What are the typical Ukrainian sweets and desserts? It is not a question to answer with a half-dozen answers, nor with stereotypes. In Ukraine, there is a huge variety of sweets made from cherry, honey, nuts, chocolate, caramelized milk, among other ingredients. Cottage cheese is also an ingredient present in the most popular Ukrainian foods, including desserts, which seemed weird to me as a non-Eastern European until I got used to it. In coffee shops and bakeries, you also see a wide variety of sweets in the French and other European styles.
Ukraine received many cultural influences as part of the Soviet Union from 1917 until 1991 and earlier, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the arrival of immigrants from central Europe. Soon, you can see sweets in the country that are also popular in Russia and other Eastern European countries, and sweets in the European style. Through the different cultural influences that Ukraine has received over the past three centuries in addition to current trends in food, there is a wide variety of sweets and cookies in the country, including during the Christmas season during January, as most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians. So, in this post, we go with a list of sweets and desserts to taste during your trip to Ukraine.
Kyiv Cake
In Russian, Kievskii Tort (Киевский Торт) or Kyiv Cake in English. This cake is prepared in several layers made with nuts, chocolate, cream, apricot, condensed milk, or caramel. It is a laborious pie to make and it is refrigerated before consumption.
Waffles
Waffles are not exclusive from Ukraine but this cream-based sweet is also popular there. The colorful snacks were one of the most consumed sweets while I was in the country, I used to buy them at the markets and with the salespeople at the subway stations. They go very well with coffee, tea, or yerba mate for the South Americans. A popular brand you find at supermarkets is Artek (Артек), but I prefer homemade ones sold at stations and fairs.
Spartak
Spartak (Торт Спартак) is a honey cake with several layers – 8, 9, 10 or more – of dough covered in chocolate cream. The recipe varies according to individual preferences or, to be more precise, family recipes. It is usually filled with a bittersweet cream that contrasts with the sweet and is also one of the most popular cakes in Ukraine, as well as in Russia and other Eastern European countries.
Kartoshka
Kartoshka in the Ukrainian language translates to something like “made from potatoes”. However, the kartoshka resembles the Brazilian sweet brigadeiro. It is made by grinding the biscuits until they become flour, which is then mixed with cocoa powder, melted butter, condensed milk, and sugar. From this mixture, balls are made that usually are rolled in grated coconut, in a shape that resembles the potato.
Paska
Paska (Паска) more or less resembles chalah (Shabhat bread) depending on how it is prepared, in Ukraine is traditionally eaten at Easter time, taken to church on Easter morning. It is also popular in Romania (pascã) and Bulgaria, as far as I could see, in addition to other countries with an orthodox Christian population. Everything indicates that this cake dates back to Byzantine times, based on wheat, milk, eggs, butter, and sugar.
Babka
Babka is another sweet bread consumed at Easter time in Ukraine, reminiscent of panettone for its cylindrical shape and the raisins that are added during preparation. It is similar to paska but has a sweeter taste. It is also usually one of the goodies present during the Ukrainian Easter morning celebrations.
Syrniki
As mentioned in another post about Ukrainian food, syrniki is widely consumed by Ukrainians for breakfast or accompanying other dishes such as borsh and vareniki at lunch or dinner. It is prepared like cottage cheese, wheat, and egg; served with the bitter cream called smetana or with honey.
Nalysnyky
Naslynyky (Налисники) is a pancake slowly cooked over low heat that can be filled with cottage cheese, honey, Nutella, or even with mushroom and meat. It can be consumed in daily life as breakfast, accompany the main dish at lunch and dinner, and during celebrations.
Sochniki
Sochniki is one of the most popular desserts in Ukraine, it is a kind of cottage empanada with a buttery aroma and a slightly sweet flavor, which usually accompanies tea. It can be filled with fruits like cherry, strawberry, and other fruits according to the preferences of those who make it.
Kutia
Kutia is a kind of pudding popular at Christmas and New Year, which is usually one of the foods present at supper. It is usually prepared with wheat, fruit, raisin, honey or sugar, and poppy seed. Kutia is also a popular candy in Poland, Russia, and Belarus.
Verhuny ou Khrustyky
The verhuny or khrustyky looks like angel wings and is also one of the popular treats in Ukraine during the Christmas season. Fried in lard, it is basically prepared with eggs, wheat, egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla, and a spoon of distilled drink, which in Ukraine tends to be the horilka, as Ukrainians call vodka.
What are your favorite Ukrainian sweets and desserts? Due to the countless cultural influences that Ukraine has received and the differences from one region of the country to another, some of the sweets and desserts listed may be unknown in a community of Ukrainian descendants in Brazil, Argentina, or in the USA.
Originally posted 2020-12-20 20:48:07.
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