Russian” or “Soviet” narratives.
Therefore many originally Ukrainian dishes are now known and loved in many places under many names, however they are still Ukrainian I wanted to highlight them here.
So I made a point to focus on classic Ukrainian home cooking, with roots deeply tied to its land, people, history, and everyday life.
🍽️ The Meal
For this dinner, I cooked:
- 🥣 Borshch (Борщ), served with garlicky pampushky (пампушки)
A bright, beet-forward soup and the absolute cornerstone of Ukrainian cooking. Honest, very adaptable, and deeply personal to the point that every family has their own version. - 🥬 Holubtsi (голубці)
Cabbage rolls filled with rice and meat, gently cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. This is classic Sunday food. It’s comforting, cohesive, and delicious.
To complete the table, everything was served with:
- Salo, salted pork fat – think of Austrian/German “speck” but more fatty, thinly sliced
- Raw garlic cloves (yes, raw)
- Dark rye bread
- Salty pickles
- Generous spoonfuls of smetana (similar-ish to creme fraiche)
For dessert, I made:
- 🍰 Syrnyky (сирники) farmer’s cheese pancakes, lightly sweet, of course served with more smetana, a drizzle of honey and jam.
To drink, I prepared (but didn’t shoot 😬):
- 🍎 Kompot, a traditional wintery fruit infusion with apples, pears, cloves, and cinnamon
📸 PICTURES
📝 The recipes
Thanks to the Ukrainian food bloggers who made this Sunday dinner possible!
- The Best Ukrainian Borscht – Innichkachef
- Ukrainian Garlic and Dill Pampushky – Anna Voloshyna
- Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls – Lavender & Macarons
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes – Lavender & Macarons
- Kompot – The New Baguette
🧭 Reflections
This meal, cooked low and slow, filled our kitchen with warmth and aroma. In many ways, it reminded me of my Austrian grandmother’s cooking. Always made with care, time and love.
Nothing here was difficult or showy, yet everything felt intentional. I still have borshch and holubtsi left for days, and I’m genuinely looking forward to them. If you’ve ever been curious about Ukrainian food, this is a wonderful place to start.
On to the next stop – and Слава Україні 🇺🇦 ☮️
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