Ukrainian potato salad

You have to try this delicious Ukrainian potato salad. This simply belongs on every holiday table! Try him!

Ukrainian potato salad and its history

There seems to be no European country that doesn’t serve potato salad around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. A Ukrainian potato salad also belongs naturally on the holiday table, 

It has a real success story behind it, as it was originally served to the Russian aristocracy and then found its way into every Ukrainian home. 

The olive jelly salad

The most famous potato salad in Ukraine is the Olivjé salad. Its inventor, Lucien Olivier, was a Belgian-French chef who opened the Ermitage restaurant in Moscow in 1864 – not to be confused with the famous art museum in Saint Petersburg. 

The salad he presented there won over the Russian upper class, especially because of the salad dressing. Lucien Olivier did not reveal the recipe for this throughout his life and finally took it to his grave.

Internationally, Olivjé salad is therefore also listed on menus as “Russian salad” or “Olivier salad”.

At the end of the 19th century, a former chef at the restaurant tried to recreate the sauce, but failed.

Therefore, to this day, many variants of the salad are grouped together under the name Salad Olivjé. Most are made with pickled cucumbers, chicken, hard-boiled eggs, carrots, and peas, along with potatoes, and have a mayonnaise salad dressing.

In the original recipe, however, Lucien Olivier used wild hazel grouse, veal tongue, black caviar, lettuce, crayfish, gherkins, capers and hard-boiled eggs.

Then, in the Soviet era, olivjé salad became a traditional holiday meal in Ukraine. Especially on the eve of the New Year, one of the most important holidays, Olivjé salad is served as an integral part of a rich buffet.

Basic recipe Ukrainian potato salad

Ingredients:

• 8 potatoes
• 5 carrots
• 300g meat sausage
• 5 eggs
• 2 onions
• 5 salted cucumbers
• 1 can of peas (400 ml)
• 1/2 bunch of dill
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 500 ml mayonnaise

Prepare:

1. Boil potatoes and 3 carrots in lightly salted water for 30 minutes. If they pass the sample, they’re done. 

Sample: Pierce the potato with a sharp knife or fork. If you can pierce it through to the core, it’s done.

1. Let potatoes and carrots cool. Boil the eggs for 8 minutes and rinse under cold water. Peel the potatoes and eggs and cut into small cubes with the carrots.
2. Dice the onions, cucumber and beef sausage and add to the eggs, potatoes and carrots in a large bowl. Add the peas.
3. Coarsely grate 2 carrots and braise in a little oil on low heat for 10 minutes. Pour into the bowl when cool.
4. Salt and pepper the salad to taste and add the mayonnaise. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Note: Since the ingredients already contain a lot of salt, just season with pepper before salting.

Make your own mayonnaise

Salad dressings differ in dressing and mayonnaise. 

Mayonnaise is always an emulsion of oil, egg yolk and lemon juice or vinegar, while dressing is used as a term for all other salad dressings.

And not only dressing, but also mayonnaise you can easily make yourself and add your own flavor.

Make classic mayonnaise yourself

You need:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 250ml canola oil
• white wine vinegar to taste
• autumn to taste
• Pepper salt

Prepare:

1. Mix the mustard and egg yolk with a hand blender.
2. Stir in the oil in several batches.
3. Add white wine vinegar to taste, tablespoon at a time, and pepper and salt the mixture.
4. Mix in the chopped herbs

You can dilute mayonnaise that is too thick with water and thicken it with oil if it is too thin.

The oil must be divided into smaller portions, otherwise the emulsion may break.

Make vegan mayonnaise yourself

You need:

• 125 g unsweetened soy milk 
• 125ml canola oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• autumn to taste
• Pepper salt

Prepare:

1. Combine the soy milk, mustard and white wine vinegar in a high-sided container using an immersion blender.
2. Slowly pour into the oil while stirring.
3. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and mix in the chopped herbs.

Vegan mayonnaise that is too thick can be liquefied with a little more soy milk and too thin with more oil.

Not all milk substitutes are suitable for vegan mayonnaise. Make sure you use a soy-based liquid.

Shelf life of Ukrainian potato salad

A Ukrainian potato salad with homemade mayonnaise will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days if tightly sealed and refrigerated consistently. Since the egg in the mayonnaise goes bad quickly, you should not exceed this time.

With homemade vegan mayonnaise, it can be stored for 3 to 4 days as it does not contain eggs. However, the taste and consistency also disappear after 2 days, so fresh consumption is recommended.

The Ukrainian New Year

In 1582 there was a calendar reform: The after Pope Gregory XIII. The so-called Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar, whose leap year regulation did not work precisely enough and thus drew calendar and solar years apart over the centuries.

The Gregorian calendar prevailed over time against all other calendars. However, the Russian Orthodox Church only adopted it at the beginning of the 20th century, when the two calendars already differed by 13 days. 

Many holidays continue to be calculated according to the Julian calendar, which is why Easter and Christmas do not coincide with the holidays of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Russian October Revolution of October 25, 1917 is also sometimes referred to as the November Revolution because it took place on November 7, 1917 according to the Julian calendar.

The so-called “Old New Year’s Eve” according to the Julian calendar is therefore on the evening of January 13 according to the Gregorian calendar. Even today it is traditionally celebrated in many Ukrainian areas, especially on the border with Romania, and people wish a “Happy New Old Year”. 

