The Ukrainian Kitchen, Explained
Recipes and plain answers from the people who cook for a few thousand visitors every September — borscht, varenyky, holubtsi, and what to expect the first time you walk onto a festival field.
Ukrainian Food: A Plain Guide to What Is on the Table
Borscht, varenyky, holubtsi, deruny, syrnyky, kovbasa, paska and the twelve dishes of Christmas Eve — what each one is, when it is eaten, and which to try first.
10 min read
Ukrainian Borscht, Made the Way It Is at Home
A classic Ukrainian borscht recipe: beet-and-cabbage soup with a proper broth, the sour note that keeps the colour red, and the pot we cook every September in Carleton Place.
9 min read
Varenyky, Perogies, Pierogi: The Same Dumpling, Three Names
Why Ukrainians say varenyky, Canadians say perogies and Poles write pierogi — plus a varenyky dough that stays soft, the classic fillings, and how not to lose half the batch in the pot.
7 min read
Holubtsi: Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls, Step by Step
How to make holubtsi: cabbage leaves rolled around rice and meat, baked slowly in tomato and sour cream. The technique for the leaves, the filling ratio, and the lazy version for a weeknight.
8 min read
Your First Ukrainian Festival: What Actually Happens
Music, dance, embroidered shirts, a market, a food court and a lot of children running loose. What a Ukrainian festival looks like from the gate, and how to plan a day at UAFest near Ottawa.
7 min readEverything on these pages is served at the festival itself — the food court, the market and the Korchma run all afternoon on September 13, 2026 in Carleton Place.
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