Ukrainian Recipes

Ukrainian Food Definitions:

  1. Varenyky (or pyrohy or perogies) are dough pockets filled with potato, or potato and cheddar cheese,or kapusta (sauerkraut), or cottage cheese, or blueberries, or cherries, or … Ukrainian varenyky are boiled and resemble to various degrees Polish pierogi, Russian pilmeni, Italian ravioli,Jewish kreplach, or Chinese wonton. Varenyky are very are often served with onions and sour cream. Mmmmm. The word “varenyky” is used throughout Ukraine.The singular form of “varenyky” is “varenyk.” Betcha’ can’t have just one! The word “pyrohy” is used by Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian descendents of pre World War I settlers from Western Ukraine. The singular form of “pyrohy” is “pyrih.” The word “perogies” is a Canadianization/Americanization of “pyrohy.”
  2. Holubtsi are Ukrainian cabbage rolls. The filling is mainly rice with a small amount of hamburger (unlike other East European cabbagerolls which are mainly hamburger with a small amount of rice). Cabbage leaves are steamed to make them soft and then the filling is added. The holubtsi are placed in a large pot, covered with tomato soup (or sauce) and baked.The word “holub” in Ukrainian means “dove,” and holubtsi are in theshape of a dove.
  3. Borshch is Ukrainian beet soup. Other spellings for “borshch” are “borsch” or “borscht.” We prefer “borshch” which would be theofficial Library of Congress transliteration of the Ukrainian word.
  4. Kutya is a Christmas eve mixture of cooked wheat, poppyseed,and honey, served cold as a thick slightly liquid mixture. To do justice to this ambrosia, one should add sliced (candied) red cherries, sliced almonds, and a touch of sherry. Serve in crystal goblets.
  5. Nalysnyky are the Ukrainian version of crepes. Actually crepes are the French version of nalysnyky.
  6. Kovbasa is smoked Ukrainian ham sausage. In our opinion,the finest Ukrainian kovbasa in North America is “Marchyshyn’s” from Edmonton. Opinions may vary.
  7. Horilka is the Ukrainian word for vodka.
  8. Kyshka is a sausage made from buckwheat and blood. Don’task any more (especially during the Halloween season).
  9. “Kyiv” is the official Ukrainian government English language spelling of the capital city of Ukraine. So it’s “Chicken KYIV”now.

Updated Recipe Links

  1. Paska – The special decorated bread Ukrainians make at Easter.
  2. Rhubarb Kompot – A delicious drink my grandmother used to make for me in the summer – DON’T use too much sugar!
  3. Ukrainian Heritage Festival feast from BRAMA. Included are recipes for varenyky, holubtsi, borshch, potato pancakes, nalysnyky, and studynets.
    http://www.brama.com/yonkersukrainianfest/food.html
  4. Cheemo’s Pyrohy.This site does not give recipes but gives novel methodsof using pyrohy. It’s a fun site. Take a look. Under the “What’sNew” section, you can even learn Ukrainian language expressionslike “Pass me the pyrohy, please.”
    http://www.cheemo.com/
  5. Varenyky Recipes.
    http://www.infoukes.com/lists/social/1998/02/0007.html
  6. BORSCHT CD. This is a CD put out by Ron Cahute and Ihor Baczynskyj (aka Barabolya). BORSCHT is part of a series of CD’s (or tapes) that teach English speaking kids (and adults) a little Ukrainian language. They do this by using lively standard North American popular music, and adding their own lyrics. The new lyrics are still mainly in English but there are Ukrainian words and phrases thrown in. All this is done with a large dose of humor and fun. Ron and Ihor put on a dynamite concert for kids, and the kids don’t have to know a word of Ukrainian to come out and have fun. My twins (now eight years old) didn’t know any Ukrainian when we took them to their first concert. But we now have five of the tapes and my kids now have an comprehesion vocabulary of about 300 Ukrainian words. And THEY ask me to play the tapes when we are riding in the car!! The tapes are entitled Barabolya, Buryak, Tsyboolya, Borscht and Barabolya High (they have graduated to high school). What Barabolya has done for teaching Ukrainian is marvellous and could be adapted for teaching any language. Bravo!!
  7. Ukrainian Borscht. Kapusta (cabbage) soup, too.
    http://web.wt.net/~daba/recipe/soup.htm
  8. Ukrainian Chicken Kiev.
    http://www.chickenrecipe.com/AZ/UkrnnChcknKv.asp
  9. Kyshka.
    http://www.infoukes.com/lists/social/1998/02/0006.html
    Immortalized by the song “Who Stole the Kyshka”.
  10. Soomska Vodka. Look at the male and female Ukrainian dancers.
    http://www.soomska.com/
  11. Medivnyk. (Ukrainian Honey Cake.)
    http://euclid.trentu.ca/math/sb/misc/medivnyk.html
  12. Ukrainian Cheesecake is part of this collection of cheesecake recipes.
    http://www.floras-hideout.com/recipes/mxp/chcake/273.html
  13. Ukrainian apple cake plus about 10 other Ukrainian recipes at the ammas.com recipe site.
    http://www.ammas.com/u/u/u1.cfm
  14. Recipe Archives. Search on “Ukrainian” to recipes for kovbasa, pickled beets, cabbage soup,…
    http://www.taronga.com/cgi-bin/recipes_search
  15. Kitchen Link page. Search under “Ukrainian” for recipes anddiscussion.
    http://www.kitchenlink.com/cgi/public_frames?page=search

