Ukrainian Borscht Day 2024: Date, History, and Interesting Facts About the Holiday.

On September 14, 2024, an important holiday for every Ukrainian will be celebrated - Ukrainian Borscht Day. This dish is a true symbol of Ukraine's cultural and gastronomic heritage.

'Glavcom' tells in detail about the history of the establishment of this holiday, interesting facts about borscht, and unusual recipes.

When is Ukrainian Borscht Day celebrated?

Every year, Ukrainian Borscht Day is celebrated on the second Saturday of September. This date is unofficial, as in January 2022, the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on humanitarian and information policy submitted draft resolution No. 6361 'On the establishment of Ukrainian Borscht Day'. However, the parliament has not yet adopted it.

The draft resolution proposes that events, festivals, and competitions for cooking traditional Ukrainian borscht should be organized in all regions of Ukraine on the second Saturday of September. At the same Time, thematic events, lectures, and discussions about the phenomenon of Ukrainian borscht, its cultural aspect, the continuity of preparing this dish by different generations of Ukrainians, and its impact on social life should be held in educational institutions, cultural institutions, and food establishments.

History of Ukrainian Borscht

In 1584, the first documented mention of Ukrainian borscht appeared in Kyiv. German trade agent Martin Gruneweg wrote about this dish in his diary. On October 17, 1584, he arrived in Kyiv with his merchant wagon and stayed overnight near the Borschevka River. Martin Gruneweg named this water body in his diary. Currently, this river is Borychivka. It is believed that the name comes from the fact that there used to be a borscht market in this area.

The German trade agent expressed doubts about the existence of such a market. According to him, the residents of Kyiv did not need to go so far from the city center for borscht. Martin Gruneweg did not believe that borscht or its ingredients were sold elsewhere in the city. He wrote: 'The Rusyns rarely or never buy borscht because each one cooks it at home themselves, as it is their daily food and drink'.

Orthodox polemicist Ivan Vyshensky in 1598 wrote that peasants 'sip polivka or borscht'. Also, in the early years of the 17th century, there was information that a man drank 'three bowls of borscht'.

Later, in the first half of the 17th century, surnames derived from the word 'borscht' appeared, for example, Borschovsky, Borscht, Borshtenko.

Interesting Facts About Ukrainian Borscht

1. There are over 70 compiled and described recipes for red borscht.
2. 'Kyiv borscht' is considered the most expensive and complex because the broth is made of three types of meat. It uses beef, lamb, and pork, as well as natural bread kvass.
3. Until the end of the 19th century, whey, sour milk, sauerkraut, berries, or unripe apples served as dressing for borscht.
4. In ancient times, it was believed that the soul of the deceased flies away with the steam from the borscht, so this dish is traditional at Ukrainian wakes.
5. The town of Borchiv is named after borscht in Ternopil region.
6. In Chernihiv region, there is 'Pereyaslav borscht'. It is prepared with mushroom 'ears'.
7. The dish borscht was described by Ivan Kotlyarevsky in 1798 in 'Aeneid': 'Do not scorn bread and salt. Taste the borscht, dumplings'.
8. In Transcarpathia, borscht is called 'Lviv' and does not have its own borscht recipe.
9. In the USA, there is a 'borscht belt'. In the vicinity of New York, there is a locality settled by Ashkenazi Jews. These are descendants from Slavic countries who brought the borscht recipe with them. Local residents named this area the Borscht Belt.

Unusual Recipes for Ukrainian Borscht

Borscht with smoked pear

• 400-500g pork ribs;
• two beetroots;
• two tomatoes;
• ¼ celery root;
• ¼ head of cabbage;
• four potatoes;
• two carrots;
• one onion;
• two smoked pears;
• two bay leaves;
• three peas of allspice;
• one head of garlic;
• one sweet pepper;
• 200ml tomato juice;
• 30g sour cream;
• two tablespoons tomato paste;
• two liters of water;
• salt to taste.

First, preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the pork ribs for 30 minutes until golden brown. Rinse and chop the unpeeled celery root as you like. Cut the carrot in the same way. Transfer the baked ribs to a saucepan and pour three liters of water, add the chopped celery, carrots, and half of the unpeeled onion, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.

Then chop the sweet pepper, tomatoes, and the other half of the onion into small cubes. Fry the vegetables in a pan with sour cream until tender. Add the tomato juice and stew for another seven minutes. Then add a beetroot, grated on a large grater, and stew for another four minutes.

Cut the head of garlic in half and add it to the pot with the borscht. Then crush