"For Ukrainians who have never had their own tsar ..., the Motherland, their homeland, has always been more important than a foreign tsar and - which is the worse for Russia - more important than faith."
Andriy Kurkov, Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals.
February 23, 2022 - the foreign tsar -- namely, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin -- authorized an unjustified and unprovoked war against Ukraine and its people. Putin conjured up multiple, patently false reasons for his war. Reasons so patently absurd that I will not repeat them because I do not want to give them any more airing than what news outlets have already provided. Nevertheless, this is the war of Vladimir Putin and his cronies, like Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They have pressed hundreds of thousands of Russian troops into a war that, judging by the anti-war protests that took place across the Russian Federation, is not one embraced by the Russian people themselves.
 |
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling
the Ukrainian people that he and his advisors are
fighting alongside them in the streets. |
In the days that followed the initial invasion, the above quote manifested itself in the resolve of the Ukrainian people. It was found among that small Ukrainian garrison on Zminnyi Island (Snake Island) who told a Russian warship to
go fuck itself. It is also present in the sacrifice of
Skakun Vitaliy Volodymyrovich, a Ukrainian soldier who remained with the explosives that he used to blow up a bridge because he did not have time to set the charge and escape. It can even be seen in the words of the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who
responded to the United States offer of evacuation with the words, "the fight is here, I need more ammo, not a ride."
 |
The Ukrainian woman who told the Russian
soldier to put seeds in his pockets. |
Indeed, this resolve is seemingly present in almost every Ukrainian. There is the woman in Henychesk, Kherson region, who stood just feet away from a Russian soldier while
telling him to put sunflower seeds in his pockets so when he dies on Ukrainian land, those flowers, which happen to be the national flower of Ukraine, will grow from that spot. There are also countless other examples, including the Ukrainians who take to the streets to block Russian military vehicles with their bodies.
To be clear, the stakes of the current conflict involves much more than whether Ukraine will continue as an independent country. At its most basic level, the conflict presents a clear and present danger to the very identity of the Ukrainian people. If the Russian Federation is successful in occupying Ukraine, the Russians could effectively destroy the history and heritage of the Ukrainian people. Indeed, that assault is already underway, with attacks on cultural institutions such as opera houses, museums and even the Babyn Yar memorial (which was built to remember the massacre of Jewish Ukrainians during the holocaust).
In waging this It involves the Ukrainian identity. Ukrainian people are desperately defending not just their homeland, but their own identity and their freedom. No speech by Vladimir Putin and no war by the Russian Federation will deny or erase the history of the Ukrainian people or their homeland.
"Inside yourself, dig the well which will bring water to both your house and your neighbor's." - Gregory Skorovoda (Ukrainian writer)
The war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of protecting and preserving the Ukrainian culture. Across the world, Ukrainians are reconnecting through shared experiences, many of which revolve around food. In the past, I have used this blog to discuss the persecution of peoples, such as the genocide of the Rohingya, the plight of the Somali, apartheid-like conditions imposed upon the Palestinians, and the systematic imprisonment of the Uyghurs and the destruction of their culture. I realize that posting on a blog is not much, but I try dig deep to contribute in my own small way to helping people understand (to the extent they don't already) the importance of human rights and the need to accept peoples and their cultures for who and what they are.
To this end, I have placed my thumb on the Around the World in 80 Dishes culinary challenge. Rather than wait for the random country generator to assign Ukraine as my next challenge, I have made an exception. It is perhaps one of the most important exceptions that I have made.
I strongly believe that this particular story needs to be told right now. My hope is that by doing my own digging, I will be able to share what I have learned to help both myself and those who read this blog.
"We have survived two world wars, Holodomor, Holocaust, the Great Purge, occupation in eastern Ukraine. We don't have a lot of land, we don't have nuclear arms, .... But we have our people and our land - that's what we're fighting for.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The nation state construct known as Ukraine first emerged in the ashes of World War I. In fact,
multiple Ukrainian states emerged, such as Ukrainian People's Republic, the Hetmanate, and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. However, it was the Ukrainian People's Republic that obtained recognition by the international community in 1917. Wars continued in the region, with most of those nascent Ukrainian states finding themselves incorporated into other countries. When relative peace emerged in 1921, the territory of what would become modern day Ukraine was basically split between four countries. The western portions fell within the borders of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. The rest was squarely within the Soviet Union. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union, under the iron grasp of Josef Stalin, drew the borders that continue to this day.