Infoukes Bookstore
lists a few Ukrainian cook books.

Ukrainian cook books in English.

  1. Traditional Ukrainian Cookery – by Savella Stechishin.
    This is the “classic” Ukrainian cookbook, published byTrident Press in Winnipeg. It is easily Trident Press’all time best seller. There have been something like 20printings? The first edition came out in 1957. Highly Recommended.
  2. The Best of Ukrainian Cuisine – by Bohdan Zahny, 1998.
    A review appears in Zdorov! (Summer, 1998 issue)
  3. Festive Ukrainian Cooking – by Marta Pisetska Farley, 1990. Nice book.
  4. “MEAL TIME FAVORITES” Polish and Ukrainian Cuisine. by Rosie Olenick In English. 2001?
  5. Ukrainian Recipes – by Joanne Asala. Penfield Press.1996. 160 pages. Spiral Bound.
  6. Ukrainian Cuisine. Georgievsky, N. I., et al Kiev: “Technika”Publishers, 1975 229pp. Illustrated.
  7. THE UKRAINIAN COOKBOOK: 76 TRADITIONAL RECIPES FOR TODAY’S LIVING. Kostecka, Madame. Philadelphia, PA: International Institute of Philadelphia. 1960. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF AMERICA IN PHILADELPHIA, PA.
  8. Ukrainian Cookery Recipes. S.A. Shalimov, V.A. Lysenko, A.I. Verstiuk. Kiev Technika Publishers, 1980. 127p
  9. THE ART OF COOKING UKRAINIAN STYLE: Lesia Ukrainka Branch of UWAC: Vancouver, 1965
  10. Ukrainian Favourites. Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada. St. Catharines Branch, 1981
  11. Baba’s Cook Book. Linkiewich, Emily, Illustrated by Line Drawings Vegreville, Alberta: Self Published, 1980 Soft Cover Plastic Coil Bound. Second Edition. 152 Pages.
  12. Pioneer Cook Book: Centennial Edition. Ukrainian Catholic Women, Bruno, Saskatchewan. Ukrainian Catholic Women/Icon Press, 1967.
  13. Cooking… Ukrainian Style – Traditional and Modern Recipes. The Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada – Yorkton Branch (“Olena Pchilka” Branch). Yorkton, Saskatchewan: 112 pages.
  14. Valentina’s Ukrainian Kitchen. Popel, Valentina. Fargo ND (1983). 222pp.
  15. Ukrainian Cuisine. Georgievsky, N.I., et al. Technika Publishers, 1975. 229 pp.
  16. Ukrainian Daughter’s Cookbook. (Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan, 1999)
  17. Selected Ukrainian Recipes for Winter Season. Horodysky, Daria. Branch 12 Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, 1978.

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