Lidia Artiukh
UKRAINIAN
AND FOLK TRADITIONS
CONTENT
CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS NEW YEAR
8
22 32
THE EPIPHANY
42
THE MEETING IN THE TEMPLE PANCAKE WEEK GREAT LENT
48
54
68
FORTY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE
84
ST EUDOXIA 88 THE ANNUNCIATION EASTER
94
100
COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD THE ASCENSION PENTECOST
132
138
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
148
STS PAUL AND PETER
156
THE MACCABEES
164
THE TRANSFIGURATION THE BLESSED VIRGIN
170
182
THE PROTECTING VEIL 188 ST MICHAEL
196
ST ANDREW
204
ST NICHOLAS
212
INDEX 220 LITERATURE
230
122
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he history of a nation goes beyond the history of a royal dynasty and it is definitely not about the constant stream of coup d’etats, international and civil armed conflicts, successful or abortive revolutions and changes of state regimens. What makes real history is the everyday life of common people and their striving for a better future for their offspring. For centuries nations have been developing their cultures, adopting them to the geographical conditions of their countries. Peoples’ creative activities have ranged from the ingenious invention of a wheel to improving the designs of national costumes.
reminiscent of Italian ravioli. Ukrainian ovochevy pecheny (stewed vegetables) might remind one of French sauté. Many similar dishes are cooked in Ukraine and Poland, especially along the frontier regions, where identical festive foods are served on similar occasions. For exampled, on Christmas Eve the red-beet borsch is served with vushka (‘ear’ dumplings), etc. Meanwhile, borsch, the masterpiece of Ukrainian culinary traditions, has become part of the world cuisine. Mistakenly, however, the Ukrainian red beet soup is known under other names too – ‘Russian borsch’, ‘Moscow borsch’ or even ‘Siberian borsch’.
There is no denying the fact that with time all household goods have experienced drastic changes. Yet, something that remains unchanged, despite every fluctuation in fashion, is the adherence to tradition. And it is the national dietary habits, which have demonstrated a particular standing. Foreign culinary tastes, unwillingly integrated into a national cuisine, are soon adopted to local dietary customs, improved and rendered a national flavor.
This being said, it should be noted however, that despite all the similarities in recipes, each nation boasts original culinary habits. In Ukraine, most of the dishes are either boiled or stewed, while among the diversity of ingredients, vegetables and groats still prevail. Of all the variety of meat, a Ukrainian will definitely choose pork. Yet, culinary traditions amount not only to the ingredients chosen. They include different ways of cooking, spices and seasonings which accompany particular dishes, prohibitions of certain products, preferences and restrictions in food, rules of behavior observed while cooking and consuming food, table etiquette, ritual and customary meals, beliefs and superstitions, etc.
Although characterized by some distinctive features, the Ukrainian national cuisine, as the cookery traditions of any other nation, is far from being a unique phenomenon. Being an integral part of the European cuisine, it has accommodated some of the culinary traditions of Asian nations. Peoples do not seal themselves off from other nations. Intermingling with neighboring countries, people adopt new dietary habits along with other cultures. In addition to this, similar geographical and climate conditions predetermine similar culinary ingredients. Thus, foods comparable to Ukrainian specialties are found in the cuisines of other nations. Such are Ukrainian varenyky, which are slightly
In the following book the author endeavors to present the Ukrainian dietary customs, which are firmly connected with the folk calendar. The folk calendar reflects people’s attempt to organize a convenient time-reckoning scheme. With the passing of time the folk calendar has proved successful and is still followed by certain social layers. The book highlights the main religious holidays and festive occasions, identifies their position in the agricultural cycle, as well as cites folk beliefs,
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legends, fairy tales, songs, proverbs and sayings. The reader will get acquainted with the dietary habits characteristic for different seasons, will learn the festive dishes served on various holidays, fast and fast-free days, and will trace a tight connection between the festive folk cuisine and a solar year. It is always interesting to know which of the folk traditions are still practiced, which were introduced with the adoption of Christianity and which have unrightfully been buried in oblivion. The traditional folk recipes presented in the book date back to the 18th through the early 20th centuries, with flashbacks to the earlier periods of the 11th and 17th centuries. The wheel of the history never stops to rotate. Inventing new recipes for dishes distinguished by refined form and taste,
modern cooks try to incorporate the culinary experience accumulated by mankind throughout the centuries. Famous for its outstanding foods, a vivid example being the abovementioned borsch, Ukrainian cookery can easily rival the Chinese or Italian cuisines, which have been gaining in popularity in recent years. This book consists of two parts. The first part covers the historical and ethnographic characteristics of Ukrainian festive and ritual cuisines, starting with the Christmas Eve (January, 6) through the day when the Church commemorates St Nicholas the Wonderworker (December, 19). The other part lists the recipes for the dishes traditionally cooked on festive occasions.
The author acknowledges her deep gratitude for the support rendered by the staff of the “Hostynny Dvir” restaurant (Kyiv), and especially by its director and chef Valentyn Mordkhilevych. The cooks in the “Hostynny Dvir” restaurant are famous for their efforts to restore long forgotten recipes, while combining high professional experience with deep understanding of the historical roots of folk dietary habits. My deepest thanks to my husband Myroslav Popovych for his brave but successful experiments in the home kitchen and in the TV program “Breakfast with 1+1”. I hope that the recipes he advertises will reach each Ukrainian family and abroad. Some of the recipes presented in the book are not recipes in the full sense of the word. Written down some fifty, a hundred or even one hundred and fifty years ago, they include only the main ingredients and general cooking technologies. This leaves room for both professional and amateur cooks to embark on further culinary investigations, which might shed light on our ancestors’ long forgotten culinary secrets. This book will be a fascinating reading for those interested in Ukrainians’ historical and modern dietary habits, and also interesting to local lore scientists and cooks who might continue restoring some of the national traditions. Sincerely Yours, Lidia Artiukh
Christmas Eve, or ‘Svjaty Vechir’ (Holy Night) in Ukrainian, is a big religious holiday. The last day of Christmas fast is celebrated only with meat- and milkfree food. The whole family usually woke up at daybreak. The mother would wash nonground wheat (the wheat that was popular on the Right Bank of Ukraine was substituted for barley on the Left Bank of Ukraine) and set the saucepan with the wheat into the oven. Some families had the tradition of cooking ‘kutia’ (Christmas Eve wheat dish) in a new clay or ceramic pot. Children would crack and chop walnuts and grind poppy seeds in a wooden bowl. The father prepared ‘syta’ (honey dissolved in boiled water). Boiling water, added to honeycombs smashed in a bowl beforehand, melted down the wax, which now floated on the surface. However, if the water was not hot enough, a warmed-up brick was put under the bowl, which brought the water to the boil right in the vessel. Then the liquid was quenched and the wax was skimmed off. The melted honey was added to the kutia.
