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Ukrainian food is hearty and filling. Cabbage rolls, called
holubtsi are a popular dish in Ukraine. Meat may also be used to stuff peppers
or tomatoes. Dumplings called varenyky or pyrohy are made with flour and
stuffed with cheese, meat, vegetables, fruit or jam. They are often served with sour
cream. One of the most famous Ukrainian dishes is borscht, a soup made with beets and meat. Different regions of Ukraine have different recipes for this soup. Sauerkraut and cabbage soups are also Ukrainian favourites. Ukrainians often spread salo (pork lard) on their bread instead of butter. Sometimes salo is flavoured with garlic or mixed with bits of bacon. Traditionally, Ukrainian Christians did not eat meat or dairy products during Lent, the forty days before Easter. As a result, they developed many vegetarian dishes. Ukraine is famous for its breads and pastries. At Ukrainian weddings, it is traditional to offer korovai, a special bread built up to form a tall cylinder. Kolach, a Christmas bread made with sour cream and honey, is dipped in salt and honey and given to each member of the household during the traditional Christmas meal. At Easter, a special egg bread called paska, which is often shaped into a cross, is served.
Ukrainians are famous for another Easter tradition: decorated eggs
called pysanky. They prepare the eggs by painting a design on them using wax and dipping
them in dye. The dyes can be made from natural ingredients: red cabbage leaves for blue,
onion skins for yellow or orange, herbs for green, beets or raspberries for red. The
designs use traditional patterns and symbols, some of which are much older than Christian
traditions.
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