Ukrainian and Byelorussian people’s background made their national cuisines alike. But each cuisine has its own unique features.
Borsch came into Russia from Ukraine, and then spread into the world. There are nearly fifteen sorts of borsch, many of them was called after places: Kiev Borsch, Chernigov Borsch, Poltava Borsch, Volynski Borsch, Lvov Borsch. Borsch is prepared of fresh vegetables (cabbage, beet, tomatoes) and dressed with pound fat mixed with garlic and parsley. It is impossible to imagine Ukrainian cuisine without pork fat, it is traditional national product.
They love fat in Byelorussia practically with the same passion as in Ukraine. Fat is a part of favorite Byelorussian machanka. In old days holiday machanka was made the way batter is made of rye or wheat flour adding chopped boiled pork fat,sausage, onion, pepper and fried fat, after that the dish was baked in closed clay pan placed in an oven. Today machanka is cooked the other way: meat or sausage is fried, then stewed, seasoned with sauce and then stew in an oven until done. Pancakes or flat breads are served separately.
For Byelorussians potato is considered to be “second bread”. In Kiev, Chernigov, Harkov or Poltava they obviously would serve special stew — pechenya – that is meat stewed with potato. In Minsk you would probably taste hashbrowns — draniks. No wonder they call potato “second bread” — it is served boiled or stewed, they prepare potato babka, patties, salads and many others.
Byelorussians and Ukrainians also like to cook various porridges — millet, buckwheat, pumpkin. Besides, hardly ever Ukrainian dinner would get along without vareniks with diverse fillings- cord, potato, stewed cabbage and even berries. Ceremonial dish is Ukrainian uzvar — stewed fruits.