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arly in the morning morning, kutia and uzvar (dried fruit compote) were placed by icons in the so-called holy corner. Clean hay, sprinkled over the table, was covered with a tablecloth and an embroidered towel (sometimes towels were decorated with the embroidered hymn “Christ is born, praise Him!”). Having put on mittens, a son or the father himself would take the bowl or ceramic pot with kutia and place it on the table. Children trotted right behind, cackling: “Cluck-cluck-cluck!” which, by their belief, ensured abundance of chickens the following year. The father in reply chanted: “I’ll have as many calves and lambs, chickens and piglets, ducklings and goslings as there are grains in the pot!” Singing “You, kutia, go to the holy corner, and you uzvar – to the market,” the mother covered the pot with three round loafs. There was a tradition to refrain from any food until late in the evening, and only little kids were given something to munch on. In a jug with uzvar and a bowl with pears from the compote were placed by kutia. Didukh or Dihd (grandsire) – an elaborately bound wheat or oats sheaf adorned with colorful ribbons, candies, paper flowers and guilder-rose berries – was put on the same table. The sheaf symbolized family (which is reflected in its name) and affluence. Grain was rendered the same allegorical meaning as in wedding ceremonies when grain was sprinkled over the newly-weds or was added to karavay (wedding bread), as was in the New Year traditions when visitors dredged grain over a khata (peasant house). Children covered the floor with straw, looking
for non-threshed wheat-ears, which as they believed should bring happiness. People worked hard during the day on the 6th of January, until the evening. Women and girls cooked meals for Christmas Eve and for Christmas and cleaned up and decorated the house. Having completed all the male household duties, men and boys returned back to the house to celebrate the fete together with the rest of the family. An icon-lamp lit up and incenses burnt, the family gathered for a prayer. It was only after the first star had risen over the horizon – which symbolized the birth of the God’s Son – that the people finally sat down to dinner. Kin gathered together to share the so-called ‘rich’ kutia on Christmas Eve. Those who for some reason or other could not join the rest of the family were also served a spoon as if they were there with the others. A deceased member of the family, who died the previous year, was also served a spoon. Those present toasted to all the relatives, even to those who, for some reason, could not join them for the feast. However, strong alcoholic drinks were seldom offered on Christmas Eve. Horilka (vodka) appeared on the table only the next day, on Christmas. That evening people did not visit with friends or acquaintances – Christmas Eve was regarded a family celebration. Yet, if a stranger, be it a wayfarer, a parishioner or a merchant, knocked at the door, he was welcomed to share the meal. People believed that an unexpected guest prophesied prosperity and happiness.
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A fervent prayer for the living and deceased by candle-light preceded the feast. Then, the head of the family, carrying a tablespoonful of kutia, approached the door or a window and exclaimed three times: “Winter Frost, do come to us to share kutia!” Naturally, ‘winter frost’ could not answer the invitation, and, after a pause, the head of the family finished the charm: “If you refuse to join us now, then do not flow over our wheat fields, do not freeze our calves, lambs, pigs and little kids!” Having taken the first spoonful of kutia, young girls waited a little until they
swallowed the wheat. A noise (either a dog barking, a cat meowing or somebody calling somebody) coming from this or that fringe of the village meant that matchmakers would come from that particular district. The head of the family energetically tossed up the last spoonful of kutia. If several seeds stuck to the ceiling, it meant that bees would hive well and honey would be in abundance. Twelve dishes were cooked for Christmas Eve dinner. The number of courses stood for twelve apostles or twelve months in a year. Perhaps, it was because of
Christmas Eve theatrical performance in the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Architecture and Rural Life
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the numerous foods that the dinner was called ‘rich’ kutia. Or maybe, the origin of the feast was traced back to the pre-Christian era, when our ancestors celebrated solstice and the choice for food served for the occasion was not limited by Church regulations. Interesting enough, in Ukraine New Year Eve is called “Schedry Vechir” or “Schedryk” (Lavish Evening), when the Christmas fast is over and there are no restrictions for meat and dairy products. Czechs and Slovaks, Ukraine’s western neighbors, also call New Year Eve “štedry” (lavish). A bowl with pastry, kalachy (small padlock-shaped buns) and pies was placed on the table. When a family gathered around the table, it had already been laid with kutia, uzvar, Didukh, bread and pies. Having read their prayers, people started with kutia. The traditional Christmas wheat and honey dish was followed by borsch (red beet soup) with beans, mushrooms, and in some families with fish. To cook the Christmas Eve borsch, rich families used fresh river or lake fish, such as carps or tench, while poorer people would go for loach. The fish used for borsch was first fried, to eliminate the distinct fish smell. A spoonful of wheat flour browned on a dry pan added to the red beet soup a richer taste. The browned flour was then dissolved in a little lukewarm water and added
to the cooked soup. Vegetables (beet, carrot, parsnip, parsley, onion and potato) were braised in sun-flower oil. In the 19th century, pickled beets, chopped in strips, or beet kvass (sour drink brewed from sugar beet) were traditionally added to borsch. However, later, pickled beets were substituted with tomatoes. Since the latter third of the 19th century the tradition to cook borsch with tomatoes has been firmly rooted in Ukraine. Tasting good even if served cold, the meatless Christmas Eve borsch was cooked in quantities enough to last for a couple of days. Borsch was followed by cabbage rolls stuffed with millet or buckwheat groats and varenyky (small stuffed parcel of dough, slightly reminiscent of Italian ravioli) stuffed with stewed cabbage, mashed potato or beans. Sometimes parcels of dough were filled with poppy seeds or smashed pears. The Polissya, Volhyn, Halychyna and Carpathians regions were famous for their varenyky with fried dried mushrooms. Popular were the so-called ‘ears’, small varenyky made of unleavened dough, stuffed with mushrooms and fried in a large quantity of oil until golden brown. Made of flour, salt and water (eggs were forbidden during fast-periods), the dough for ‘ears’ was similar to that for varenyky. Among other popular fast-period dishes were sichenyky (fish cutlets) and tovchenyky (croquettes of pounded fish)
made of fish, onion, wheat flour or bread, pepper and salt. To make sichenyky, fish fillet was chopped finely until homogeneous, while to make tovchenyky the same fillet was pounded in a bowl. Tovchenyky cooked of pike or zander were wrapped in fish skin and then fried in vegetable oil. Sometimes sichenyky were stewed in beet kvass mixed with some water, pre-simmered carrot and parsley. Other Christmas Eve dinner treats were boiled potatoes, stewed cabbage with mushrooms, nalysnyky (stuffed pancakes) with poppy seeds and honey, dried and pounded pears, jams and baked pumpkin with honey. No dinner menu was complete without sauerkraut with a chopped onion in vegetable oil, pickled cucumbers, apples and watermelons. Fried fish and fish aspic were among the dainties. For the fish aspic to set well, fish heads and bones were simmered for at least an hour and a half and then the stock was strained. The strained stock was poured over the fish – carp, zander, ide, tench or sturgeon – and left to set in a cool place. In the Polissya region, fish aspic was seasoned with pre-soaked dried mushrooms. Prior to leaving the aspic in a cool place, the dish was garnished with circles of parsley and carrot roots. Traditionally, the dish was served with horseradish sauce.
