Salo, kholodez, borscht, and other amazing Ukrainian foods you should taste. Here you’ll find low-carb ideas and a free book of recipes.
Now, Ukraine is well known as the “home of bravery”. But before the war, when you said “Ukraine,” I thought about delicious Ukrainian foods and warm hospitality. Food nourishes not only the body but also the soul in Ukraine.
For those who follow a keto or low-carb diet, Ukrainian cuisine is a real treasure and source of inspiration.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is salo, or pork belly. You can salt pork belly with garlic, herbs, and pepper. You can smoke it, boil it, bake it… Just imagine the Shrimp scene from Forrest Gump and change “shrimp” to “salo”.
Salo can be eaten as an appetizer, with soups, for breakfast. It’s really hard to stop talking about salo. It’s a heritage of Ukraine.
The second thought (or is it the first one?) is about borscht. If you don’t want to offend Ukrainians, don’t call it a soup. This is much, much more. Every household has its own borscht recipe, or even a few, when 2-3 generations live together.
We offer you the recipe from Irina Hkarkovskaya, a Rebels Diet sales manager. She is from Donbass city, Sievierodonetsk. She was forced to flee from Ukraine with her 3 kids after the Russian army destroyed the house she lived in. But wherever a Ukrainian cooks borscht, there is a piece of this beautiful country.
There are also recipes for keto “rye” bread and salo spread in this book.
Aspic
Aspic, or kholodets, is a meat jelly. It is the quintessence of biohacking: it’s a very rich source of collagen.
Aspic contains:
- iron
- vitamin A
- vitamin K
- fatty acids
- selenium
- zinc
- magnesium
- phosphorus
An amino acid called glutamine in aspic may help with leaky gut, inflammatory bowel disease and other digestive problems (Source: Glutamine and the regulation of intestinal permeability: from bench to bedside).
Glycine from aspic can improve sleep and reduce fatigue during the day (Source: The Sleep-Promoting and Hypothermic Effects of Glycine are Mediated by NMDA Receptors in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus).
But most importantly, aspic is a really delicious dish. It is juicy, bright, meaty, and very tender at the same time.
It is a superfood, a very good source of good bacteria, and a very traditional Ukrainian food. It can be served as an appetizer with olive oil and chopped green onion, or sautéed with meat or poultry and added to a soup.
The classic recipe for Chicken Kyiv is not keto, but with a small modification it becomes an amazing main dish.
Holubtsi, or cabbage rolls, are protein and veggies all together.
Cold soups are a wide section in Ukrainian cuisine. And okroshka, with a lot of fresh vegetables and kefir or other fermented drinks, takes a special place in this section and in our hearts.
You can call varenyky a dessert or eat them for breakfast, but either way, you will love them! It’s made from farmer cheese, called tvorog. And it’s also a Ukrainian superfood all by itself.
Lviv syrnyk, or Lviv cheesecake, is a must-try if you want to discover Ukrainian foods. You would also need farmer cheese and chocolate for glazing. Sounds amazing, right?
Our coaches can help you adjust any cuisine to a healthy lifestyle. Try us!