And, while it may have been the Soviet Union that carved the lines that constitute the present-day Ukraine, it is an important thing to keep in mind that the Soviet Union and Russia are two separate states themselves. The Soviet Union was an "
international project," a federation of national units, one of which was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. When the Soviet Union dissolved, those units emerged as independent countries, from Estonia to Moldova, Ukraine to Kazakhstan. (Ironically, the Russian Federation itself is an amalgamation of oblasts, republics, krais, and autonomous okrugs, many of which -- for example, Adygea, Bashkorostan, or Kalmykia -- were founded upon ethnic groups and/or have substantial numbers of ethnic minorities in them today.
In any event, the history of this nation state construct is not the same as the people who lived within it. Indeed, the history of the Ukrainian people predate that nation-state. While most of the people who lived in the areas would have identified themselves as Orthodox (based on their religion), a
Ukrainian identity emerged in the early 19th century, with its own language separate and consciousness as a people. Intellectuals and
writers, such as Taras Shevchenko and Mykola Kostomarov, wrote works in Ukrainian exploring what would become Ukrainian national philosophy. Shevchenko
wrote about the political repression of the poorer classes and dreamed of their liberation. This perspective is important: it is the poor in the countryside who formed the core of the Ukrainians, and the anti-elitist nature of their philosophy was
integral given those who lived in the cities spoke Polish or Russian. For these reasons, Ukrainian thought thrived at the lowest levels, out of view of the official state. As the Soviet Union emerged, the emphasis on educating the poorest classes resulted in the spread of the Ukrainian language and literature into the 1930s.
However, the Ukrainian identity -- while officially celebrated as part of the Soviet Union -- was also viewed as a threat, especially by the Soviet leader, Josef Stalin. Aided by inept agricultural practices and poor weather, Stalin set in motion the events that led to the Holodomor, or the Great Famine, in 1932 to 1933. Nearly four million Ukrainians starved to death, while their intellectuals, artists, and writers were arrested. While the Ukrainian identity survived the Great Famine, it would face challenges over and over again. Approximately 900,000 Ukrainian Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, including the massacres of September 29 and 30, 1941, when 33,731 Jews were massacred by the Nazis. Hundreds of thousands of additional Ukrainians were killed after World War II during Stalin's Great Purge. While peace eventually emerged across what was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the battle continued to preserve the Ukrainian identity in a union dominated by Russians.
This struggle ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. From the ashes of that empire arose an independent Ukraine. As with all of the post U.S.S.R. countries, Ukraine struggled with establishing a democratic government. While some of those newly established countries fell quickly back into authoritarianism (see my challenge involving a main course from
Turkmenistan), the Ukrainian government established a republic and elected its leaders. Ukraine's independence has not always been smooth, with revolutions in 2004 and, most recently, the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. That second one led to the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, and a new, more pro-western government. Elections in 2019 led to a new President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who continued to push for greater ties with the European Union and with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Dear God, calamity again!
It was so peaceful, so serene;
We had just begun to break the chains
That bind our folk in slavery
When halt! Once again the people's blood
is streaming.
"Calamity Again," Taras Shevchenko
This poem hauntingly captures what it means to be Ukrainian. With the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, Ukraine and its people finally liberated themselves from the direct shackles of its past (whether it be as a direct subject of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union) and the indirect bondage of the present (through forced economic and political ties with the Russian Federation). They had finally the freedom to chart their own course; and, whether it took them west toward the European Union or continued east toward the Commonwealth of Independent States, it would be their own choice.
All of that came to an end on February 23, 2022. Without provocation or justification, Russia commenced a war that is characterized by the inhumane assault upon the Ukrainian people. Those people are now fighting not only for their freedom, but for their identity. This fight has led many Ukrainians around the world to think about protecting their heritage. They have taken to social media to tell their stories, many of which surround the food that they eat. Whether it is the Ukrainian Borscht (which, as with the Ukrainian people, is different than Russian Borscht) or their paska (Easter Bread), these recipes define who they are as much as their history or any nation state.
There are several key components to Ukrainian cuisine. First, flour and cereals -- such as rye and wheat -- play a significant role in many dishes, including breads, dumplings and pies. Second, ingredients like onions, garlic, horseradish, dill, parsley, and thyme are used to provide flavor to dishes. Over time, the trade in spices also brought black pepper, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to the Ukrainian kitchen. Third, Ukrainian cuisine emphasizes a wide use of pork and fat, along with sour cream, sunflower oil and eggs. Finally, Ukrainian cuisine is noteworthy for the two-step process in preparing many dishes, with the ingredients being boiled or fried first, followed by a second technique, such as stewing or baking, to complete the dish.