14 Kutia 1 kg wheat, hulled, ½ cup honey, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup poppy seeds, 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped, 1 cup raisins Prunes or candied apricots and pears (optional)
KUTIA
(CHRISTMAS WHEAT OR BARLEY DISH)
Cooked wheat or barley, mixed with poppy seeds, walnuts and, if the family could afford it, raisins, was sprinkled with melted honey. In poorer households, the melted honey was substituted with uzvar (compote of dried fruit). A popular traditional and ritual dish, porridge constituted an integral part of Ukrainian folk cuisine. Grain symbolized well-being, prosperity and happiness, walnuts – fertility of soil and welfare, honey – a careless and easy life, while poppy seeds, according to folk beliefs, protected from evil spirits. This acquired particular importance in winter holidays (Christmas, New Year and Epiphany), which are celebrated during the winter solstice. An assumption has been made that all these beliefs were shaped in the preChristian times, when people tended to attribute a supernatural force to plants. The supposition is based on the fact that a similar dish, Labajo, traditional Chinese New Year food, is made of rice mixed with different fruit and nuts. From time immemorial, the Greeks have been cooking panspermia – a New Year dish made of various cereals, poppy seeds and fruit. While cooking the traditional Christmas Eve meal, women watched for various tokens. If, still in the oven, the wheat rose over the pot’s rims in a ‘hunch’, the rye harvest promised to be abundant and rye sheaves would be large, or ‘hunched’. The slightly dried upper grains were skimmed and given to chickens. When a woman tossed the grains, she did not “cluck” for the poultry but waited for them to notice the food themselves. If they did, there would be plenty of strong chickens next year.
UZVAR
(DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE)
Another dish traditionally cooked for the Christmas Eve dinner was uzvar, or compote made of dried fruit and berries – pears, apples, plums, cherries, raspberries, bilberries, etc. After uzvar was removed from the oven, honey or sugar was added, which resulted in the compote having a particular fragrancy. Left overnight to brew, uzvar acquired a golden-reddish tint.
(Christmas Wheat and Honey Dish)
Wash and put the wheat into a saucepan or a heatproof pot. Add water to cover the wheat, and bring it to the boil. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Place the saucepan with the wheat into the oven and cook the wheat for one hour. If you have only a cooker, reduce the flame and leave the wheat to stew. Grains should be soft, but not sodden. Pre-stew the poppy seeds. While the wheat is in the oven, grind the poppy seeds and chop the walnuts finely. Wash and dry the raisins. Place the stewed wheat into a deep bowl or a clay ceramic plate. Dissolve honey in boiled water and add it together with the poppy seeds, walnuts and raisins to the wheat and stir. The honey liquid should cover the wheat. Traditionally, kutia is neither too watery nor too thick. Decorate with pre-stewed prunes, candied apricots and pears. Cover the table with an embroidered towel. Place three loafs of white bread over the bowl with kutia and put Didukh (an elaborately bound wheat or oats sheaf) by the bowl.
15 Knyshy
(Pies)
Sift the flour. Mix the yeast with sugar, add half a cup of lukewarm water and leave in a warm place until the yeast has risen. Make a hole in the heap of flour and pour in the remaining lukewarm water and the yeast. Stir the dough carefully and leave in a warm place to rise. When the dough has doubled in size, add salt and knead the dough thoroughly. Leave it to rise again. Pinch off a piece of dough the size of a large fist or two, make a ball, put it on the baking tray and pat to flatten. Sprinkle the pastry with salt and oil. Pierce the pastry’s edges with a greased spoon. The number of holes – five or seven – depends on the size of the pie. Get a hold of each strip and pull them to the center of the pie. Press the strips together firmly. Brush the pie with oil. Bake in the oven at a middle temperature of about 200ºC. Carol-singers and other visitors were offered knyshy in abundance.
3½ cups rye four, 1½ cup wheat flour, 40 g yeast, 4 tablespoons sugar, salt, ½ liter lukewarm water, oil (to grease the baking tray)
Knyshy with the filling 2 cups rye flour, 1 cup wheat flour, 30 g yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, 1 ½ cup lukewarm water, 4 tablespoons oil Filling: 1-2 onions, finely chopped, oil, salt OR: 100-125 g cabbage, finely chopped, 100-125 g sauerkraut, 1 onion, oil, salt
PIES
Pies, or pyrohy in Ukrainian, have always been a popular pastry in Ukraine. However, it was while baking Christmas Eve pyrohy that housewives had to be particularly innovative, as neither meat nor dairy products were allowed for the fillings. So women would stuff the pies with baked pumpkin mixed with honey; baked pumpkin mixed with guilder-rose berries and honey; smashed baked pumpkin mixed with browned onion and salt; ground poppy seeds; ground poppy seeds mixed with guilder-rose berries; ground poppy seeds mixed with raisins; stewed cabbage mixed with browned onion; ground pears and prunes; buckwheat groats with mushrooms or browned onion; mashed beans or peas with browned onion; mashed potatoes with browned onion and mushrooms; fried and chopped fish mixed with browned onion. Cabbage and fish were seasoned with ground pepper, as Ukrainians, except for those living in western regions, liked spicy food. “Fast” pies (those baked for the Christmas Eve dinner) were brushed with oil, while the pies made for Christmas were lavishly brushed with beaten eggs. Pyrohy were placed close to one another on a baking tray, so that they would rise upwards.
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (if you are making khyshy not in a fast-period, dissolve the yeast in milk) and add the sugar. Sift half of the flour and add it carefully to the yeast. Make it into watery dough. Leave it to rise in a warm place. When the mixture has risen, add the rest of the flour, three tablespoons of oil, a pinch or two of salt and knead the dough thoroughly. Leave the dough to rise again. After it has risen over the rims, brush the dough with a watered wooden spoon and leave it to rise again. Brown the finely chopped onion or the cabbage and sauerkraut in oil and use as fillings for knyshy. Bake the pies in the pre-heated oven until golden brown.
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Pаmpushky
(Dumplings)
Knead thoroughly yeast dough. Shape the dough into a string and cut into slices of equal length. Roll out small balls of each slice and place on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle each bun with oil and salt. Bake in the oven at a high temperature of about 250ºC. When the buns are ready, take them off the baking tray and leave to cool. Meanwhile, mash garlic with salt. Pour oil over the garlic substance. Put pampushky into a deep bowl, sprinkle with the garlic oil and stir well. Serve pаmpushky with first course dishes.
Vushka 3 cups wheat flour,salt, 9-10 tablespoons cold boiled water, add or take several spoons If you are baking pastries in the periods when dairy and meat products are alowed, add 2 eggs Filling: 200 g dried mushrooms, 1 onion, salt, pepper, oil
1 kg yeast dough, 1 large garlic bulb
(‘Ears’ Dumplings)
Knead stiff dough, cover it with a wet towel and leave for a while. Knead it again thoroughly and let it rise. The better the dough is kneaded, the fluffier the pastries will be. Cook the mushrooms in boiling water and chop them finely. Mix the mushrooms with chopped onion, season with salt and pepper and brown in oil in a saucepan. Roll the dough out thinly and cut out small round or rhomb shapes with pastry forms. Place the filling on each piece of dough, fold the dough into an ear shape and press the edges firmly. Pre-heat the oil in a deep saucepan and cook the ‘ears’ until browned. Place the cooked ‘ears’ dumplings in another saucepan and cover with a lid, otherwise they might get too dry. Vushka could also be cooked in boiling water. Serve the dumplings hot, seasoned with fried chopped onion, or cold with borsch or bouillon. In the Halychyna region, ‘ears’ dumplings were traditionally served with red-beet borsch, which differed much from the famous Ukrainian borsch.
