Christmas is coming and I encourage you to cook the traditional Ukrainian drink uzvar that has a very simple yet refined recipe including fruits and berries that grow in almost every Ukrainian garden) In olden times, uzvar symbolized a good life: fruits meant fertility, while honey meant a sweet life. What exactly is uzvar? Uzvar is a yummy fruit-berry drink which has an old, time-proven recipe that is popular, loved, and widespread until today. This drink is most often cooked and served on Christmas Eve. Its main ingredients are...
Ukrainian Christmas kutia with raisins, poppy seeds, and nuts
Kutia (kutya) is a traditional Ukrainian dish, a sweet grain pudding that is served on Christmas Eve dinner (also known as Svyata Vecherya). Kutia symbolizes fertility and abundance, and it is believed that good luck will come to every home where it is served. The richer in taste kutia is, the more successful and prosperous will be the coming year for the whole family. The main ingredients of kutia are wheat berries, nuts, poppy seeds, and honey. Each of these components has its own symbolic meaning. Wheat berries symbolize eternity,...
Red and yellow tomato salad – Easy side dish that is bound to become a fall favorite
Sometimes simple is the best. Mix of colorful tomatoes and culinary herbs is a wonderful example. This lovely recipe lets tomatoes stand on their own with nothing more than a bit of oil, black pepper, and salt. The mix of tender yellow and hearty red tomatoes makes a perfect combination. Yellow tomatoes are less acidic than red ones. They also seem to be a little sweeter and milder, while red tomatoes are tangier and deeper. The salad is cooked in no time at all. Two main ingredients are combined,...