Mushrooms and mushrooming in Ukraine

[Kathy]

Greetings Vanya. Laryska, Vanya is Ukrainian and lives in Eastern Ukraine. My husband also never said "pyrohy", which in Kiev is similar to "pyrih", a word used for a baked pastry similar to pie. If you said "pyrohy" to my MIL, she would think of a completely different dish. My BIL's father, God rest his soul, was from Eastern Ukraine. He was a Red Army lieutenant captured by the Germans, and was not returned to the USSR because he married a German. He was a Ukrainian language "purist". As an aside, my husband was shocked at how modern his language was, 40 years after leaving Ukraine, but he always read a lot and spoke only Ukrainian in the home (he also still spoke excellent Russian). He considered use of the word "pyrohy" tantamount to sacrilege! They were "vareniki" because they were "vareni" (boiled). Ukrainian language is rich, with many dialects, and we should appreciate them all, pick up some new words or terms, and respect each other.

Tomorrow I am buying oyster mushrooms to prepare as a side dish with chicken.

[Edited by Kathy on 14th December 2002 at 08:24]

[johnstruthers]

Katya, I wish I could come to your house for dinner. You probably already know the recipe for "creaming" the mushrooms, but I'll share it here, it's so simple. A little fat from the chicken, cook the mushrooms a little, add a little flour, cook a little just to get rid of that pasty taste of the flour, add some water and salt and pepper if you like, let it thicken, then stir in lots of sour cream.

The pronunciation thing goes round and round here. In Nikolaev, you hear Russian mixed with Ukrainian, and anything goes. Larysochka is right, technically, on the pronunciation in Ukraine, but Katya, you're right that they're "vareniki" anyway. No matter. As long as they taste good. Enjoy your shrooms tonight, Katya!

[Laryska]

HI Vanya and Kathy,
Yes many Ukrainians have this dispute whether or not to call varenyky, varenyky, or pyrohy, pyrohy. Yes, pyrih is a pie too. I often times have arguments with people which word is right, some use one, others use the other. But, I don't think there is a right or wrong word to use, it is the same dish.
And yes, my family makes mushrooms with cream all the time. This is the best sauce ever, and it is a dish all on it's own. Does anyone every make chicken with cream??? What my Baba used to do was bake a chicken in the oven, and then prepare cream, sort of like the mushroom sauce, and then pour it over the chicken and bake it some more. THe chicken is so tender it falls off the bone, and the cream sauce is excellent.
Happy eating everyone!

[johnstruthers]

Oh heavens yes, Laryska, this is a wonderful dish your Baba prepared. And it makes its own sauce, which is more than the sum of its parts! You can mix it with flowered cabbage or over vermishel, and the feast just goes on and on. I don't think mushrooms have any calories, either. Tasty, simple, good for you. This stuff doesn't make us fat, it just makes us all better looking, right?

[Batukhan]

Originally posted by johnstruthers
Oh heavens yes, Laryska, this is a wonderful dish your Baba prepared. And it makes its own sauce, which is more than the sum of its parts! You can mix it with flowered cabbage or over vermishel, and the feast just goes on and on. I don't think mushrooms have any calories, either. Tasty, simple, good for you. This stuff doesn't make us fat, it just makes us all better looking, right?

I better stay away from these posts ,I am hungry allready ,way too hungry.Mashrooms ,all kind of pierogies,kolduny placki ziemniaczane itc itc ,best food for me too.

[imastudent05]

Hi i'm 12 and my name is Amanda. I have a report and its on ukraine. I have to make a food from this country and bring it to school.It also has to be for alot of students to try out. Well my concern was that I have no idea what to bring or where to buy it. I live in the U.S.A. and i never even heard of the country Ukraine. So if anyone has any idea what i can make please tell me. I know some info on Ukraine but I can't think of what to make. If you have any idea please can you help me? So i can keep my straight A's!
Thank you for listening to me,if you did.
*Amanda*

[Kathy]

Dear Amanda - I think the best thing for you to do is a google search on "Ukrainian recipes". The problem with many traditional Ukrainian recipes is that if unfamiliar, they can be difficult to prepare properly. There are lots of websites that have Ukrainian recipes - maybe you could review some recipes with your Mom's help and choose one you think would be tasty, and not too tough to prepare. Good Luck!