17 Borsch Pyriatynsky 4 liter water,1 red beet, 1 carrot,1 onion, 2 potatoes, 1 root of parsley or parsnip, or half root of celery, ½ medium-sized cabbage, 1 cup dried beans, 5-6 pieces fried fish or dried mushrooms, 2-3 tablespoons wheat flour, tomato paste, salt, oil
Borsch Halytsky
(Pyriatyn Red-Beet Soup)
Soak the beans overnight, drain, rinse and leave to drain. Cook the beans separately in boiling water, as it might take much time for them to get ready. Cut the red beet and carrot into strips, then place the chopped vegetables into a greased saucepan and braise for a few minutes. Put the braised beet and carrot in boiling water, add chopped root of parsley (celery or parsnip). Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces and also add to the boiling water. Cut the onion into cubes, brown in oil and add to the vegetable broth. Add the beans and the water in which they were cooked to borsch. Clean the cabbage, chop into fine strips and also add to the red-beet soup. Finally, season with salt. Cover the saucepan with borsch with a lid and leave the soup to simmer in a middle flame. Meanwhile, cook the fish or mushrooms. Cut the pre-soaked mushrooms into strips and braise in oil. Cut the fish into pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in the flour and fry until it is done. Add the mushrooms or fish, or both to the soup and leave for a while to stew. Fry two to three tablespoons of wheat flour in a pre-heated saucepan without grease until the flour acquires a golden tint. When the browned flour has cooled, mix it with lukewarm water. Add carefully to the red-beet soup. When all the ingredients are cooked, season the borsch with the tomato paste according to your taste. If the borsch lacks sweetness – red beet is not always sweet enough – add a few pinches of sugar. If the soup is not sour enough, add a tablespoon of vinegar or tomato paste. Borsch tastes best hot with pampushky (dumplings) dipped in garlic sauce.
(Halychyna Red-Beet Soup)
Cook broth of bacon, mushrooms and onion. When the broth is ready, remove the bacon and mushrooms and save. Bake or boil the red beets in jackets. Cool them off, peel, chop into fine strips and add to the borsch. Pour the red-beet kvass and bring the borsch to the boil. Season with finely chopped garlic, salt, pepper and sugar. Traditionally in Halychyna the borsch served without the body only the broth has been considered a delicacy. Serve the red-beet soup hot with ‘ears’ dumplings, crackers, buckwheat groats or beans. The bacon, which has been removed from the borsch, is used as filling for Christmas pancakes or pyrohy, while the mushrooms are stuffed into ‘ear’ dumplings.
1½ liter water,2 large red beets, 300-400 g bacon, 7-10 dried mushrooms, 1 onion, ½ liter red-beet kvass (sour drink made of red beets), salt, pepper, sugar, 2-3 garlic cloves
18 Fish Sichenyky 0.5 kg fillets of pike, zander, ide or any other large fish, 2 onions, 2-3 slices of stale white bread, ¾ cup oil, salt, pepper, dried and finely ground bread-crumbs, dill and parsley
Fish Drahly
(Fish Cutlets)
Soak the stale slices of white bread. Mince or chop finely the fish fillets, onions and the pre-soaked slices of white bread. Mix thoroughly, until a homogenous substance is formed. Season it with salt and pepper, and leave for a while in a cool place. Mix the substance again and form small balls. Flatten the balls and turn in finely ground bread-crumbs. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the cutlets on both sides. Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs and serve with potatoes, cucumbers, pickles or tomatoes.
(Fish in Aspic)
Put the small fish, fish leftovers, carrot, peppercorns and parsley or parsnip root in a deep saucepan with cold water and bring it to the boil. Skim, reduce the heat and simmer the stock for at least half an hour. Finally, add salt. Remove the vegetables and pass the stock through a sieve. Clean, gut and scale the carp, tench, ide or zander. Remove the head, tail and fins, wash the fish thoroughly and cut into slices. Put the slices into the still warm stock and simmer at a medium heat for about twenty minutes. Transfer the fish from the saucepan into deep bowls, and garnish with the vegetables cut into rings. Soften the gelatine in lukewarm water and add to the stock. Leave the stock until the gelatine has completely dissolved and pour over the fish and vegetables. Leave in a cool place, until it sets. Serve with redhot horseradish sauce.
Stock: 1 kg small fish and fish leftovers (head, bones, etc.), salt, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root or 1 parsnip root, peppercorns, salt Fish: 1-1.5 kg carp, tench, ide, zander or pike, 2-3 tablespoons of gelatine
19 Sichenyky, tovchenyky
(Fish Cutlets, Croquettes of Pounded Fish) 1 kg minced or chopped fish, 3-4 slices stale white bread, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 large onion, salt, pepper, flour Sauce: 1-2 onions, 1-2 carrots, 1 medium-sized parsnip root, 1 cup tomato paste, salt, pepper Clean, gut and scale the fish; remove the skin and backbone (use a fork if necessary). Chop finely or mince the fish. Soak the slices of stale white bread in a little water and leave to drain. Grate the onion and add together with salt, pepper and bread to the minced or chopped fish. If the fish skin is not too thin, wrap part of the fish mixture in the skin and tie with a piece of thread. Dip in the flour and fry in a pre-heated skillet, turning the fish from time to time, until it gets brown. Use the remaining fish mixture to form small sausages. Coat in the flour and fry in oil in a skillet. The sausages could be served without sauce, only sprinkled with browned oil. Yet, traditionally, they are braised in a sauce. Chop finely the onions and fry in a medium amount of oil until they acquire a golden tint. Then add finely grated carrots and parsnip and leave to simmer. Dissolve the tomato paste in a little water and pour into the skillet and braise. Season with sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the fish sausages and braise. The dish could be served both warm and cold.
Tovchenyky-Kruchenyky 1.5 – 2 kg pike or zander, 300 g butter or oil, 2 large slices of stale white bread, 3 eggs, 3 onions, 4-5 garlic cloves, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 1 parsnip root, 6 tablespoons wheat flour, salt, pepper, sugar, 0.5 cup red-beet kvass (sour drink made of red-beet)
(Sausages of Pounded Fish)
Clean, gut and scale the fish. Make cuts at the head, stomach and spine, remove the skin and save it. Separate the meat from the backbone. Use the backbone to cook stock. Mince the fish meat, onions, garlic cloves and the pre-soaked stale white bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs and add to the mixture. Cut the skin into slices, place the stuffing on each slice, roll them into sausages and tie with colored thread. Turn the sausages in flour, fry on all sides in an oiled bowl. Cut the carrot, parsley and parsnip roots and fry in an oiled skillet. Add the fried vegetables to the tovchenyky-kruchenyky. Brown the remaining flour and leave to cool. Pour in carefully the fish stock mixed with red-beet kvass and season with salt and sugar. Pour the liquid over the tovchenyky-kruchenyky and braise until they are done. Remove the tread, sprinkle the dish with the sauce and serve with boiled potatoes.
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The weather on Christmas Eve was a predictor of what the weather would be like in summer. If the sky was clear and starry, the summer would be dry and the harvest scarce. Yet, snowfall or hoar-frost forecast rich crops and occasional rains. Carols reflected people’s belief that the weather on Christmas Eve could prophesy the future: Bless us, oh Lord, With rich harvest of wheat And other crops And send us bread.
