There is probably no dish that means as much to Ukrainians as borscht. This beet soup beloved in many eastern European countries embodies their identity.
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00:00Borscht reflects the culinary identity of Ukraine like no other dish.
00:13And for many Ukrainians, it's much more than a simple soup.
00:24Borscht is a popular dish loved by Ukrainians, Europeans, Americans and Asians.
00:32If you tried it and didn't like it, you may have been served the wrong kind.
00:39If you will take borscht from us, you can also take the language for us and you can
00:44also take the lifestyle from us and then tell me what nation we are.
00:54According to some estimates, the Russian attack on Ukraine caused hundreds of thousands of
00:58deaths and injuries and displaced more than 6 million people since it began in early 2022.
01:06Russia's aim is to conquer and dominate the country.
01:10Ukraine is now trying to survive while preserving its own identity.
01:15That includes preserving its language and traditions.
01:22And the national dish borscht belongs to this effort.
01:28Many people consider borscht a Russian dish, but the exact origins are in dispute.
01:33There are many indications that it originated in Ukraine.
01:39The most common ingredient added to borscht is beetroot.
01:42However, there are several types of beets, such as red beets, salad beets, heart beets,
01:48etc.
01:49All types of borscht mostly include greens, although there are variations that are cooked
01:53without greens and instead include garlic, onions, beets, potatoes or tomatoes.
02:00Every family, every cook, every chef is adding to the borscht.
02:08So it's like in France when you have to cook the perfect eggs to be the chef.
02:13Here the same.
02:14You have to do the perfect borscht as you only can to be the chef.
02:17It doesn't matter what kind of cuisine you're cooking.
02:21Main idea is that what is your borscht about.
02:28This question pops up everywhere, including in the kitchen of Yevhen Klopotenko's restaurant
02:34in the capital Kyiv.
02:36He's pushing for borscht to be recognized as Ukrainian cultural heritage.
02:47Further east, at Olena Shcherban's local history museum, it's all about this beetroot soup.
02:57Today we are preparing borscht in a clay pot.
03:00It's a traditional Ukrainian borscht made in the oven.
03:03Cooking in the oven is very simple and easy.
03:05We place the meat here, fill it with water and add vegetables.
03:10Apart from having all kinds of vegetables, borscht can have dozens of further ingredients.
03:16The broth can be made with beef or pork, fish or even mushrooms, depending on the region.
03:24Fried lard gives a strong flavor.
03:27Pork ribs and vegetables are added.
03:31Kvas, or fermented red beets, takes care of the acidity.
03:38The smoke from a traditional oven gives it the final touch.
03:45Borscht comes in all forms, with all kinds of ingredients.
03:48There is not a single borscht recipe, nor one way of cooking it.
03:55All Ukrainian borscht has one thing in common.
03:58It is mostly boiled, the key is boiling.
04:08Borscht is prepared and eaten all over Ukraine, from the countryside to the cities, despite
04:14international cuisine gaining in popularity.
04:19For many here, borscht is more than just a simple dish.
04:24It represents our culture and the culinary skills of our women.
04:30The first dish for lunch should always be borscht, breakfast, tea, coffee and for lunch
04:35there should be soup or borscht.
04:40What does borscht mean for Ukraine?
04:43Probably everything.
04:46UNESCO has added the practice of Ukrainian borscht preparation to the list of endangered
04:51intangible cultural heritages in need of preservation, but it did not exclusively declare
04:56borscht as a cultural heritage belonging only to Ukraine.
05:02It is also integral to the cuisine of Russia, Belarus, the Baltics and Poland.
05:08Here in Ukraine, though, borscht is part of a culinary and cultural identity that people
05:14are ready to defend and prevent from being appropriated by Russia.