Christmas Eve in the Carpathians

What is cooked for Christmas Eve and Christmas in the Carpathians: lenten holubtsi, mushroom soup, bobalky, kyselytsia, kutia. Ingredients and customs.

LentenHrybna yushka (Carpathian mushroom soup)Soups · Hutsul regionA clear soup made from dried porcini mushrooms with potatoes or homemade noodles. An autumn and winter dish, and without sour cream, it is a lenten meal for Christmas Eve.

Lenten variantKuleshaPorridges and corn dishes · Hutsul regionThick cornmeal porridge boiled in water: it is turned out onto a board, cut with a thread, and eaten with bryndza, butter, or sour milk.

Intangible heritage of UkraineLenten variantHutsul holubtsiMain dishes · Hutsul regionSmall stuffed cabbage rolls made from fermented cabbage leaves — "kryzhivky" — with corn grits. They can be vegetarian, with mushrooms, or with cracklings and meat.

Intangible heritage of UkraineLentenLemko potato holubtsiMain dishes · Lemko regionCabbage rolls without rice: boiled and raw grated potatoes with mushrooms and sauté are wrapped in cabbage leaves. For the Lemkos, this is the second dish of Viliya after kutia.

Regional intangible heritageLenten variantZakarpattia holubtsiMain dishes · TranscarpathiaHolubtsi, where each village has its own recipe: small Bichkiv ones with rice, kashanyky in grape leaves, with millet, gombovda or grated potatoes.

HurkaMeat and sausages · TranscarpathiaTranscarpathian homemade sausage casing with rice or corn grits, liver, lungs, and cracklings. It was made on the day of pig slaughter.

LentenUzvarSoft drinks · Hutsul regionA drink made from dried apples, pears, and plums that concludes the Christmas Eve dinner. In Hutsul villages, it is simply called 'var'.

Hutsul smoked meat (buzhenyna)Meat and sausages · Hutsul regionSalted and smoked meat: once predominantly lamb, today it is pork ham that Hutsuls prepare after winter slaughter for the holidays.

Lenten variantPyrohy with potato and bryndzaDumplings and dough · Hutsul regionDumplings, known as pyrohy in western Ukraine, filled with potato ('bulba') and salty sheep bryndza, drizzled with cracklings or butter.

Intangible heritage of UkraineLentenKyselytsiaSoups · Lemko regionKyselytsia is a sour soup made from oat and rye bread sourdough, traditionally eaten by the Lemkos with boiled potatoes and fried onions. It is a must-have dish on Christmas Eve.

VegetarianChristmas kolachBaking and ritual bread · Hutsul regionRitual bread of Christmas Eve: braided kolach or large round 'krachun'. In Boyko villages, it is also 'dipped' in a stream for health.

Lenten variantBoyko pyrohyDumplings and dough · Boyko regionVarenyky, which the Boykos call pyrohy: often made from rye dough, 'black', with potatoes, bryndza, or sauerkraut.

Hutsul sausageMeat and sausages · Hutsul regionHomemade sausage made from chopped pork with garlic in natural casing, smoked over wood. It is made after the slaughter and placed in the Easter basket.

LentenBobalkyBaking and ritual bread · TranscarpathiaChristmas Eve balls made from yeast dough, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with poppy seeds. In Transcarpathia, many families replace kutya with them.

LentenCarpathian honeyPreserves · TranscarpathiaHoney from the mountain meadows, forests, and gardens of the Carpathians, collected by local Carpathian bees. Spring, summer, and autumn varieties have different tastes and colors.

18+Slyvovytsia and palenka (fruit brandy)Alcohol (18+) · TranscarpathiaStrong fruit brandy from Transcarpathia — made from plums, pears, apples, or grapes. Part of the region's hospitality tradition; history and culture only, 18+.

LentenBeet kvassSoft drinks · Boyko regionBeet kvass, fermented in water: a ruby kvass that was consumed and used to make borscht without vinegar. The Boykos called it 'fermented borscht.'

LentenLemko pyrohy with sauerkrautDumplings and dough · Lemko regionDumplings, which the Lemkos call pyrohy: on Christmas Eve — with sauerkraut and mushrooms, for Sunday lunch — with potatoes and cheese, served with sour cream.

LentenTsvikli (beetroot with horseradish)Preserves · Galician cuisine (Lviv region)Grated boiled beetroot with horseradish, vinegar, and a pinch of sugar — a spicy Galician condiment for aspic, ham, and sausages.

LentenGalician borshch with vushkaSoups · Galician cuisine (Lviv region)Transparent lean borscht on beet kvass and mushroom broth with small vushka filled with mushrooms. A dish of the Christmas Eve table of Galicia.

Intangible heritage of UkraineLenten variantBukovynian borshchSoups · BukovinaBorscht made with fermented beetroot, beans, and smoked ribs: a tanginess without vinegar and tomato, and a spoonful of thick sour cream served in the bowl.

Gefilte fish (stuffed carp)Main dishes · Bukovinian cuisine (Chernivtsi and lowland Bukovina)A festive dish from Chernivtsi with Ashkenazi roots: the flesh of carp is ground with onion and bread, returned to the skin, and boiled or baked.

LentenBukovynian mashed beansMain dishes · BukovinaLenten Christmas Eve dish of Bukovyna: boiled beans are mashed into a thick puree and seasoned with fried onions and garlic.

VegetarianLviv syrnyk (cheesecake)Sweets · Galician cuisine (Lviv region)A delicate baked dish made from pureed homemade cheese with raisins and lemon zest, covered in chocolate glaze. A city tradition of Lviv and Galicia.

Ritesh (rétes, strudel)Sweets · Hungarian community of TranscarpathiaA roll made from very thin, paper-like dough stretched by hand, filled with apples, cheese, poppy seeds, or nuts. A festive Hungarian pastry from Transcarpathia.