In the evening little kids and teenagers would take Christmas Eve food and pyrohy (pies) to their relatives and close acquaintances. The mother would wrap boxes with kutia, three pies, knyshy and kalachy (small padlock-shaped buns) and some other dishes in a piece of cloth. The little messengers, or vechirnyky (evening guests), were invited to try varenukha with honey, pies, dried fruit compote and boiled pears and plums. They received presents – honey-cakes, hazelnuts, walnuts, dried pumpkin seeds, kutia, candies and even money. In the Kyiv region and Left-Bank Ukraine, children were offered sweet ‘walnuts’ – small balls of the size of a walnut made of unleavened or baker’s dough, fried in a large amount of oil and sprinkled with icing sugar or brushed with honey. The most skillful cooks would stuff the pastries with a quarter of a walnut or a hazelnut. Of all their trophies, kids would give their mothers only the traditional Christmas wheat dish and keep the remaining treats to themselves.
21 In the Carpathian and Trans-Carpathian regions carol-singers used to perform Nativity scenes with a puppet theatre. In earlier days such scenes were popular all over Ukraine. (on the picture: A Nativity scene in the Latin cathedral in Lviv).
This ritual exchange of kutia and bread symbolized for the Ukrainians close family ties and family’s prosperity in the future. To commemorate the deceased relatives, people would take kutia and pies to the poor and sick who had to pray for the redemption of the sins of the deceased. The remains of kutia were left on the table with spoons lying near by. Our ancestors believed that the souls of their deceased relatives would come to the house on Christmas Eve, so they left kutia as a treat for possible ‘visitors’. In the mornings, people would check whether the spoons were still in the same places where they had been left the previous night. A spoon lying upside down signified that the deceased had accepted the food, had no hard feelings against their living relatives and would help them in the future. Needless to say, these beliefs date back to the preChristian era and are the vestiges of pagan traditions. Similar customs are found in the folklore of other nations. For example, the French, Bohemians and Serbs also used to leave Christmas Eve supper for the dead. On Christmas Eve after the supper and on Christmas itself carol singers roamed from house to house greeting their relatives and close acquaintances with the holiday. People hoped that hearty wishes of happiness, health and well-being would inevitably come true. Carol-singing is another pre-Christian tradition. After Kyivan Russ had adopted Christianity (988) and during the following centuries, the Church tried to extirpate this custom and proclaimed caroling an impious
ritual. Yet, with carols gradually adopting Christian subjects, glorifying God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and the New Sun, these hymns soon were sung not only by folk singers, but by church choirs as well. Carol-singers would split into several age groups: children, youth (sometimes unmarried young men and girls would split into two separate groups) and married young people. Dressed in festive clothes, carolsingers used to carry around a large star made of an old sieve with six or eight rays of bright hardboard attached to it. The star was decorated with a candle, spangles, ribbons of different colors, paper flowers and dyed feather. In the Carpathians and Transcarpathian regions carol-singers traditionally carried around a small puppet theater. In skilful hands, these puppets dressed as angels, God’s Mother, wise men, King Herod, performed scenes from the Nativity. In the earlier days this folk theater was popular not only in the western regions but all over Ukraine. In a large bag, carried by a man called sack-carrier, spectators would toss in bread, kalachy (small padlock-shaped buns), sausages, eggs, pancakes, varenyky, nuts and sweet ‘nuts’ pastries, as well as small change. The money, raised by performing Nativity
scenes, was donated to the church, while the food was distributed among the troop participants. *** Another peculiar feature of Ukraine’s celebrating traditions is that some holidays are still celebrated twice during the year, by the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is a common knowledge that most calendars are based on a solar year and were first introduced by Julius Caesar. In the 16th century, having corrected the Julian calendar, the Pope of Rome Gregory XIII shifted the initial calendar by ten-eleven days. In Russia, Ukraine and Belorus, which are Orthodox countries, the Gregorian calendar was rejected, until it was finally introduced in 1918 by a Communist Party’s decree. By that time the correction to the Julian calendar constituted thirteen days. The Orthodox Church criticized the innovations and still follows the Julian time-reckoning system. This explains why one and the same holiday is celebrated on different days. It also explains why the Ukrainians first celebrate New Year and then Christmas.
In the old times, on the day when the Church commemorated the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March, 22), every housewife had to cook pies, pampushky (dumplings) or cookies. In different regions the pastries were known under different names – soroky (magpies), zhaivoronk (lark), ptychky or ptashky (birds). People believed that it was on the twenty-second of March that forty different kinds of birds migrated back from warm countries. Magpies were said to put forty twigs into their nests. “It’s magpie’s birthday today!” they used to say. Thus the pastries, baked on that day, were rendered the shape of birds with beaks, wings, crests and tails. Sometimes cookie-birds were place on bagels, as if on nests. Eyes were made of guilder-rose berries or raisins. Some cooks iced cookies with honey or sugar syrup. These bird-shaped cookies were made as presents for little kids mainly.
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he little ones were running around the village with tasty cookies in the form of larks and magpies in their hands, calling Spring: “Hey, you Bird Do fly to us Bring the spring And stay with us.”
In the old days, people believed that if a kid ate a bird-shaped cookie, the farming season would be successful and they would have plenty of chickens, goslings, ducklings and turkey-chickens. The blessing from ‘propitiating’ migrant birds was to rest on poultry. In some regions, instead of baking bird-shaped biscuits varenyky stuffed with poppy seeds were cooked. The amount of varenyky equaled the amount of martyrs,
killed in the waters of a lake by Sebaste. In the Poltava region, girls treated boys to stuffed varenyky, hoping that severe frost would not damage lovage. In Ukraine, lovage is attributed to magic powers and can help to find true love. In southern regions, magpie-shaped pastries were placed atop the palings overnight and fed to heifers early next morning. This ritual was to ensure that heifers would give birth to healthy calves. Kids, with the pastries or varenyky firmly clutched in their hands, rushed to the melon plantation, begging to grant the owners with rich yield of melons and gourds: “Let forty melons, squash and pumpkins grow in this field!” Closely observing the weather on March, 22, people could predict the future
harvest: “If the weather is good on March, 22, buckwheat would be in abundance” (Poltava region). “If the day is frosty, that is the last cold day this winter” (Carpathians). “One still may hope for a blizzard to cover the earth with thick layer of snow and frosts may hit. But all hopes in vain, as the winter is giving way to spring” (Podillya region). If weather permitted, people planted peas that day, firmly convinced that each sprout would bring forty pods with forty peas inside. Poppy seeds were sown, as people hoped that they would harvest forty times as much seeds in summer. It was customary that day to cook dishes containing legumes: pea soup, horokhvianyky (pea rissoles), pies stuffed with pea-puree, etc.
87 Sochevytsya z Hrybamy 2 cups lentil seeds, 1 onion, 150 g dried mushrooms, oil, parsley, salt
Horokhova Yushka
(Lentil with Mushrooms)
Cook the lentil seeds in boiling salted water, leave to cool and drain. Pre-soak the dried mushrooms, cook them in a small amount of salted water and remove from the saucepan. Retain the mushroom stock. Chop the mushrooms and onion and fry in oil in a skillet. Mix the fried vegetables with the lintel, add the mushroom stock and bring the mixture to the boil. The dish tastes good both hot and cold, but sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
(Pea Soup)
Cook the pre-soaked peas in boiling salted water until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cut in strips and fried roots and cook. Remove the saucepan from the hob, drain the peas and vegetables and mash. Pour in the retained vegetable stock. The amount of water can be reduced to make the soup thicker. Chop and fry the onion in the vegetable oil and add to the soup. Bring it to the boil again. Serve hot.