Over time, the pre-Christian tradition of celebrating the New Year was pragmatically adapted to the Christian holiday. Since St. Malania the Younger is commemorated on December 31st and St. Vasyl on January 13th, the Julian New Year’s Eve is also called Malanka Eve.

On this evening, the young people in the village go from farm to farm in costume, sing folk and Christmas carols, jump over campfires and dance to it. This is said to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck, prosperity and health for the new year.

In some regions, young women and men also dress up as the characters Malania and Vasyl, although the stories told with the costumes differ from region to region. 

On the first morning of the new year, the young men visit their neighbors, families and friends and scatter wheat or rye on their doorsteps. They wish prosperity and well-being for the residents of the house. 

This tradition is reserved exclusively for men and is based on a popular belief: whoever welcomes a man as the first visitor in the new year will receive prosperity and good fortune throughout the year. As thanks, the men receive money and sweets from the hosts.

The Ukrainian New Year’s meal

In addition to potato salad, there are several other foods and dishes that play an important role in the Ukrainian New Year celebrations.

tangerines

The tradition of having tangerines in the house on New Year’s Day and eating them on New Year’s Day dates back to the Soviet Union. Since citrus and other more exotic fruits were scarce and you had to be “lucky” to buy them, they were considered good luck charms over time. 

Even if the supply of citrus fruits is no longer a problem today, the tangerine has become an integral part of New Year’s Eve.

Herring under a fur coat

Behind the curious name is a colorful layered lettuce that is very similar to the Olivier lettuce.

You need:

• 300 grams of herring
• 1 onion
• 3-4 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 3 eggs
• 500 g beet root
• 1 green apple
• 150 ml mayonnaise

Prepare:

1. Boil potatoes in lightly salted water for 30 minutes. Here, too, check by random sampling whether they are done. Then let it cool down.
2. Boil the eggs for 8 minutes and rinse with cold water. Then peel the potatoes and eggs and cut into small cubes.
3. Dice the onion and beetroot and mix with the eggs and potatoes in a bowl with the mayonnaise. 

layers:

1. Spread the herring in strips or cubes on a plate. Then layer the lettuce on top.
2. Grate the apple and use it to cover the surface well.
3. Grate the carrots over the apple layer.
4. Decorate the edge of the salad with beetroot slices.

There are many stories about the origin of the tradition of eating herring salad on New Year’s Eve. Many have to do with the fact that the nutritious herring salad forms a good basis for not getting drunk despite the high spirits and alcoholic drinks.

Crimean champagne

As in many European traditions, the new year in Ukraine begins at midnight sharp with a glass of sparkling wine and a good wish. Anyone who manages to do this on time will have their wish come true in the coming year.

Krimsekt is not protected as a name and is often made from grapes that do not come from Crimea. However, it is almost exclusively produced in Ukraine and exported from there to neighboring countries.

caviar

Slices of white bread with butter and red caviar or eggs filled with caviar are a popular snack during the evening and are usually served with Crimean sparkling wine.

Red caviar comes from salmon and is much larger than real caviar. From Eastern Europe it made its way to Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, where it is often used for sushi because of its bright colour. Japan is therefore the largest sales market for red caviar today.

brown

Making jelly is quite expensive. It is therefore rarely served outside of festive days and is a much-loved highlight on the New Year’s Eve buffet.

You need:

• 2 pig feet
• 2 chicken thighs
• 1 package cake glaze (clear)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt pepper

Prepare:

1. Boil pork feet in salted water for 2-3 hours. In another pot, cook the chicken thighs for 40 minutes.
2. Cut both into small pieces and salt and pepper the broth.
3. Dissolve the cake glaze with 2 tablespoons of water and add both broths. 
4. Place the meat in a large bowl and pour the broth over it. Refrigerate until the jelly is firm.

Napoleon cake

The layered buttercream cake is one of the most popular Ukrainian desserts. She is very sweet and very powerful, but must not be missing from any major celebration.

You need for the dough:

• 500g flour
• 250 grams of butter
• 1 egg
• 200ml of cold water
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation of dough:

1. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and knead with a hand mixer fitted with a dough hook. 
2. Make a well in the middle. Add the egg and water there and knead everything into a smooth dough. The dough is ready when you no longer feel any lumps.
3. Divide the dough into eight parts and leave covered in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
4. Then roll out each portion into a circle 24 cm in diameter. Prick it several times with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 210 degrees (convection) for 10 minutes until golden.
5. Let cool and meanwhile prepare the buttercream.

For the buttercream you need:

• 300 grams of butter
• 400 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 200ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar

Prepare buttercream:

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of milk and mix with the eggs.
2. Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan, but do not boil yet. Meanwhile, add the egg-starch mixture while stirring constantly.
3. Let the entire mixture cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until it has a firm, creamy consistency.
4. Pour the mixture into a bowl, stir in the vanilla sugar and cover and refrigerate. Stir occasionally to avoid skin formation and lumps.
5. Cream the butter and pour into the condensed milk in batches. Stir into the cream when it has completely cooled.

Layering the cake:

1. Generously spread the buttercream on one of the pastry bases and place the next on top. Spread this over it too and repeat the process until you have two layers of dough left.
2. Crumble one of the pastry bases and use the other to cover the layered cake. 
3. Spread the sides with buttercream as well and let the whole cake stand for 60 minutes.
4. Then put a pan filled with water on the cake to weigh it down and let it press for at least 3 hours. 
5. Then decorate the cake with the crumbled pastry base and the remaining cream. It is best left in the fridge for a day before serving.