Lemko cuisine

Lemko dishes: kyselytsia from Ukraine’s heritage list, bobalky, pyrohy, kvasnytsia, bandurka. Ingredients, customs and community memory.

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.

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'.

Lenten variantKremzlyky (Carpathian potato pancakes)Main dishes · Hutsul regionPancakes made from grated raw potatoes, known in the Carpathians as kremzlyky, terchanyky, or placki. They are served with sour cream, bryndza, or mushroom sauce.

Lenten variantVarenyky with bilberries (afyny)Dumplings and dough · Hutsul regionSummer varenyky with bilberries, which are called afyny or yafyny in the Carpathians. They are cooked during the berry season and served with sour cream or honey.

Lenten variantZatirka (milk soup)Soups · Boyko regionSmall lumps of dough, rubbed by hand from flour and water, boiled in milk. An ancient everyday dish of the Boykos and Lemkos, known throughout Ukraine.

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.

Halushky with bryndzaDumplings and dough · Lemko regionSmall dumplings made from grated raw potatoes, mixed with sheep's bryndza and drizzled with cracklings. A daily dish of the Lemkos and Slovak highlanders.

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.

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.

VegetarianAdzymkaBaking and ritual bread · Lemko regionA plain Lemko flatbread made with sour milk and baking soda, about the thickness of a finger. Once made with oat flour; it is eaten warm with butter or honey.