The cuisine in Belarus

Delicious and warming, modern-day Belarusian cuisine is a mix of two key factors:

the people’s relationship with the land and local produce

influences from neighbouring countries and migrant settlers

   For these reasons, you’ll find that food in Belarus is quite similar to the cuisines of Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland. The European community has also contributed much to modern-day food in Belarus.

Belarus dishes are typically based on local vegetables and cereals, especially:

potatoes

beetroot

mushrooms

berries

barley

Potatoes deserve a special mention as they have formed the basis of many of the dishes of Belarus for hundreds of years.

The following products are popular in Belarus:

pork, pork sausages and salami (kolbasy), salted pork fat

beef

chicken

river fish such as trout, perch, carp

milk and dairy products as fresh white cheese (tvorog), sour cream (smetana), fermented cheese (siyr)

Typical Belarusian appetizers

Salads are popular in Belarus, in particular:

cabbage salad

beetroot salad

tomatoes, cucumbers and garden radish salad

Onions, garlic and greens (fennel, parsley, a coriander and basil) are widely used.

Soups are a firm favourite in Belarus too. Some of the most popular are:

beetroot soup (borshch)

bouillon

cabbage soup (shchy)

chilled soup (khaladnik)

Cold appetizers – meat rolls, balyk, ham, salads, dipping sauces, etc.

Dishes are usually served with rye bread.

Main courses in Belarus

Many traditional Belarusian dishes are potato based, including:

potato dumplings

thick potato pancakes (draniki)

baked grated potato pie (babka)

Potato dishes are often stuffed or accompanied with vegetables, mushrooms or meat. Other popular dishes in Belarus include:

pork stew (machanka)

stuffed chicken

chopped beef sausage (zrazy)

local ravioli (pelmeni)

meat or cabbage pasties (pirozhki)

Belarus desserts

Berries and dairy products form the basis of most desserts in Belarus. Popular choices are:

fruit (strawberries, bilberries, cranberries)

ice-cream, whipped cream

sweet cakes

Belarusian recipes

Belarus food is warming and relatively easy to prepare. Here are a few popular Belarusian recipes:

Borshch (serves 4)

Ingredients: 20ml oil, 300g beef or lamb, 1 small chopped onion, 2 litres beef stock, 2ml  lemon juice, 500g tomatoes, 400g shredded cabbage, 600g diced beetroot, 300g sour cream, chopped dill, salt and pepper

Method:

1. Brown the meat and onion in the oil.

2. Add the stock, and all other ingredients except the sour cream, dill and seasoning.

3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours.

4. Season to taste and serve with sour cream and dill.

Draniki

Ingredients: 6 potatoes,1 egg, 2 table spoons flour,  1 onion, salt, pepper, oil

Method:

1. Peel, wash and grate the potatoes, and peel and chop the onion. Mix potatoes and onion.

2. Add the egg, flour and salt, and stir well until it become combined.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and add potato mixture with a table spoon in the form of small flat cakes. Fry draniki on one side for about 2–3 minutes until it has a golden brown crust. Then turn the draniki over and fry for a further 1–2 minutes.

4. Serve with main dishes and sour cream.

Machanka (serves 4)

Ingredients: 500g pork, 300ml beef stock, 40g butter, 1 onion, 25g flour, 200ml sour cream, spices and salt to taste

Method:

1. Brown the pork until crisp, add the stock and season.

2. Cook on the hob for 20 minutes.

3. In a separate saucepan, sauté the flour for a couple of minutes. Add 2 spoonfuls of stock and stir. Add sour cream and season and cook over a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Fry the onion and add to the pork.

5. Pour the mixture into an oven dish and add the sour cream.

6. Cook at 175ºC (350ºF) for 20 minutes.

7. Serve in the pot, with pancakes for dipping.

Belarusian Cuisine

         Belarusianfood.com is a collection of traditional and contemporary Belarusian food recipes. These recipes are ideal for home cooking and are very easy to cook yourself. Each recipe comes with a detailed cooking instructions and ingredients description and pictures to make cooking even easier.

        Belarusian cuisine has a rich and interesting history. It traces its roots back hundreds years ago to medieval times of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The geographical location of modern Belarus was always a melting pot of different peoples and cultures. Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, Jewish, Lithuanian, Latvian and Tartar cuisines have boiled together and created a gastronomical mix that has become what Belarusian cuisine is now.

        The foundation of modern Belarusian cuisine is built on eating habits of Belarusian peasants from western eastern parts of Belarus with addition of dishes common among urban dwellers which are mostly based on Polish and Jewish cuisine. As a result Belarusian cuisine has developed its own unique set of popular dishes and cooking techniques which cannot be found in neighboring countries.