Hombovtsi

What it is

Hombovtsi are sweet balls of dough with a fruity filling, prepared in almost every family in Transcarpathia. They are most often made from cottage cheese mixed with egg and semolina or flour, and less frequently from potato puree with flour or yeast dough. A half plum, a berry, or a spoonful of thick plum lekvar is placed inside.

The balls are steamed or boiled until they float, and then rolled in breadcrumbs toasted in butter with sugar. The result is something between lazy varenyky and pampushky: soft dough, juicy filling, and a crispy crust.

Hombovtsi are part of Transcarpathian cuisine, shaped under Hungarian and Austrian influence. A very similar dish among Hungarians is called szilvás gombóc, potato balls with plum in toasted breadcrumbs.

In summer and autumn, hombovtsi are made with fresh plums, while in winter they are made with lekvar, making it a dish for all year round.

History and name

The name is related to the Hungarian word gombóc, which refers to balls of dough in Hungarian cuisine; the most famous of these is szilvás gombóc with plum. Hungarian sources trace these fruity balls back to Austrian dumplings (Knödel). In Transcarpathia, the dish has taken root in Hungarian, Rusyn, and Ukrainian families.

Plums and lekvar are the main filling, as plum orchards were present in every Transcarpathian yard; in the article about lekvar, hombovtsi are mentioned among the dishes prepared with it.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: cheese, with plum

Curd cheese (tvaroh)500 gFresh cheese for hombovtsi and filling for palačint; for dough, use dry, not very fatty cheese.Contains allergens: milk

Plums10–12 pcs.Varieties 'uhorka', 'bystrytsia', 'nemtudom' are used for lekvar, hombovtsi, and slivovitsa.

Eggs1–2 pcs.Chicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Semolina3–5 tbsp.Binds the cheese dough for hombovtsi.Contains allergens: gluten

Breadcrumbs80–100 g, to serveFried breadcrumbs — a topping for hombovtsi.Contains allergens: gluten

Butter30–50 g, to serveButter is placed on slices of kulesha, used to grease riplianka, and to fry breadcrumbs for hombovtsi.Contains allergens: milk

Also: wheat flour (2–4 tbsp., optional), sugar (1–2 tbsp.)

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs
Diet: vegetarian

Variant: potato, with lekvar

potato, plum lekvar, wheat flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, butter

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs
Diet: vegetarian

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 12–16 hombovtsi

• Curd cheese (tvaroh) — 500 g
• Plums — 10–12 pcs.
• Eggs — 1–2 pcs.
• Semolina — 3–5 tbsp.
• Wheat flour — 2–4 tbsp.
• Sugar — 1–2 tbsp.
• Breadcrumbs — 80–100 g
• Butter — 30–50 g

1. Mash the dry cottage cheese with the egg, a pinch of salt, sugar, and semolina (or part of the flour) until a homogeneous dough forms; let it rest for 20–40 minutes for the semolina to swell.
2. Wash the plums, cut them in half, and remove the pits; you can place a little sugar in each. In winter, use thick lekvar instead of plums.
3. With wet hands, flatten a piece of dough, place a plum or a spoonful of lekvar in the center, and roll it into a smooth ball.
4. Steam the hombovtsi for 7–15 minutes or gently drop them into boiling water and cook until they float and for a few more minutes after that.
5. Meanwhile, toast the breadcrumbs in butter until golden brown, adding sugar to taste.
6. Roll the hot hombovtsi in the breadcrumbs and serve immediately.

How it is served

Warm, sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs or powdered sugar; served with sour cream or a bit of lekvar.

Variants

Potato hombovtsi are made with puree, flour, and egg, filled with lekvar; yeast ones are made with milk dough. The filling can also be berry-based.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Transcarpathia, mainly the lowland and foothill communities with Hungarian, Rusyn, and Ukrainian populations (Berehivshchyna, Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, Vynohradiv). The area is approximate.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food · Harvest

In tradition

Hombovtsi are a daily and Sunday dessert for Transcarpathian families, especially during the plum season when lekvar is made.

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