There is no true Ukrainian bride who can’t cook borscht – one of the magic dishes of Ukrainian cuisine. Borscht (also borsch, bortsch, borstch, borsh, borshch) is the main element of Ukrainian traditions. Ancient Ukrainians believed that the souls of ancestors lived in the steam of borscht, that’s why it was served very hot. Cold borscht was a symbol of lack of respect for the guest. Hot borscht was not only the nutritious dish but also meant happiness and understanding in the family and connection to ancestors. That’s why borscht is the traditional dish at the funerals.
There are a lot of different kinds of borscht – green borscht, cold borscht without meat, borscht with beans, borscht with a lot of beets and without it, borscht with mushrooms and even with fish!

There is an interesting theory about the first borscht. The Ukrainian warriors, Cossacks, came under siege of Turks and had to spend a few days without food. So they had to throw all the vegetables what grew up around into the cauldron and boiled. They also had a little bit of salo (lard), so they added everything they had and created the nutritious dish which helped them to won the battle. Since that time borscht became the national Ukrainian dish.

Cossacks created a lot of recipes of borscht, but the most unusual was a Hetman borscht which consisted of not only the traditional ingredients such as beets, cabbage, cereals, but the gastronomic miracle balabushki (balls of ground fillet of pike stuffed with mushrooms), olives and fried carps.

Every Ukrainian lady can cook the true Ukrainian borscht for about 3 hours. The products necessary for borscht are onions, carrots, beets, cabbage, beans and tomatoes. There are three main kinds of borscht – red borscht with beet and cabbage, green borscht with sorrel and cold vegetable borscht. Traditionally borscht was cooked with cereals but in the 19th century it was replaced by potatoes. There is no “the right” recipe of borscht, that is why there are almost 20 different ingredients of borscht, very Ukrainian bride has her own recipe, that’s why this dish always tastes differently and delicious. There are so many supplements to borscht: the buckwheat porridge, pancakes, pies, onions, but the most popular are dumplings with garlic.
Borscht is spread not only in Ukraine, it’s well-known among many nations of Eastern and Central Europe. There are similar dishes in Russia, Poland (barszcz), Belarus (borshch), Romania (borş), Moldavia, Lithuania (barščiai) and even China. But Ukrainian borsch is one of the best because it represents the Ukrainian soul – rich, generous, hospitable and kind!
Borshchiv – the Ukrainian town in Ternopol region was named in honor of borscht. Every fall it becomes the center of the folk festival “Borcht-iv”, where it is preparing at about 700 liters of borscht. According to the old legend, in ancient times, the Turks conquered the town and wanted to try the local delicacy – borscht. A Ukrainian woman has agreed to cook dinner for the invaders, but the leader didn’t like the taste and yelled at this woman. The brave Ukrainian woman was so angry that that she hit him with the scoop and drowned him in the big saucepan of borscht! She saved the town and it was named in honor of her borscht! Of course it’s just a legend, but be careful and always praise the Ukrainian woman for her borscht!