Just like other cuisines in the world, Eastern European dishes are unique and truly one of a kind. Considering its location in the world, it doesn’t come as a surprise that this popular cuisine has been influenced by the traditions of Eastern and Northern Europe, East Asia, Siberia, Central Asia, and the Caucuses.
If you have plans to shop from an Eastern European Market Los Angeles, here are some of the most popular dishes that you can try preparing at home.
Borscht Soup
Borscht is an extremely famous soup well-loved all over Russia and Ukraine. This is made of beets, cabbage, potatoes, spring onions, tomatoes, garlic, and carrots with dill leaves used as a garnish.
This is usually prepared as form of vegetarian dish although you can also some meat depending on your preferences. Borscht is among the top comfort foods for many people. Some love to eat this soup during those harsh winter months. This is usually served with brown bread on the side and topped with a spoonful of sour cream.
Okroshka Soup
Okroshka is the soup that is often eaten cold, making it the perfect treat during warms summer months. This can be prepared with kvass, mayonnaise, or yoghurt.
This soup also contains vegetables, usually spring onions and cucumbers that are mixed with boiled egg and sausages, and both of these are cut into tiny cubes.
Just like borscht, okrosha is also garnished with some dill leaves. Enjoying this soup on a warm summer day can surely help cool your body.
Pirozhki
Pirozhki is a type of convenience food or fast food. These are stuffed with different fillings inside, such as meat, liver, cabbage, mushrooms, potato, or combinations of meat and vegetables. These can be baked or fried and can also be served hot or warm. You can enjoy pirozhki with coffee or tea on days when you are running out of time to prepare your usual breakfast. Meat and cabbage are the favorite fillings for pirozhki.
Salat Olivye
A type of traditional potato salad, salat olivye is made up of several ingredients such boiled carrots, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, meat or sausage, boiled green peas, pickled cucumbers, parsley, dill, and mayonnaise. All of these are combined together with black pepper and salt. This salad is among the traditional foods prepared during the celebrations of New Year in Ukraine and Russia.
Solyanka Soup
One more soup that is well-loved is solyanka. Its primary ingredients include sausage, carrots, potatoes, pickled cucumbers, herbs, and onions. Similar to borscht, this is also garnished with dill leaves. However, what makes solyanka different is that black olives are also added to the soup. The sour flavor is probably one of the most distinct characteristics of solyanka. This is served with one spoonful of sour cream topped with a slice of lemon and brown bread on the side.
These are just some of the many delicious Eastern European foods that you can prepare at home, with some ingredients available at Eastern European markets at Los Angeles.
