Fighting for Ukraine’s Sovereignty in the Kitchen

A few days ago, when British-French fashion magazine Marie Claire announced it was transitioning from the Russian to the Ukrainian language, I tweeted “Victory is achieved one letter, one word at a time.”

Now that concept of moving as far away from Russia as possible, as President Viktor Poroshenko had said, can be expanded to include recipes, ingredients and dishes.

The battle for Ukraine’s national identity and sovereignty has moved into the kitchen. And there’s something hopeful in the adage that the best way to a man’s (or women’s) heart is through the stomach. Consider this not only decommunization but also derussification.

Euromaidan Press asked culinary experts and chefs about this and they opined favorably about promoting Ukrainian dishes and downplaying traditional Russian or Soviet ones that have made their way onto Ukrainians’ stoves and dining rooms.

Their observations about why it is important to decommunize are heartwarming. I’ve included a URL to the article, but I wanted to highlight some of their salient comments.

Smachnoho!

• This is the most distinctive feature of Ukrainian cuisine. Ukrainian dishes are known for their variety, aroma, and specific taste.

• Some dishes are centuries old, such as Ukrainian borshch.

• But, unless we remove the Soviet Union from our tables, we’ll never be able to re-discover our authentic Ukrainian cuisine.

• What decommunization means is that authentic Ukrainian cuisine, which was erased from our collective memory 100 years ago, can now develop in a favorable environment.

• At this stage, if we don’t decommunize Ukrainian cuisine at the national level, we’ll never break the vicious circle of Soviet heritage that surrounds us.

• This is the main significance of decommunization. Let’s develop and promote real Ukrainian cuisine in a favorable environment.

• Decommunization is an important process, but we shouldn’t place Ukrainian Heroes and the dismantling of Soviet monuments on the same level as overall rejection of olivier or shuba salads.

• Ukraine is a post-colonial state, and Ukrainian cuisine is in the process of being re-discovered. Ukrainian cuisine doesn’t need to be ‘decommunized’, but it does need to be carefully studied and developed.

• I think it’s time to get rid of such names, because it encloses Ukrainian consumers in a common informational and aesthetic space with Russia.

• As the Soviet Union was taken over by the Russian Federation, everything now is Russian cuisine, including Georgian kebabs, Uzbek pilaf and Ukrainian borshch.

• I’d rather talk about Ukraine’s gastronomy in the past, find forgotten treasures and rethink how our gastronomic culture developed through the ages.

• I see the ​​decommunization of Ukrainian cuisine as a return to genuine techniques and recipes.

• Decommunizing Ukrainian cuisine is a good idea!

• I’d rather talk about Ukraine’s gastronomy in the past, find forgotten treasures and rethink how our gastronomic culture developed through the ages.

• My goal for the future is to show Ukraine to the world through our food and tastes.

For the complete article, visit:

http://euromaidanpress.com/2021/04/28/reviving-ukrainian-cuisine-its-all-about-decommunization-identity-rethinking-ukraines-past-say-culinary-experts/