Ukrainian borscht

Ukrainian borscht is a dish of broth with beetroot, sugar beet or fermented beet juice, and the culture of cooking it covers the recipe, the method and the occasion that decides which version is made. On 1 July 2022, at an extraordinary session, UNESCO inscribed the Culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Ukraine had asked for a fast-track review because of the war.

UNESCO describes borscht as a dish with many versions. It is cooked in a large pan or pot and served with bread or garlic buns, pampushky. Women cook it most often, though many men make it too as an everyday dish. The skill passes down in families, and children help in the kitchen from an early age.

Borscht stands for hospitality and brings people of all ages and backgrounds to one table. In Podillia the third day of a wedding still carries the ritual name "to the daughter-in-law for borscht". It appears in tales, songs and proverbs and, for many Ukrainians, is part of who they are.

Why urgent safeguarding? Since February 2022 many bearers of the tradition have been displaced from their communities, and damage to land and farms has cut people off from local vegetables. Even so, communities across Ukraine have rallied around the dish.

For the Holy Supper on Christmas Eve, borscht is made Lenten, with mushrooms and beans, and served with pampushky; festive and wedding tables have their own local versions. The base is always beet.

Why this matters to you: there is no single correct borscht. Ask how it is cooked in your family's village or town and write it down; that is exactly how the tradition survives.