Telling the stories and sharing the recipes is important. It is as much a part of the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian war as taking arms or throwing Molotov cocktails. Russia has launched this war on the premise of nullifying the Ukrainian identity by subsuming it into a larger Russian one. Efforts to preserve what it means to be Ukrainian, even if through words, contributes to the defense. And, in the end, even the smallest contributions matter.
APPETIZER
Turning to the challenge, I wanted to find a couple of recipes that are either distinctively Ukrainians or upon which Ukrainians have put their own mark. I chose two receipes, one that is a side dish and another that is a main course.
The side dish, which could also double as a main course itself, is known as
deruny, which are relatively simple potato pancakes. The cultivation of potatoes became
widespread throughout Ukraine in the 19th century. Potatoes eventually emerged as the "second bread" on family tables,
displacing vegetables like parnisps and turnips. Traditionally, families prepare
deruny on Sundays as a meal in and of themselves. It seemed only appropriate that I made this dish on a Sunday as well.
This recipe comes from the northern region of Ukraine. If one travelled about two hours west from Kiev, they would arrive in the city of Zhytomyr. The city is some to a very particular piece of artwork by Volodymyr Kosyrenko. It is a stone monument to the
deruny, featuring a basket of the potato pancakes sitting on a pedestal of red and gray granite. One could travel another hour and half north to the city of Korosten for the
deruny festival. The festival showcased not just the Ukrainian pancakes, but similar ones from Belarus, England, France, Norway and Poland.
Unfortunately, both Zhytomyr and Korosten have been targets of Russia's unprovoked war, where Russian forces have murdered Ukrainians in attacks across that region.
DERUNY
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of potatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
Directions:
1. Prepare the potatoes. Peel and wash the potatoes. Grate using a medium grater. Combine the potatoes with the egg, salt, pepper and flour. Stir until completely combined.
2. Fry the potato cakes. Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Spoon the potatoes into disc shapes in the oil. Fry each side until golden crisp.
3. Finish the dish. Once fried, remove from the oil. Serve with sour cream or browned onions.
MAIN COURSE
The main course for this challenge involves something that I have not done for years: make dumplings. I have to go back to my special challenge involving
Tibet, when I made sha momos, or my challenge to prepare
veprova pecene, a main course from the
Czech Republic, during which I also made
houskove knedlicky, or bread dumplings. In the Ukraine, the particular dish that I made is halushki.
While one can find halushki dishes across central and eastern Europe, the Ukrainian version involves the preparation of small flour dumplings, as opposed to either potato dumplings or noodles. At least what I can find, Ukrainian halushki is more often served with onions and mushrooms, along with some bacon (as noted above, pork can be found in many Ukrainian dishes). This particular combination of ingredients works well together, with the puffy dumplings contrasted with crunchy bacon and sautéed mushrooms.
To be sure, my dumpling making skills need a lot of refinement. The dumplings came out rather rustic and, despite my best efforts to standardize the size and shape, it just did not work out well. Still, in the end, the combination of those dumplings with the butter, bacon, mushrooms and onions made this a very delicious dish.
HALUSHKI
Recipe from Mom's Dish
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 5 cups flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 150 grams of butter, plus 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 pound of fresh mushrooms
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup bacon pieces
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Prepare the dough. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a little well in the middle. Place whisked eggs, water and melted butter into it. Using a fork, work the ingredients together to form a dough. Finish up combining the ingredients by hand until you get a smooth even texture.
2. Prepare the dumplings. Divide the dough into eight even pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a long string. Dice each string into small pieces.
3. Cook the dumplings. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the raw dumplings and boil them until they float to the top.
4. Prepare the toppings. Dice the mushrooms and sauté them in a buttered skillet for about 5 minutes. Dice the onions and add them to the skillet, cooking them until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the bacon and sauté for about 5 minutes. Place the dumplings in a non-stick skillet and add the sautéed mixture and butter. Cook until they turn golden brown.
* * *
This challenge was done in short order. While I am not Ukrainian, I still wanted to contribute to the discussion of the Ukrainian culture, cuisine and heritage, all of which are under attack. One cannot stand silent watching Russia's unprovoked assault on Ukraine, its murder of Ukrainians and its attempt to subjugate Ukrainians under some false notion that they are anything other than Ukrainian. In this moment, we are all Ukrainians. Until the next time,
SLAVA UKRAINI!
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