Ukrainian Cuisine

Ukrainian cuisine is one of the great hearty and hospitable food traditions of Eastern Europe, rooted in the country's famously rich black-earth farmland. Its most beloved dish is borscht, the deep-red beetroot soup, recognised by UNESCO as living heritage, simmered with vegetables and served with a swirl of sour cream and garlicky pampushky rolls. The table also brims with varenyky, tender dumplings filled with potato, cheese or cherries, holubtsi of stuffed cabbage, savoury salo, fresh dark bread, dumplings and pickles, and a wealth of honey cakes and fruit. Generous, wholesome and warming, it is comfort food at its most heartfelt.

What you actually see

• Borscht - the deep-red beetroot soup with sour cream.
• Varenyky - the tender dumplings with savoury or sweet fillings.
• Holubtsi - the stuffed cabbage rolls.
• The bread and pampushky - the fresh dark bread and garlic rolls.

When to go

Year-round; Ukrainian food is at its most comforting in the cold months and its brightest with fresh produce in summer, and it is enjoyed across the country and through the large Ukrainian diaspora worldwide. Borscht, honoured by UNESCO, is the signature dish to seek out.

Honest expectations

The finest Ukrainian dishes, like a rich borscht or hand-pinched varenyky, are traditionally slow, home-style cooking, so they shine most in a family kitchen or a dedicated restaurant rather than fast food. As a hearty, wholesome and deeply hospitable tradition, from ruby borscht to tender dumplings, though, Ukrainian cuisine is a genuine delight and a warm expression of the culture.

Nearby

Kyiv and Lviv's restaurants, and Ukrainian eateries abroad, all serve it.