Hretchka

This blog is supposedly about my culinary experience in Ukraine, but, as I realized yesterday, I have been lazy about posting actual Ukrainian Cuisine.  Hretchka is a staple here, and all the Americans I know who live here either love it or hate it.  I’m in the first camp, but that may have something to do with the way I prepare it.  Hretchka is roasted whole buckwheat groats.  The name means “Greek” which is somewhat strange considering that buckwheat originates in East Asia, and was most likely brought to this part of the world by the Mongols.  By itself Hretchka has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor, but the nice thing about it is that it is good with almost anything.  I often eat it for breakfast with fried eggs and hot sauce, but this post is about a more dinner appropriate combination.

Endless Summer

A summer morning visit to the market plunges one into a sea of grandmothers selling fruits and vegetables brought from their cottages, gardens, and villages. Each week sees the arrival of one variety and the departure of another; everything is extremely seasonal as all of it is grown within 100 kilometers of the city. The only consistent factor is the double-take prices. I bought organic tomatoes for about 20 cents per kilo, cucumbers for 15, cherries for about $1 per kilo. The downside of this frenzy is that come winter, the prices jump almost fifteen-fold. So, I, like a good Ukrainian, bought kilo upon kilo of vegetables this summer and heated up my apartment with afternoons of canning. Now in January I can enjoy the bounty of the Ukrainian summer. Here’s a sampling of some of the prettiest jars in my closet.

From left, back row: salsa, peeled and seeded tomatoes, salted tomatoes, giardiniera; front row: melon jam, roasted bell peppers, mosarda, pear-lemon-ginger jam, pickled eggplant.