12 Traditional Ukrainian Christmas Dishes

• Rinse the wheat berries thoroughly and soak them overnight in water.
• Drain the soaked wheat berries and place them in a large pot.
• Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour or until the wheat berries are tender but still chewy.
• Drain any excess water.
• Grind the poppy seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder until they are coarsely ground.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked wheat berries and ground poppy seeds.
• In a saucepan, combine honey, sugar, and 1cup of boiling water.
• Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add the vanilla extract and salt, and mix well.
• Pour the honey syrup over the wheat berries and poppy seeds mixture.
• Stir in chopped walnuts, raisins, and slivered almonds (if using).
• Allow the Traditional Kutia to cool to room temperature before serving.

• Beat the eggs with room temperature butter until fully mixed.
• Add milk, salt, and flour, and knead until the dough is fairly stiff.
• Knead the dough until smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes.
• Roll the dough into a ball and rest for about 30 minutes.
• Cut the plums on one side and remove the pit.
• In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.
• Fill a plum with at least ½  tsp of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Close the plum tightly and place it on a dough circle.
• Cover with another dough circle, firmly pinch the edges in a wave, or clamp them with a fork.
• Boil the varenyky in batches of 8-10 for 10-15 minutes in salted water.

For Borscht:

• Boil the beets in advance. When it cools down, grate it.
• Soak dry mushrooms (white mushrooms are best, of course, because they are fragrant and tasty) overnight. Cook until tender. Strain the broth. We will use the mushroom broth for borscht.
• Finely chop the mushrooms. If you want, you can add a little bit of uncut mushrooms to the borscht.
• Put the strained mushroom broth on the fire. Dice the onion, grate the carrots, and fry them in vegetable oil until golden brown. Add the tomato paste and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Pour everything into the mushroom stock, add bay leaf, salt, and pepper, boil, and cook for a few more minutes.

For Vushki

• We recommend not grinding the mushrooms in a meat grinder, but chopping them finely.
• Put them in a hot frying pan with oil, add onions, salt, and pepper, and fry for a few minutes.
• Prepare the dough like for dumplings. Add hot water to the flour, a little oil, salt, and pepper.
• Roll out the dough thinly, and cut it into squares. Put a little filling on the square, fold the dough into a triangle, pinch the edges, and join the dumpling edges together.
• Boil the ears in salted water and brush with vegetable oil. Serve with borsch.

• Pour into a deep container, of slightly heated water, and dissolve salt, yeast, and sugar in it. Cover with food film and leave it warm for a quarter of an hour for the yeast to start working.
• Mix the yeast with flour, add a tablespoon of butter, and knead the dough for ten minutes so that it stops sticking to your palms.
• Cover the dough again and leave for an hour and a half. It should double.
• Cut cabbage into squares. Heat the pan, pour in the oil, and spread the cabbage into it, season with salt and pepper, and fry for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Divide the dough in half. In this case, one part should be slightly less than the second. Roll a larger piece of dough into a layer, a bit larger form, in which you will bake a cake.
• Grease the form with butter and gently cover it with rolled dough. Spread roasted cabbage and cover with a second, previously rolled-out layer of dough. Edges we pinch, forming a beautiful piping. We pierce in several places with a fork.
• Coat the surface of the cake with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes at 392 °F (200°C) until a delicious crust appears on top.
• Enjoy your meal! 😊

• Begin by draining some of the juice from the sauerkraut.
• Next, add diced onions and salted or pickled mushrooms to the sauerkraut.
• Dress the mixture with fresh sunflower oil and sugar to taste.
• Mix everything until well combined.
• Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

• Pour flour into a bowl, add baking powder and a pinch of salt, and mix. 
• In a separate container, mix water and honey, pour it into the dough, start mixing with a spoon, then knead with your hands to make a stiff dough that does not stick to your hands.
• Leave the finished dough in a bowl, covered with foil or a towel, and let it stand for 20-30 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 338℉ (170℃) degrees.
• Roll out the dough into a layer about 1/4 Inch. It is better to roll it out directly on baking paper.
• Put the paper with a layer of dough on a baking sheet, put the baking sheet in the oven, and bake for about 15-20 minutes to dry and lightly brown the cake.
• Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
• Meanwhile, let's move on to the poppy seeds. Pour it into a deep bowl, pour boiling water over it, and cover. Leave it for 30 minutes.
• Then drain the water and transfer the poppy seeds to a blender. Start grinding until the mass begins to turn white.
• Gradually add water and continue to grind, bringing the mass to a consistency resembling liquid porridge.
• Add honey, stir, and bring to taste.
• Break the cooled cake into small pieces. Put the pieces into a deep plate or a pot. Pour over the poppy seed and honey mixture.

