Visiting Family in Ukraine

Today is the day I’ve been looking forward to. Today I get to show you my homeland and the places that are near and dear to my heart from visiting family in Ukraine!

I grew up in a small town called Melitopol in the south-eastern part of the country. It’s been a couple of years since my last visit there and almost 10 years since I left it to start a new life first in the USA and now in Canada.

Being back in Canada, it seems like Ukraine has changed so much from when I was a teenager, but at the same time it feels like I’ve never left. Different but the same, making no sense and complete sense at the same time.

Visiting Kiev

My first stop is Kiev. The capital of Ukraine. The city that is full of churches with gold plated cone tops and other holy places, which are both opulent and symbolic of a deep sense of faith at the same time. A true spiritual uplift place for me.

Ukraine had always been in a special place in my heart. I love my heritage. I love going back to visit. I love the incredible beauty and fascinating history of this country, and I am always interested in staying updated in what is going on in that part of the world. I am Ukrainian, and that has made a significant impact on the person I have become.

Favorite Treats

My feet barely touched the ground in Kiev and I was almost immediately in for a treat. Kyivska Perepichka is a LEGENDARY street food place in Kiev most known for selling what I could best describe as a deep fried hot dog. You weren’t in Kiev, if you haven’t tried it. It’s my best guilty pleasure, and it was my favorite snack as a student. I literally started laughing when I took my first bite because IT WAS SO GOOD. Is that a normal reaction to really good food? Whatever.

Obviously the trip wouldn’t be complete without milk chocolate bar with hazelnuts, caramel and nougat called Nuts, which is sadly nowhere to be found in North America 🙁 I went for KING SIZE of course.

After an overnight ride by train Kiev – Melitopol I am home with my family.

Celebrating my 29th Birthday<– for real! Part-eee!

Family Time

I am so happy to be home and see all my family and friends again. Even the time alone in motherland energizes me.

My grandparent’s house is located right by a church. It’s a place, where I’ve spent most of my childhood summer school breaks. In the old days, the house was part of the church, where some spiritual ceremonies, such as baptizing, have taken place.

If you asked me to describe Ukrainian cuisine, I would say Ukrainian food is very simple and rustic. Simple but by no means plain!

The harsh and long winters mean that my family has to work hard to grow and preserve enough food in the summer to last them through the winter. Once the harvesting season is over, the food is too expensive and mostly not available to purchase. The preserved food is stored in a root cellar, which is full of potatoes, onions, garlic, beets, cabbage, carrots and walls lined with jarred food.

Most people don’t have enough money to spend on extra things. They grow much more than they need for their families to sell the excess in the big cities and make extra money to be able to make ends meet. The money earned by selling excess cucumbers, eggs and dairy is a huge financial help.

The grapes are pressed each fall and fermented into a delicious homemade wine. The wine is so concentrated and strong it’s common to drink it as a shot – all at once.

Many commercial store bought wines are full of sugar and additives, which manufactures use to make their watered-down wines taste better. Our family’s wine is nothing but grapes. That’s it. Just grapes.

Wine making the old school way allows the natural fermentation process to turn grapes into wine. The result is the nectar of God. And the lucky people drinking it are healthy and ohhh-so-happy.

Each morning I was greeted by Julka – my grandparent’s guard dog. I wasn’t really supposed to pet her because she was very dirty, but I petted her anyway. She’s such a sweetheart despite being a guard dog.

As I was taking pictures of the farm animals, my grandma said “Ducks aren’t for taking pictures, they’re for eating!’”

Because you can’t come all the way to Ukraine and not want to try this. Fresh and still warm milk right from under a cow. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Azov Sea Beach

A short 20 min ride will take you to the Azov Sea Beach. It is the most shallow sea in the world. With the depth varying between just 0.9 and 14 meters, it warms up really quick!

Due to the river inflow, water in the sea has low salinity and a high amount of green algae that affects the water colour.

Abundant plankton in the sea results in high seafood productivity.

As you can tell by the pictures I intentionally did a whole lot of nothin’ 🙂 I’m so thankful for the opportunity to relax, eat delicious food and spend valuable time with my family! Visiting family in Ukraine was one of the major highlights of 2015!

Now I’m fully rested up, pumped up and settling back into my cooking groove. There are lots more delicious recipes coming soon!

XOXO