1 cup peas, 1 onion, 1 carrot or 1 parsnip root, 1 parsley root, salt, pepper, oil
In ancient times the Slavs celebrated New Year in March. Some Slavic nations and other culturally congenial peoples have preserved and developed the traditions of congratulating each other with the beginning of the month of March (‘mart’ in Russian or ‘berezen’ in Ukrainian). The Bulgarians, Romanians and Moldovans still present bouquets of white and red flowers or bunches of white and red threads. Today, this firmly rooted tradition is especially popular with the youth. Worn on the clothes during the whole month, these white and red souvenirs are associated with tokens that bring love, happiness and prosperity. With the eastern Slavs, however, these traditions were gradually forgotten and spring festivals were rendered a new idea of eternal life and revival, as it is in spring that the major Christian holiday of Christ’s Resurrection is celebrated.
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t Eudixia’s Day (March, 14) was celebrated with hard work in the field. Potato was removed from the cellar and left on a sunny patch to warm up and give sprouts. When pulling the potatoes from the cellar, the farmer used to chant: “Warm up, potato, on St Eudoxia’s Day”, “It’s St Eudoxia’s Day, remove the potato from your cellar”, or “If a farmer removes the potato from his cellar on St Eudoxia’s Day, he will harvest a rich yield in autumn.” The potatoes were then sized and grated. This being said, it is not surprising that this day mainly potato dishes are cooked, including deruny (potato pancakes), kartoplianyky (potato cutlets), stewed vegetables, cabbage leaves stuffed with mashed potato, etc. As the holiday was celebrated during the Great Lent all the dishes were seasoned with chopped onion fried in vegetable oil. Potato has been one of the most popular vegetables in Ukraine since the 19th century. Originating from Peru, following the geographic discoveries of the mid-16th century potato made its way to Europe. With its taste qualities being first recognized in Ireland, the vegetable was introduced in South America, where for an extended period of time it was called “the Irish vegetable.” Considered an ornamental plant in continental Europe, potato flowers decorated the wigs of noble ladies at the court of Marie Antoinette. Yet, by the end of the 17th century the potato gained in popularity as an edible plant. In Russia, Tsar Peter I tried to make his people consume potato by force and even punished those who dared disobey his order. Yet, the coercive approach failed to bring the desired fruit and the confrontation between the consumers and the authorities went on for more than a hundred years. In the end of the 18th century potato was still a rarity. In an article published in one of
the economics reviews in the Slobozhanschyna region it was stated: “Here people not only do not grow potato (ground apples or pommes de terre in French), but they have never heard of the plant. Although in some villages potato is grown, but in insignificant quantities and the plant is almost neglected. However, if special care was given to cultivating the plant, it would bring a rich yield as the soil here is much more fertile than in any other area.” At that time there was no Ukrainian word for the plant which today in Ukraine is known as kartoplya (or bulba, barabolya, krumply, buryshka, mandybura, mandebura or ripa in some dialects). In those days the most widespread name for potato was ‘ground apple’ which is a word for word translation from pommes de terre (French). Potato was ignored until famine that hit the country in 1812 when Napoleon troops invaded Ukraine. Since the second half of the 19th century the plant has been given another name – “the second bread.” After the centuries of neglect, the plant was finally given the rightful recognition for the calorie content, nutritional and digestive properties as well as for rich harvest. Today, it is impossible to imagine Ukrainian cuisine without potato dishes. The first spring month is called berezen in Ukrainian. The word is derived from bereza (birch), as in March the first leaves appear on birch-trees. It is in March that people collect birch juice, used for producing a tasty fermented beverage similar to kvass. By the Julian calendar St Eudoxia’s day is celebrated on March, 1, the day when the first preparations to a farming season are made. On St Eudoxia’s Day people planted cabbage, cucumber, tomato and eggplant seedlings in small pots or wooden boxes,
firmly convinced that sowed on March, 1, the plants will never wither or be frost-bitten. Although the weather was still very unstable (as an old saying goes “An elderly person can frostbite a finger in March”), the first preparations for the farming season were made and, if the weather permitted, oat was planted. If the weather was cold and it was shower sleeting, the harvest might be rich. “Eudoxia went to shepherd goats and the twelve sheepskin coats she was wearing are soaking wet.” The most popular dishes that day were millet and buckwheat porridges, as, according to folks’ beliefs, the consumption of these groats might improve the future harvest of spring crops. If the wind was warm, it brought hope for a warm summer. If the wind was strong enough to spin the vanes of a windmill, the harvest would be rich and plentiful. If the wind was blowing from the west, the fish would be easy to catch. If it was blowing from the east, the bees would produce much honey. If it was blowing from the south, the harvest of wheat would be bountiful. When sowing poppy seeds and wheat, the seeds were thrown in the direction of the wind on St Eudoxia’s Day. People listened to birds twittering, hoping to hear them chirp: “Leave the sledge, take the cart,” as it was this song that marked the beginning of spring. In the field, farmers waited for a groundhog to give its first whistle. That day the animal was to wake up before dawn and announce that spring was coming. If the spring was early and swallows were flying back from warm countries, one had to take a handful of ground, toss it up and say: “Take it, swallow, make a nest and bless me with a rich yield.” In the farmer’s imagination the ritual ensured an abundant harvest of vegetables.
91 Deruny 1.5 kg potato, 3-4 tablespoons wheat flour, 1 egg, 0.5 cup lukewarm milk, 2 onions, grated, salt, pepper, oil for frying Fillings: 1) 150 g dried mushrooms, 1-2 onions, 2) 300 g cottage cheese, 1 egg, 3) 300g minced meat
Kartoplianyky
(Potato Pancakes)
Wash and peel the potatoes. Grate finely and drain the liquid. Add the wheat flour and grated onions. On fast-free days one egg may be beaten in too. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in a little lukewarm milk, otherwise the potatoes will get brownish. The amount of milk equals the amount of the drained liquid. Work the mixture into batter and fry pancakes in a pre-heated skillet brushed with oil, grease or butter. Serve hot with sour cream, ryazhanka (fermented baked milk), cream, sour milk or milk. Deruny are also cooked during the Shrove Week. They are fried, brushed with sour cream, placed in a heatproof dish and set to bake in an oven. Potato pancakes may also be cooked with different fillings. During the fast-free periods, deruny are stuffed with cottage cheese, minced meat mixed with chopped onion or fried ham, while during the fast periods according to some tradition the stuffing may be fried onion or mushrooms. Pour some batter on a pre-heated and greased skillet, place a tablespoon of the desired filling on top and put a tablespoonful of batter on the filling. Fry on both sides until golden brown.
(Potato Cutlets)
Kartoplianyky, or boiled potato cutlets, are made of mashed potatoes, flour and eggs (on fast-free days). Wash and cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling water. Douse with cold water and peel. Mash the potatoes with flour and an egg. Form small balls, flatten and turn in flour or breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides in oil or grease in a pre-heated skillet. Kartoplianyky may also be made with different fillings. Serve the dish hot with sour cream, ryazhanka, cream, sour milk, fried ham, fried mushrooms or mushroom sauce.