• Gather all the required ingredients. If your herring is frozen, make sure to defrost it in advance. Leave the herring whole, with the head and tail intact. Use filtered or bottled water for this recipe.
• In a saucepan, combine the salt, sugar, oregano pepper, black peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaf. You can adjust the amount of salt to your taste if you prefer a saltier herring. Feel free to experiment with other spices like nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, or mustard seeds
• Pour the clean cold water into the saucepan with the spices. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the water to a boil. Allow the brine to simmer for about 5 minutes, ensuring that the salt and sugar completely dissolve. Then, let the brine cool.
• Rinse and dry the defrosted herring thoroughly. Select a suitable container made of glass or food-safe plastic to marinate the fish.
• Place the whole herring in the chosen container. Pour the cooled brine over the herring, ensuring that it is fully submerged. Seal the container with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for 2 days. During this time, remember to take the container out of the refrigerator and flip the herring over in the brine both in the morning and evening to ensure even salting.
• After the two-day marinating period, remove the herring from the brine. Pat it dry and then cut off the head and tail. Open the belly and remove the insides. Finally, cut the herring into serving-sized pieces.
• Serve the lightly salted herring with onions, herbs, and fragrant olive oil.

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot until it starts to shimmer.
• Add cabbage wedges in one even layer and cook, turning once, until
• Wipe out the pot, and melt butter over medium heat until foamy. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to become golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in shallots and carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more.
• Add garlic, caraway seeds, and thyme, and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add Dijon and cook for about 1 minute more. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, mix thoroughly, and cook until the smell of raw flour dissipates about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour in the beer, vegetable stock, and apple cider vinegar, making sure to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, allowing the liquid to cook down until reduced by about one-third, about 8 minutes.
• Season the braising liquid to taste with salt and pepper, then add the cabbage back to the pot
• Enjoy your meal! 😊

• Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly. If they are large, cut them into halves.
• Place the mushrooms in a pot and fill it with water. Wait until it boils and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Drain the water and let the mushrooms cool down.
• Prepare the marinade. In cold water, add all the ingredients listed. If desired, add other spices.
• Pour the mushrooms into the pot and put it on the stove. Boil for about 10 minutes from the moment of boiling.
• Put the mushrooms in jars and pour the prepared liquid. Roll up the lids, turn them over, and wait for them to cool.

• Core the cabbage and carefully place it in a pot of boiling water. Peel off the softened leaves one by one. Set aside.
• Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, sauté until softened. Add chopped mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture.
• Season with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano. Stir in cooked rice.
• Place a spoonful of the rice and mushroom mixture onto each cabbage leaf. Fold the sides of the cabbage leaf over the filling and roll it up.
• In a bowl, combine diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and vegetable broth.
• Line the bottom of a large pot with spare cabbage leaves. Place the cabbage rolls in layers, seam side down.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Simmer on low heat for 45-60 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve the Lenten Stuffed Cabbage Rolls hot

• Prepare a mixture of dried fruits and berries. You can use a single type of fruit or mix them to your preference. Remove any pits or seeds if necessary.
• Place the mixture of fruits and berries into a large pot
• Add water and place the pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the mixture covered for approximately 30-40 minutes until the fruits and berries become soft.
• Add sugar to taste and stir until it completely dissolves. If you want to add spices like cinnamon or cloves, do so at this point.
• Continue simmering the mixture for an additional 10-15 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and let the uzvar cool to room temperature.
• Chill the uzvar in the refrigerator before serving. Uzvar can be served both hot and cold, with ice if desired.
• Serve the uzvar in glasses or cups, garnished with slices of fruits or berries.

• Wash and scrub the potatoes gently under running water to remove any surface debris.
• Transfer the potatoes to a large saucepan or large pot and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water
• Set over high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, reduce heat to low heat, cover, and maintain a gentle simmer.
• Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender and the skin just starts splitting from the potatoes
• Drain the potatoes into a large colander. Immediately return the pan to medium heat.
• In a saucepan add the olive oil, fresh garlic, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, and mix it
• Add the boiled potatoes to the pan and toss to coat in the garlic mixture.
• Serve and enjoy!