Ukraine Culture: Eating In Ukraine
Food in the Ukraine
The days of overseas visitors defining Ukrainian cuisine by Chicken Kiev and borsch are happily long past, although both dishes remain available, albeit exclusively for uncultured foreigners in the case of the former.
Borsch
Borsch, which is also known in some parts as borscht, is a bright red beetroot-based broth that remains the mainstay of family dinner tables across Ukraine and which is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As well as beetroot, potatoes, cabbage, onions and dill form the basic ingredients, although pretty much any fresh food growing in Ukraine at that time of year can be added at the discretion of the chef.
Varenniki are considered the national dish in some parts, and are basically dumplings which can be served as a main meal (stuffed with meat and covered with fried onions) or as dessert (filled with cherries or apple).
Although the price of restaurant food is lowering and the prevalence of menus in English rising, many of the football fans visiting next year's Euro 2012 tournament in the country are likely to base their diets on the thriving fast food industry in Ukraine in addition to its diverse street food offerings.
Food sold from carts by the roadside is often cheap, safe and tasty. Indeed, the lack of pension provisions for the elderly in Ukraine has forced a glut of babushkas to re-enter the workforce by selling hot pirozhki (fried buns) filled with potatoes, cabbage or meat. And you know you can always trust grandma's home cooking.
Bakeries are also ubiquitous, and Ukrainian bread is often accompanied by smetana (a type of rich sour cream) and sausage, which is delicious.
Chain Restaurants in Ukraine
Fast food and chain restaurants are glowing at an alarming rate in the Ukraine as they are across the rest of Eastern Europe. While these can be a blessing for budget-conscious visitors because of their value and ability to avoid indecipherable menus, they hardly offer an authentic culinary experience.
That aside, Puzata Khata is one chain that has started to offer self-service Ukrainian-based dishes at a fraction of restaurant prices, while Celentano is quickly gaining a reputation for cheap and tasty pizzas. McDonald's has also been operating here since 1997.
At the other end of the scale, black caviar is everywhere, although this might not be for the environmentally aware.
Themed restaurants - which have been a trashy aspect of organised tours in Ukraine's larger cities in the post-Soviet era – are on the wane. The country's budding restaurateurs have gone through Mexican, Japanese and even British, and now the recent influx of workers from Italy and the Middle East is influencing local tastes.
Another quirk for overseas travellers is that breakfast in Ukraine is often simply a smaller portion of whatever you might have thought appropriate for lunch, which can seem unpalatable after a few days in the country. Of course, as everywhere, continental cafés are springing up at a rapid rate and these offer a more familiar alternative.
Sweets (candy) and ice cream, which Ukrainians continue to enjoy on the street in mid-winter, are also a treat not to be overlooked.
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