Making Borscht, BUT Not The Beet Kind ~ A Disgrace To My Heritage

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 46 (CULTURAL TRADITION)

I was 29 years old before I learned my Scottish Grandfather (who was born in San Francisco) didn't exist, but instead was a Ukrainian man (1st child born in Saskatchewan Canada to Ukraine immigrant parents). 

I didn't grow up with Ukrainian culture, but have loved the food since my earliest memories.

I remember watching my mom and her friends join together to make Pierogies (Varenyky). 

In later years mom discovered the store bought frozen ones were so much easier & good enough so she only made them homemade on special occasions. 

They weren't part of her English & Scottish heritage she grew up with so rarely made them homemade.

Not too long ago we went out for lunch at a local restaurant that served pierogies, and I remembered how much I love the freshly made ones.

I thought it would be a great idea to make some for our freezer.

Then I decided a Ukrainian feast would be a good idea.

Recently my cousin gave me her Pierogi (Varenyky) dough recipe, and I decided to keep it simple with just potato, aged cheddar, and onion for the filling.

Since I had only the one family recipe passed down, the internet didn't fail.

Added to my list of feast worthy foods was: 
Holubtsi (Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls), and
Pyrizhky (Ukrainian Stuffed Buns)

BUT what about the Borscht you must be thinking?

I grew up in the Kootenay area of the interior of British Columbia, and developed a love for the traditional Doukhobor Russian Borscht. 

It is a delicious mix of tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, and other vegetables along with butter and cream, a lot of dill and only one small beet.

I have tried to love the beet heavy Ukrainian Borscht, but just can't choose it over the deliciousness of the Doukhobor Borscht.

I know this makes me a disgrace to my heritage, but I can only claim not developing my tastebuds at the optimal time in childhood.

This week Chris joined me for a day in the kitchen while we listened to the call of my ancestors.

While making the Varenyky a happy mistake happened. Some whole wheat flour was added in error, but it didn't impact the texture or flavour. Going forward we will add some to make dinner a bit healthier.

Ukrainian Garlic Sausage - I wondered how it differed:
"The difference lies in how this sausage is cooked - it's oven-roasted. A lot of fat will melt adding a ton of flavor, like when you cook bacon. You don't get that same flavor when cooking sausage over low heat - like kielbasa - where you try your best to not let any fat melt." 1 

I finally understand why I don't love Kielbasa (Kovbasa) since I find the texture of fatty foods off putting.

 

The leftover Pyrizhky stuffing reheated as a delicious sauerkraut side dish.

The Borscht directions said to peel the small beet, and put in the soup whole. After cooking - the beet was supposed to be thrown out since it's only purpose was colour. 

I clearly heard my ancestor say:
"Дитина ти ідіот? Буряк - найкраща частина" 
Pronunciation: Dytyna ty idiot? Buryak - naykrashcha chastyna
Translation: Child are you an idiot? the beet is the best part

So I went off script dicing a medium beet into the soup at the beginning.

Why would my ancestor call me an idiot? 

"In ancient times people cured skin inflammation and infective diseases using beetroot. Thanks to its unique biochemical composition, this vegetable contributes to health improvement.

Beet juice is considered to be one of the most useful ones. It helps cleanse the body from toxins and harmful substances." 2

"Delving into the cultural significance and traditions of borscht soup history takes us on a journey through the heart of Eastern European heritage. It's a symbol of home, a bearer of traditions, and a point of pride. Each family often passes down its recipe, each version telling its own story and history." 3

I didn't get any photos of the Holubtsi (Cabbage Rolls).
They were cooked in the crockpot freeing up space in and on the stove.
This is a hack passed down from my aunt. 

I also failed to take a photo of our Ukrainian Feast plate. 

Without photo proof did the meal even happen?

When the ancestors you never knew call to you!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1 Ukrainian Sausage. Taste of Artisan. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from 
https://tasteofartisan.com/ukrainian-sausage/#:~:text=The%20difference%20lies%20in%20how,is%20another%20source%20of%20flavor.

2 The kingdom of purple beetroot – Where it came from and popular modern life of the beet. Ukrainian Recipes. Retrieved November 13th from
https://ukrainian-recipes.com/the-kingdom-of-purple-beetroot-where-it-came-from-and-popular-modern-life-of-the-beet.html#:~:text=In%20ancient%20times%20people%20cured,from%20toxins%20and%20harmful%20substances.

3 History of Borscht: From Ancient Roots to Modern Delights. Veselka. Retrieved November 13th from
https://veselka.com/blogs/articles/history-of-borscht-from-ancient-roots-to-modern-delights

  

Sources:

About Doukhobor Borshch. The Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ (USCC). Retrieved November 13th 2024 from
http://www.usccdoukhobors.org/cuisine/borshch.htm

Doukhobors. Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/doukhobors#:~:text=Doukhobors%20are%20a%20sect%20of,notoriety%20during%20the%2020th%20century.

Doukhobor Heritage. Retrieved November 13th from 
https://doukhobor.org/

Google Translate. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from
https://translate.google.com/?hl=en&sl=en&tl=uk&op=translate 

History of Borscht: From Ancient Roots to Modern Delights. Veselka. Retrieved November 13th from
https://veselka.com/blogs/articles/history-of-borscht-from-ancient-roots-to-modern-delights

The kingdom of purple beetroot – Where it came from and popular modern life of the beet. Ukrainian Recipes. Retrieved November 13th from
https://ukrainian-recipes.com/the-kingdom-of-purple-beetroot-where-it-came-from-and-popular-modern-life-of-the-beet.html#:~:text=In%20ancient%20times%20people%20cured,from%20toxins%20and%20harmful%20substances.

Ukrainian Sausage. Taste of Artisan. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from 
https://tasteofartisan.com/ukrainian-sausage/#:~:text=The%20difference%20lies%20in%20how,is%20another%20source%20of%20flavor.

Pyrizhky (Ukrainian Cabbage Buns). Claudia's Cookbook. Retrieved November 13th from 
http://www.claudiascookbook.com/2012/12/23/pyrizhky-ukrainian-cabbage-buns/

UNESCO declares borsch cooking an endangered Ukrainian heritage. Selyukh, Alina. Originally published July 1st 2022. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/01/1109319174/unesco-declares-ukraine-borsch-ukrainian-heritage

Varenyky (Ukrainian Dumplings). Recipes from Europe. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from 
https://www.recipesfromeurope.com/varenyky/

Who really owns borsch? Evans, Andrew. BBC. Originally published October 15th 2019. Retrieved November 13th 2024 from
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20191014-who-really-owns-borsch

Photos:

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Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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