Kartoplya z Horikhamy
(Potato with Walnuts or Hazelnuts) 5-6 potatoes, 1.5 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, shelled, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oil Wash and cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling water until tender. Douse with cold water and peel. Slice, season with salt and pepper and coat each slice with breadcrumbs. Fry in vegetable oil in a skillet. Crush or mince the nuts and strew over the potatoes.
1 kg potato, 4 tablespoonfuls wheat flour, 1 egg, salt, breadcrumbs
92 Buryshnyk 1 kg potatoes, 2/3 corn meal, oil, 0.5 teaspoon baking soda, salt
(Potato Cutlets)
Wash and cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling water. Peel and mince. While the potato is still hot, add the sieved corn meal, baking soda, salt and knead well. Form ďŹ st-size balls, pat to atten, put on an oiled baking tray and set in the oven. Serve hot sprinkled with oil, chopped onion, or fried onion. On fast-free days, add two eggs to the dough and serve buryshnyky with grated brynza (salted curd cheese) or sour cream.
93 Zavyvanyk Kartopliany Cherkasky 5 potatoes, 1 tablespoonful potato starch, 100 g cabbage, 100 g sauerkraut, 1 carrot, 1 onion, salt, white bread crumbs, oil
Wash, peel and cook the potatoes in boiling water. Drain, salt and mash. Add the potato starch and stir well. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave in a cool place. Fry the chopped cabbage and sauerkraut together with the grated carrot and chopped onion in vegetable oil in a pan. Spread the potato mixture over a clean cloth and press down to an even, finger-thick layer. Spread the cabbage filling on top. Roll the dough, make a crease and put on an oiled skillet with the crease downwards. Strew breadcrumbs over the roll and fry it in vegetable oil for a short while. Then set the pan in a pre-heated oven and bake. The roll is done, when the top turns golden brown.
Zavyvanyk Kartopliany Po-Volhynsky
(Volhyn Potato Roll)
Wash the potatoes and cook in their skin in boiling water until tender. Peel, mash, add the flour and salt and knead well. Cover with a cloth and leave in a cool place. Prepare the desired filling. It could be either pre-soaked, chopped, boiled and fried mushrooms with onion, or, on fast-free periods, grated hard boiled eggs mixed with fried onion and chopped dill or parsley or both, or minced liver, or ham fried with chopped onion, etc. Spread the dough over a clean cloth and press to an even layer. Place the filling on top. With the help of the cloth roll the dough, make a crease in it and put in an oiled skillet with the crease downwards. Set the skillet in a pre-heated oven and bake the roll until it is done.
1 kg potato, 3 tablespoons flour, salt Filling: 1) 200 g dried mushrooms, 2) 4 hard boiled eggs, dill or parsley, 3) 300 g minced liver, 4) 250 g fried ham
Kruchenyk Kartopliany Karpatsky 10 potatoes, 2 tablespoons flour, oil, salt Filling: 150 g dried mushrooms, 3 onions, oil, salt
Hutsulsky Knyshyk
(Cherkasy Potato Roll)
(Carpathians Potato Roll)
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Season with salt, add pre-soaked and grated onion and wheat flour and work into dough. Fry potato pancakes on both sides in vegetable oil in a pre-heated skillet. Place the pancakes in a bowl, cover it with a lid and leave to rest. For the filling, chop the onions and pre-soaked mushrooms and fry in oil. Place some filling in the center of each pancake and roll it. Put in a pre-heated bowl. Serve sprinkled with the remaining onion and the mushroom mixture.
(Hutsul’s Pastry)
Cook the potatoes in their skins, peel and mince. Add the flour, sprinkle with salt and work into dough. Cover the dough with a cloth to keep it warm. Grind the pre-soaked poppy seeds, put in ground thyme, caraway seeds, crushed garlic and stir. Form two or three pastry shapes, place them on an oiled baking tray and press to an even layer. Put the filling in the center, fold the dough and press the edges together firmly. Bake in the oven. Knyshy taste good hot or cold.
5 potatoes, 2 tablespoons wheat flour, 1 cup poppy seeds, thyme, caraway seeds, garlic cloves, salt, oil
Annunciation (Blahovischennya, in Ukrainian) is one of the most popular religious holidays with Ukrainians. It is that day that the angel Gabriel was sent to the Holy Virgin to announce that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High, to Jesus Christ the Savior.
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ore often than not this holiday is marked during the Great Lent. Despite the strict prohibitions to consume meat and dairy products, in some regions of Ukraine people broke the fast that day and indulged in varenyky stuffed with cottage cheese, beans baked in butter and coated with eggs, and other milk containing dishes. However, this being an exception rather than a rule, most people preferred not to breach the Church’s regulations and stuck to cabbage leaves stuffed with buckwheat groats or millet, hrechanyky (buckwheat pancakes), buckwheat dumplings with garlic sauce, pies, fish aspic, kartoplianyky (potato cutlets) and deruny (potato pancakes) with mushroom sauce. No farmer dared to start farming his fields by April, 5, as they believed that God had not blessed the land yet. No one would plant the seedlings or take seeds in his hands. People said, that if one touched red beet seeds, he would harvest bitter radish instead of sweet beets. It was believed that on April, 5, God parted the clouds to reveal the clear and open sky of spring; He bends over the earth to warm it with His breath. The Hutsuls were convinced that only after the Annunciation Day the animals, which spent the winter in their burrows, crawled out of their hides. Maybe, that is why it was prohibited to work on the farm that day. In Left-Bank Ukraine people thought that on Annunciation God blessed the land for farming. All the sowing works started right after the holiday, so it was important to finish plowing on the week after April, 5. This week was also called “widow’s plow”, as on these days people farmed the fields that belonged to widows and orphans. Three days after the celebration farmers started planting cabbage. That was the best season for cultivating the plant that was considered the major decoration of a farm and one of the key ingredients of most foods. Since so much attention was paid to planting the cabbage, it became the queen of
the farmer’s table for the coming week. Numerous cabbage dishes were cooked during that week – stewed cabbage, kapustnyak (cabbage soup), kapustyanyky (cabbage cutlets) cabbage rolls, etc. No work was done during the two or three days following the holiday. People said that no bird would make a nest and no hen would bring an egg on the Annunciation Day. Even if a hen did bring an egg that day, it was removed from under the brood hen – the chicken would not hatch anyway. According to a popular legend, cuckoos lay eggs in other birds’ nests as a punishment for building nests on the Annunciation Day. Farmers did not lend eggs as it could result in hens’ poor abilities to lay eggs. A calf or a lamb born that day had to be slaughtered soon, as “the poor creature would be good for nothing.” Next day after the holiday a farmer let his cattle, cats and dogs go outside “to breathe in the aroma of spring and to see the sun.” This was done to ensure that the animals would graze well in spring and would take care of themselves. The same day beehives were removed from the warmth and placed on a sunny patch. Frosty weather on the Annunciation Day forecast a rich harvest of cucumbers. Fields still covered with snow did not promise any good yield in summer. “The weather on Easter is similar to that on Annunciation.” A misty morning meant floods in spring and a nice spell of weather predicted a bountiful crop. If Annunciation was celebrated during Lent, the festive menu excluded any meat or dairy products and consisted mainly of mushroom soup with oats, beans with oil or herring, stewed potatoes with mushrooms or fish or both, stewed cabbages, pancakes fried in oil, pancake rolls with all sorts of “fast” fillings, kartoplianyky (potato cutlets) and deruny (potato pancakes) with mushroom sauce.
