Transcarpathian cuisine

The cuisine of Transcarpathia — Ukrainian, Hungarian, Rusyn, Romanian and Slovak traditions: bograch, hombovtsi, hurka, lekvar, palachinta, wine.

Lenten variantBanoshPorridges and corn dishes · Hutsul regionThick corn porridge with sour cream, which is stirred for a long time until the butter appears. It is served with Bryndza, cracklings, or mushrooms.

BograchSoups · TranscarpathiaA thick soup made from meat, paprika, potatoes, and sweet peppers, cooked in a cauldron over an open fire. A dish of Hungarian tradition and a symbol of Transcarpathia.

Intangible heritage of UkraineHutsul bryndzaCheeses · Hutsul regionSalty sheep cheese from the polonyna: aged Budz is mixed with salt and kept in wooden berbenytsia. The first geographical indication in Ukraine.

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.

BudzCheeses · Hutsul regionFresh curd cheese made from sheep's milk, which shepherds prepare in the polonyna and dry by the fire. It is then used to make Bryndza.

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.

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.

VegetarianHombovtsiSweets · TranscarpathiaTranscarpathian dessert: balls made of cheese or potato dough with plum or lekvar inside, steamed and rolled in toasted breadcrumbs.

VegetarianVurdaCheeses · Hutsul regionTender boiled cheese made from whey left over after Budz, with the addition of fresh sheep's milk. A Carpathian relative of ricotta.

LentenCarpathian herbal teasSoft drinks · Hutsul regionDaily drink of the Carpathian villages: thyme, motherwort, St. John's wort, mint, linden blossom, leaves of blueberries and raspberries, dried from summer.

Intangible heritage of UkraineVeganPlum lekvarPreserves · TranscarpathiaVery thick, almost black plum lekvar without sugar, which is cooked outdoors in a cauldron by the whole family for a day or longer in Transcarpathia.

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.

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.

Regional intangible heritageZakarpattia shovdarMeat and sausages · TranscarpathiaCold-smoked pork ham, aged for several months. The main meat of the Transcarpathian Easter basket; the broth is used to make dzjama.

VegetarianKiflyBaking and ritual bread · TranscarpathiaSmall crescent-shaped cookies made from shortcrust pastry with nuts, poppy seeds, or plum lekvar, dusted with powdered sugar. They are baked in Transcarpathian families for holidays.

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'.

Chicken paprikashMain dishes · Hungarian community of TranscarpathiaChicken, stewed with onions and sweet paprika, and thickened with sour cream. A dish from the Hungarian cuisine of Berehove, served with dumplings.

Lenten variantMushroom machankaMain dishes · Hutsul regionA thick sauce made from forest mushrooms and sour cream, into which Kulesha, Banosh, potatoes, or deruny are dipped. In autumn, it is made with fresh mushrooms, while in winter, dried ones are used.

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.

Tourist dish, not traditionalTrout over the campfireMain dishes · Hutsul regionWhole trout, baked on a grill or in foil over the fire. A modern tourist dish of kolibas: it is prepared with rainbow trout from trout farms.

Lenten variantRipliankaPorridges and corn dishes · TranscarpathiaA dish from Kolochava made of boiled potatoes and corn grits, baked with butter and Bryndza. Here, 'Riplianka' refers to potatoes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

VegetarianPalachintaSweets · TranscarpathiaThin Transcarpathian pancakes made with milk, rolled with sweet cheese, lekvar, or nuts, or served with a meat filling.

LentenBilberry jam (afyny)Preserves · Hutsul regionBilberry jam is made from wild bilberries, which are harvested in the Carpathians in July and August. This summer preparation is a staple for mountain families for tea and dumplings in winter.

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.

Lenten variantLangosh (lángos)Dumplings and dough · Hungarian community of TranscarpathiaFlat fried dough made from yeast dough, served with garlic, sour cream, and grated cheese. A popular Hungarian street food in Transcarpathia.

Regional intangible heritageVegetarianBychkiv honey cakeBaking and ritual bread · TranscarpathiaWedding honey cake from the village of Velykyi Bychkiv, decorated with icing like a vyshyvanka. Here, the newlyweds break the honey cake instead of the wedding loaf.

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+.

VegetarianZhentytsiaDairy · Hutsul regionSheep whey that remains on the polonyna after making Budz. It is used to make Vurda, to soften cheese for figurines, and it is also drunk.

Bob leves (bean soup)Soups · Hungarian community of TranscarpathiaA thick Hungarian bean soup with smoked meats, seasoned with paprika, served with dumplings and a spoonful of sour cream. Most common in Berehove and its surroundings.

18+Geographical indicationTranscarpathian wineAlcohol (18+) · TranscarpathiaWhite, rosé, and red wine from the southwestern Transcarpathia with a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. From 2024 — a geographical indication of Ukraine. 18+.

LentenPoliana Kvasova (mineral water)Mineral waters · TranscarpathiaCarbonated alkaline water from the Pinia Valley near the village of Poliana in the Svalyava region, which has been bottled since the 19th century. Not a medicine.