Borscht: Ukraine's national dish

DW (English)

There is probably no dish that means as much to Ukrainians as borscht. This beet soup beloved in many eastern European countries embodies their identity.

Transcript

00:00Borscht reflects the culinary identity of Ukraine like no other dish.

00:13And for many Ukrainians, it's much more than a simple soup.

00:24Borscht is a popular dish loved by Ukrainians, Europeans, Americans and Asians.

00:32If you tried it and didn't like it, you may have been served the wrong kind.

00:39If you will take borscht from us, you can also take the language for us and you can

00:44also take the lifestyle from us and then tell me what nation we are.

00:54According to some estimates, the Russian attack on Ukraine caused hundreds of thousands of

00:58deaths and injuries and displaced more than 6 million people since it began in early 2022.

01:06Russia's aim is to conquer and dominate the country.

01:10Ukraine is now trying to survive while preserving its own identity.

01:15That includes preserving its language and traditions.

01:22And the national dish borscht belongs to this effort.

01:28Many people consider borscht a Russian dish, but the exact origins are in dispute.

01:33There are many indications that it originated in Ukraine.

01:39The most common ingredient added to borscht is beetroot.

01:42However, there are several types of beets, such as red beets, salad beets, heart beets,

01:48etc.

01:49All types of borscht mostly include greens, although there are variations that are cooked

01:53without greens and instead include garlic, onions, beets, potatoes or tomatoes.

02:00Every family, every cook, every chef is adding to the borscht.

02:08So it's like in France when you have to cook the perfect eggs to be the chef.

02:13Here the same.

02:14You have to do the perfect borscht as you only can to be the chef.

02:17It doesn't matter what kind of cuisine you're cooking.

02:21Main idea is that what is your borscht about.

02:28This question pops up everywhere, including in the kitchen of Yevhen Klopotenko's restaurant

02:34in the capital Kyiv.

02:36He's pushing for borscht to be recognized as Ukrainian cultural heritage.

02:47Further east, at Olena Shcherban's local history museum, it's all about this beetroot soup.

02:57Today we are preparing borscht in a clay pot.

03:00It's a traditional Ukrainian borscht made in the oven.

03:03Cooking in the oven is very simple and easy.

03:05We place the meat here, fill it with water and add vegetables.

03:10Apart from having all kinds of vegetables, borscht can have dozens of further ingredients.

03:16The broth can be made with beef or pork, fish or even mushrooms, depending on the region.

03:24Fried lard gives a strong flavor.

03:27Pork ribs and vegetables are added.

03:31Kvas, or fermented red beets, takes care of the acidity.

03:38The smoke from a traditional oven gives it the final touch.

03:45Borscht comes in all forms, with all kinds of ingredients.

03:48There is not a single borscht recipe, nor one way of cooking it.

03:55All Ukrainian borscht has one thing in common.

03:58It is mostly boiled, the key is boiling.

04:08Borscht is prepared and eaten all over Ukraine, from the countryside to the cities, despite

04:14international cuisine gaining in popularity.

04:19For many here, borscht is more than just a simple dish.

04:24It represents our culture and the culinary skills of our women.

04:30The first dish for lunch should always be borscht, breakfast, tea, coffee and for lunch

04:35there should be soup or borscht.

04:40What does borscht mean for Ukraine?

04:43Probably everything.

04:46UNESCO has added the practice of Ukrainian borscht preparation to the list of endangered

04:51intangible cultural heritages in need of preservation, but it did not exclusively declare

04:56borscht as a cultural heritage belonging only to Ukraine.

05:02It is also integral to the cuisine of Russia, Belarus, the Baltics and Poland.

05:08Here in Ukraine, though, borscht is part of a culinary and cultural identity that people

05:14are ready to defend and prevent from being appropriated by Russia.

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