The Ukrainian cuisine is rich not only in different tasty dishes, served as main courses, but also in delicious desserts. The Ukrainian desserts will make everyone satisfied as well as impress any foreigner with an unforgettable flavor. This post will help you list the best desserts in Ukraine that you must try.
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Best Desserts in Ukraine
1. Varenyky with cherries
To start with the simplest, yet most beloved dessert, varenyky, or dumplings, are mentioned as far as Ukrainian folklore. This food even had ritualistic meaning — in ancient times, pagan Ukrainians brought it as a gift to the goddess of Moon, due to their resembling shape. Moreover, women always prepared varenyky as a symbol of creation and birth. Nowadays tasty varenyky with cherries pop in menus of many Ukrainian cafes and restaurants and still are prepared by hostesses at home, especially for holidays.
2. Pampushka
Albeit most popular as a garnish to borscht and other soups, the pampushka bun doesn’t necessarily have to be seen only as a type of garlic bread. As a matter of fact, sweet pampushky are just as delicious as their savory counterparts. Unlike the later ones, which lack any stuffing, dessert pampusky are typically filled with jam-like varenye, whole fruits, or poppy seeds, sometimes mixed with cheese, tvarog, or similar dairy products, and garnished with powdered sugar. They are small buns made from yeast dough, which is most commonly baked, but some variations are also fried – similarly to a donut. Pampushky buns can be eaten as breakfast, dessert, side dish, or main course.
3. Nalysnyky
Nalysnyky is the big thin pancakes fried in a frying pan. They are frying until they golden color. Then, nalysnyky are stuffed with meat or cottage cheese with raisins, as well as with sweet fillings: jam, berries, and other sweet ones. Moreover, this dish is often served with different fruits. As you can see, there are a lot of fillings for nalysnyky, but each of them has its own unique taste, being delicious almost in any combination. Usually, Ukrainians roll up nalysnyky in tubes or give them a triangle form. They are served with sour cream or honey.
4. Paska
This is a sweet yeast cake, which is always cooked for the Easter holiday. The paska’s recipes are a little bit time-consuming. But the taste is worth it. This Easter bread has a lot of raisins inside, which provide a great taste. A delicious sugar glazing is on the top of Paska. It is very common for the Ukrainian people to present some Paskas to their relatives. This nice tradition improves family relationships. The paska has great importance for Ukrainians during the Easter holiday.
5. Kyiv Cake
This dessert is well-known across the whole Ukrainian country. Everyone’s mouth will water just because of thoughts about the Kyiv cake. It became one of the main symbols of Kyiv, because of its name and unforgettable taste. This cake consists of different layers, which include flour, crunchy hazelnut meringue, ant filling you want, and, finally, butter-cream. This multilayered cake is very difficult in preparation if you are set to cook really “airy pastry” as it should be. The Kyiv cake’s recipes are rather time-consuming. The main character, which makes Kyiv cake recognizable, is the topping. Usually, the topping is decorated with different-colored butter-cream flowers.
6. Syrnyky
Often called a Ukrainian analog of cheesecake, syrnyky are roasted pancakes, made of home cheese, flour, eggs as well as salt and sugar. Known since the 18th century and popular in all regions of Ukraine, syrnyky can be both sour and sweet, depending on the serving. The sweet ones can be topped with sugar powder, honey, and various jams. Syrnyky are often served even in urban multi-cuisine cafes for breakfast, or as a dessert.
7. Verhuny
Alternatively called ‘Angel Wings’, this cute little crisp pastry is a popular Ukrainian dessert dish. The preparation is quite simple: dough is twisted into ribbons, then deep-fried, and sprinkled with powdered sugar for extra sweetness. Some hostesses add horilka, rum, or other spirits to make verhuny spicier. Traditional Ukrainian verhuny are only fried in lard. The peculiarity of the dish that makes it suitable and beloved for many is non-yeast dough: perfect for Lent, dieting, or simply a fresh sweet snack.
In conclusion, these are the best desserts in Ukraine that you must try when traveling.
