If you've read 'Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka' by Russian classical writer Nikolai Gogol, you surely remember how adroitly one of the characters ate vareniki with sour cream that flew into his mouth by themselves. Of course, traditional Ukrainian vareniki don't have such super skills, but their taste is sure to make you think of the Ukrainian cuisine's magic. Ukrainian vareniki are often compared to Russian pelmeni or Italian ravioli. Vareniki's crucial difference from other similar dishes is their dough. Traditional Ukrainian vareniki can't be Lenten, that is, kefir and eggs are always added to the dough. What are vareniki like? Nikolai Gogol wrote that you could eat hat-sized vareniki at some farms. That's, of course, an exaggeration. The classical varenik is around 10 cm large and, contrary to pelmeni or ravioli, has a crescent shape. Vareniki's filling can be very different: potato, cabbage, potato and meat, potato and salo (pork meat), sweet or salted curd, pumpkin, cherries and so on. The filling is warped up in dough and cooked for five minutes or less. Vareniki are usually served with sour cream. Although it's truly Ukrainian dish, vareniki are well-known all over the world. People in different corners of the world took liking of vereniki's unusual and rich taste and installed monuments to varenik. In particular, Ukrainian varenik was immortalized in Canada and Russia.

Kissel is an original drink that is highly valued for its perfect taste, excellent aroma and useful properties, since Kievan Rus times. In Rus fragrant and tasty kissel was made from oats, wheat and other cereal crops. Now it is boiled mostly from fresh or dries berries and fruits, fruit-and-berry juices and syrups adding potato or corn starch, which makes it very thick. The starch makes kissel very nourishing and caloric, and fruits and berries - very healthy and rich with vitamins. Besides fruit ones, there are dairy and oat kissels, as well as kissels boiled from peas and vegetables.

In Ukraine thick pancakes are traditionally served for breakfast. These are small puffy pancakes fried from both sides on the pan. They can be of different kinds: sweet, salted, with or without filling. Sweet thick pancakes with raspberries or apples are the regular choice for breakfast. Along with many other Ukrainian dishes, pancakes are served with sour cream, sometimes also with honey, jam and different syrups. Due to simple recipe, thick pancakes are the most popular and widespread breakfast in Ukraine. Moreover, they ensure satiation for a long period of time and provide organism with energy and necessary vitamins. This dish can be found both, at ordinary kitchens and in expensive restaurants' menus. Ukrainian thick pancakes are somewhat similar to American pancakes, but they have more porous structure and fewer ingredients. There are plenty of thick pancakes' recipes, with each housewife cooking them upon her own taste. For instance, in order to make the dish sweeter some add banana (instead of sugar) to dough. There are also Lenten thick pancakes: eggs are excluded from the recipe, and dairy products are replaced with water.

This salad is a common guest at the Ukrainian feasts and it became the indispensable component of the holidays in many families long ago. The good combination of meat and mushroom is responsible for nutritious properties and magnificent flavor.