97 Kartoplya Nachynena 8-12 potatoes, 2 onions, 100 g dried mushrooms, salt, pepper, oil, dill
Kliotsky Halytsky
(Stuffed Potatoes)
Wash, clean and pat dry with kitchen paper eight to twelve potatoes of equal size. Cut off the pointed tops and save. With the help of a sharp knife remove the inside of each potato. Chop the removed potato flesh and fry with finely chopped onions in vegetable oil in a skillet. Cook the pre-soaked mushrooms in boiling water. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the mushroom stock. Slice the mushrooms, add to the vegetables and sauté. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and use as a filling for the potatoes. Having stuffed each potato with the filling, cover them with the retained potato tops. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and place close to one another in a heatproof pot. Pour in some mushroom water, set the pot in an oven and stew until the potatoes are tender. The mushroom stock should not evaporate completely. Serve the potatoes hot, having sprinkled them with the sauce in which they were cooked, and sprinkle with chopped dill.
(Hutsul’s Dumplings)
Wash half of the potatoes and cook in their skin. Peel and mince or mash. Sprinkle with salt. Peel the other half a kilo of potatoes and grate finely. Drain the liquid from the grated potatoes and season with salt. Add some water to the retained potato juice and leave to rest. Pour out the water carefully, retaining the starch on the bottom. Add the starch to the potato. Mix the grated and boiled potatoes together. On fast-free day one or two eggs may be added to the dough. Sift in the wheat flour and starch and knead well. Form small, walnut-size balls and coat them with flour or semolina. Cook dumplings in salted boiling water for no more than ten minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the dumplings from the saucepan to a plate. Fry breadcrumbs in butter (during fast periods in oil) and strew over the dumplings. Serve with fried chopped onion or mushroom sauce. During the fast-free days serve with sour cream, hot fried onion and ham.
Kliotsky Smazheny (Fried Dumplings) 1 kg potato, 3 tablespoon starch, 1 egg, oil Cook the potatoes in their skins. Peel, mince or mash, add salt, starch and one egg and work into smooth dough. Roll into thumb-thick sticks, cut into pieces (5-6 cm each), coat with starch and fry on both sides in a pre-heated frying pan. Dumplings taste best with fried ham or mashed garlic sprinkled with oil.
1 kg potato, 100 g flour (or 50 g flour and 100 g starch), 1-2 eggs (on fast-free days), semolina or flour for coating, breadcrumbs, salt, 1 onion
98 Kapustyanyky
(Cabbage Cutlets)
Wash and clean the cabbage. Cut in dices and stew in a small amount of salted water. Cool a little and mince. Carefully sift in the semolina, stirring constantly. Place the saucepan on a hob and stew. Add some boiling water, if required. Remove the stewed cabbage from the hob and cool. Season with salt and pepper. On fastfree days an egg may be added. Form small cutlets and turn in the breadcrumbs. Pat them to flatten a little and fry on both sides in vegetable oil. Serve hot seasoned with fried onion or mushroom gravy. On fast-free days the dish tastes best with fried ham or sour cream.
Zavyvanyk Kapustyany 1 cabbage (1kg), 0.5 cup oil, 100 g dried mushrooms, 1-2 onions, 1 cup buckwheat groats, breadcrumbs for coating, salt, pepper, parsley and dill
1 kg cabbage, 1 cup oil, 1 cup semolina, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, 1 egg (on fast-free days)
(Cabbage Roll)
Cook the buckwheat groats in two cups of water. Pre-soak the mushrooms and cook in boiling water. Remove from the saucepan, slice and sauté with finely chopped onions. Mix the vegetables and the buckwheat together. Season with salt and pepper. Clean the cabbage and remove the stalk. Bring some salted water to the boil in a large saucepan and cook the cabbage in it for about five minutes. Remove the leaves and pound lightly the thick ones. Place the mushroom filling on each leaf and roll them up. Place the rolls on an oiled baking tray, sprinkle with oil, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and set in the oven. Serve hot, strewed with chopped dill and parsley.
99 Polissya Holubtsy (Polissya Stuffed Cabbage) 1 kg cabbage, 1.5 cup millet, 2 onions, 200 g dried mushrooms, sauerkraut brine, salt, sugar, pepper, oil Clean the cabbage and remove the stalk. Bring some salted water to the boil in a large saucepan and cook the cabbage in it for about five minutes. Wash the millet and add some boiling water. Cover with a lid and leave for a while. Drain the remaining water. Cook the dried mushrooms in boiling water. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the saucepan. Cool, slice and fry the mushrooms in oil. Finely chop the onions and fry until transparent. Mix the millet, mushrooms and onions together and stir. Place the filling on each cabbage leaf and roll them up. Place the rolls into a heatproof dish; pour in some sauerkraut brine mixed with mushroom stock, season with salt, pepper and sugar and stew. Put holubtsy in a bowl and sprinkle with crushed garlic and sprinkle with oil. Serve hot.
Harbuzova Kasha z Hrybamy (Pumpkin Porridge with Mushrooms ) 1 kg pumpkin, 5 tablespoons millet or corn meal, 0.5 cup oil, 100 g dried mushrooms, salt, sugar
Lokshyna Nizhynska
Wash and clean the pumpkin, cut in halves, remove the seeds and dice. Place in a heatproof dish and pour over some water, such that it barely covers the pumpkin. Place in the oven and bake until tender. Put the baked pumpkin in a skillet and fry in vegetable oil. Sift the millet or corn meal into the pumpkin water, add salt and sugar and make the porridge. Cook the mushrooms in boiling salted water, slice and fry in some oil. Mix the pumpkin, porridge and mushrooms together and stir. Fold the mixture into a heatproof dish and set in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes until it turns golden brown. Serve hot, having sprinkled with oil or butter.
(Nizhyn Noodles)
Sieve the flour, make a hollow and put the egg in the hollow. Add a tablespoon of cold water and work into dough. Pour in more water, if required. The well-kneaded dough is smooth and stiff. Cover the dough with a cloth and leave for a while to rest. Divide the dough into portions and roll each portion into an even thin layer. Leave the dough to dry a little. The layers should not be too dry; otherwise it will be hard to cut them. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into thin strips. Separate the strips and leave to dry again. Pre-soak the mushrooms and cook them in boiling salted water. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the saucepan, cool and slice. Sauté the mushrooms and finely chopped onion in vegetable oil. Bring some water to the boil in a large saucepan, add some salt and cook the noodles. Drain well and mix with the mushroom sauce. Place the noodles in a deep bowl. Serve hot, decorated with the remaining mushrooms.
Kvass Berezovy 5 liters birch juice, 3-4 slices of stale rye bread, 250-300 g honeycombs, 300 g cranberries
2 cups flour, water, salt, 1 egg (on fast-free days), 150 g dried mushrooms, 1 onion, oil
(Birch Juice Sour Drink)
Strain the fresh birch juice and jar. For better fermentation, put slices of stale rye bread or rye or barley malt seeds into each jar. To make malt, couch the rye or barley seeds and dry in the oven. When the juice starts to ferment, add honeycombs. In the Polissya region, cranberries were also added. Leave the beverage to brew in a cool place for one or two weeks, strain again and bottle. Keep in a cool place.