Ukraine

A Hutsul cornmeal porridge from the Ukrainian Carpathians cooked entirely in sour cream rather than water, stirred continuously until fat visibly separates, then served topped with bryndza sheep's cheese, fried wild mushrooms, and optionally pork cracklings.

A broth-based Eastern European soup defined by its deep crimson color and earthy-sour balance, built on beetroot, cabbage, and root vegetables, finished with smetana.

A chicken breast supreme pounded flat, rolled tightly around a log of frozen herbed compound butter, triple-breaded, and deep-fried until the crust is lacquered gold and the butter centre is fully molten.

Ukrainian pan-fried fritters made from raw grated potato bound with egg and onion, shallow-fried until a crisp golden crust forms, and served with cold smetana.

Soft, unfilled boiled dough nuggets made from wheat flour, eggs, and liquid (water, milk, or sour cream), finished with melted butter or rendered pork fat — Ukraine's foundational peasant starch.

Softened whole white-cabbage leaves rolled tightly around a seasoned mixture of ground pork and raw rice, then slow-braised in tomato sauce until the cabbage is silky and the filling is cooked through and swollen with the braising liquid.

A tangy Ukrainian and Polish soup built on sauerkraut simmered with pork, root vegetables, and (in the Ukrainian style) millet.

Toasted buckwheat groats simmered in water until tender and fluffy, then dressed with butter or lard — a Ukrainian staple grain dish.

A Slavic chilled meat dish in which pork knuckles and trotters are boiled long enough to set their own natural gelatin, then chilled into a savory aspic served with horseradish or mustard.

A coarse-ground pork sausage seasoned heavily with garlic, stuffed into natural casings and smoked or grilled.

A ceremonial Ukrainian sweet grain dish of cooked whole wheat berries mixed with honey, ground poppy seeds, walnuts, and dried fruit, served as the first dish of the Christmas Eve supper.

Soft, pull-apart yeasted Ukrainian buns brushed while warm with a garlic-and-herb oil, traditionally served as the bread alongside borscht.

A whole baked potato split open and topped with cured pork fatback (salo) and raw spring onion, a rustic Ukrainian staple.

A dense Ukrainian spiced honey cake built in layers with cream or jam filling.

A traditional Slavic cultured dairy drink made by fermenting milk that has first been slow-baked until caramelized, giving it a tan colour and nutty, sweet flavour.

Salt-cured (and optionally smoked) pork fatback, a traditional Slavic preserved meat characterized by its high fat content and long shelf life.

A Ukrainian compote-drink made by gently steeping dried fruits — pears, apples, prunes and cherries — in water, traditionally served cold at the Christmas Eve table.

Ukrainian boiled dough pockets filled with potato, fresh cheese, sour cherry, sauerkraut, or meat, served with smetana and caramelized onions.

Thin beaten beef cutlets rolled around a savoury filling such as egg, pickle, mushroom or breadcrumb, then braised until tender in gravy.