👉 Kyiv cake (Kievsky tort) is the most famous cake of Ukraine’s capital: two crisp, chewy hazelnut meringue layers sandwiched with a smooth vanilla-and-chocolate buttercream and decorated with swirls of cream and nuts. It was created at the Karl Marx confectionery factory in Kyiv in 1956 and quickly became the…
👉 Solyanka is one of the boldest soups of Russian cuisine: a rich, tangy meat broth packed with several kinds of meat and smoked sausage, sour pickles, olives and capers, finished with a slice of lemon and a spoonful of sour cream. The name is often linked to selo (village)…
👉 Pirozhki (also spelled piroshki) are Russia’s favourite hand pies: soft, golden yeast buns stuffed with savoury fillings and either baked or fried. Every Russian and Ukrainian grandmother has her own version – juicy beef and onion, mashed potato with dill, cabbage with egg or sweet apple and jam –…
👉 Makowiec is the Polish poppy seed roll that appears on almost every Christmas table in Poland: a soft, slightly sweet yeast dough rolled around a thick, dark layer of poppy seeds with honey, raisins and orange peel, then baked until golden and finished with a white glaze. Poppy seeds…
👉 Holubtsi (golubtsi in Russian) are Ukraine’s comforting cabbage rolls: tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of minced meat, rice and sweet fried vegetables, then slowly baked or simmered in a rich tomato sauce. The name comes from holub, “little dove”, because the neat rolls were said to look…
👉 Samsa are the golden, flaky meat pastries sold hot from clay tandoor ovens in every bazaar in Uzbekistan. The thin layered dough wraps a juicy filling of chopped lamb, plenty of onion, cumin and black pepper, and the pastries are brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame before baking.…
👉 Beshbarmak is the national dish of Kazakhstan and one of the great celebration meals of Central Asia: tender meat slowly boiled on the bone, served over wide, silky homemade noodles and topped with soft onions cooked in the rich broth. The name means “five fingers”, because nomadic families traditionally…
👉 Ajapsandali is Georgia’s beloved summer vegetable stew: eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes and potatoes cooked slowly together and finished with a big handful of basil, cilantro, parsley and garlic. It looks a little like French ratatouille, but the generous fresh herbs, the touch of chili and coriander make it unmistakably…
👉 Lagman (also written laghman) is the great noodle dish of Central Asia: long, chewy hand-pulled noodles served with a rich sauce of meat, peppers, tomatoes and vegetables. It came to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan with the Uyghur and Dungan people, whose cooks are famous for stretching a single piece…
👉 Blini are the thin pancakes of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus – golden, slightly lacy and soft enough to fold around almost anything. They are the symbol of Maslenitsa, the week-long festival before Lent, when their round shape stands for the returning sun, but families make them all year round:…
👉 Pierogi ruskie are the most loved dumplings in Poland: soft half-moons of dough filled with mashed potato, crumbly farmer’s cheese and golden fried onion, boiled and then often fried in butter. The name does not mean “Russian” – ruskie refers to Ruthenia, the historic region that today covers western…
👉 Herring under a fur coat – seledka pod shuboy, or simply “shuba” – is the bright purple layered salad found next to Olivier on almost every New Year table in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and the Baltic countries. Salty herring and onion sit at the bottom, covered by layers…
