Cooking Tour
Are you fond of cooking? Let's discover the art of Ukrainian cuisine.
First, you will penetrate and feel the vivid atmosphere of the local market, and afterwards, you will join a host family for a cooking master class.
In such a way, you will get a nice opportunity to cook and enjoy delicious Ukrainian dishes like borscht, varenyky, pampushky etc. Besides, a home hosted dinner will allow you to experience an evening of racy hospitality of Ukraine. Ukrainian cuisine is one of the richest and most interesting cuisines in the world. It’s diverse and unique. It has a rich history with a various range of flavors and food styles.
Ukrainian national cuisine was formed at the beginning of the 19th century, and was finally framed in the first half of the 20th century. As our country is geographically situated between two great worlds - Russian and Western parts, each made its significant impact on it that eventually was reflected in our culture and in our food.
However, what dishes do Ukrainians prefer and consider to be traditional?
In first place, undoubtedly, is salo. What is it? It is a traditional Ukrainian snack, raw fat from the back of a pig. The ways of preparing salo are variuos: raw with garlic, pickled, smoked and fried. It can be also used as the basis of many dishes. Historically, salo was an important part of the Ukrainian cuisine. It helped the Cossacks to survive cold winters owing to its high energy content. Salo still occupies a special place in Ukrainian culture.
Of course, there are a lot of tasty dishes in Ukrainian cuisine but one of the most famous is borscht. It is a vegetable soup, made of beets, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. People also add garlic, onion, dill and meat. There are many varieties of this dish. Every housewife in Ukraine has her own recipe of borscht. Initially, it was cooked on the basis of beet kvass, which has quite a distinct sour and sharp taste. And the very first ingredients were beans, celery, carrots, cabbage and parsnips, without potatoes and tomatoes. Ukrainians jokingly say that a Ukrainian girl will not be able to get married, if she can’t cook borscht. Just like borscht, Ukrainians like varenyky, such dumplings, which can be filled with mashed potatoes and fried onions, quark, cherries or strawberries. This tasty dish can be served with sour cream.
Bread and wheat products are also important for Ukrainians. Korovai is a symbol of national hospitality and an important part of the wedding tradition in Ukraine. It is a special bread, traditionally baked from wheat flour. It looks like a big cake, which may have from 1 to 5 tiers, decorated with birds and flowers. Easter bread is known as “Paska”. It’s a traditional Easter bread prepared with eggs.
Uzvar is traditional Ukrainian drink. It is a compote, made out of dried fruits, which is tasty and salubrious. The most popular ingredients are dried apples, pears and apricots.
Ukrainian cuisine mainly uses the techniques of boiling, stewing and baking. And some techniques were borrowed by Ukrainians from neighbors. For instance, frying of products in the overheated oil came into Ukrainian cuisine from Turkey.
From Germans, Ukrainians borrowed ground meat (for cooking cutlet type dishes out of ground meat, eggs, vegetables, mushrooms, etc.), and from Hungarians – paprika.
Experience the local cuisine and learning cooking traditions of the country can be your first step into its culture. Traditional food represents one of the most attractive features of the culture.
Duration: 5-6 hours
Included:
- Pick up from the hotel
- A walk through the market
- Cooking master class
- Drop off at the hotel
Price for tour: upon request.
Looking for a local guide in Kyiv? To book this tour, please CONTACT UA Destination team.
