Fish and seafood Many
Cossack hosts were named after rivers along which their members would settle (
Dnieper,
Amur,
Volga,
Don,
Yenisey,
Kuban,
Terek,
Ussuri, and
Yaik), and this connection has influenced the Cossack diet, which is dominated by an abundance of
fish dishes. In
Ivan Kotliarevsky's
Eneida sturgeon,
herring and
roach are mentioned among the fish consumed by the poem's heroes, who were inspired by Zaporozhian Cossacks. Ukrainian ethnographer
Mykola Markevych also mentioned dishes like
borshch with fish,
loaches with horseradish, cutlets made of
pike or
crucian carp, which were popular among Ukrainian Cossacks. Social elite of the
Hetmanate would also use imported fish such as
Dutch herring,
eels,
flounders,
lampreys,
salmon as well as
cuttlefish. Some other local fish species popular during that time included
carp,
catfish,
common bream,
sander. Much of the fish consumed by Cossacks in Ukrainian lands was salted or dried. Fish trade between Ukraine and the Black Sea region during the Cossack era was controlled by
chumaks, but much of the catch was done locally in rivers, such as the
Dnieper and
Desna, or in ponds. Among
Don Cossacks baked carp or
bream are still popular, and they prepare soups and stews with fish, such as
ukha and kulesh. The Don Cossacks' fish dishes include sturgeon,
balyk,
Don herring, scherba (ukha), and small fish fried with onions and eggs.
Other dishes Typical food consumed by Zaporozhian Cossacks consisted of milled grains and flour and included traditional
Ukrainian dishes such as
kasha, , and . During campaigns Cossacks would be supplied by the
hetman administration with basic rations consisting of flour, breadcrumbs, groats and meat. In
Pereyaslav regiment during 1722-1723 a Cossack artillery serviceman would annually receive almost 200 kg of
rye, 50 kg of
wheat and 50 kg of
buckwheat flour, 50 kg of
millet, 15 kg of
salo and 55 g of salt. Cossacks would also eat borshch, which was a universal food for all classes in Ukraine during that era. The diet of the Hetmanate's Cossack elite was much more luxurious in comparison: campaigning in the Caucasus in 1726,
Lubny colonel Yakiv Markovych ordered his wife in Ukraine to send him foods such as
olives,
butter,
ham, dried
tongues,
chicken and
turkeys, as well as
olive oil and various
appetizers. During the Cossack era
beef and
game in Ukraine were consumed mostly by the upper classes; the most commonly eaten meat among the lower classes was
mutton. Don Cossacks traditionally eat porridges,
noodles,
bread and
pies. Stuffed
cabbage rolls and
aspic are also common. A well-known Don dish is watermelon pickled in brine, which is often used as an appetizer for strong
alcoholic drinks.
Desserts Dewberry, fried berries and
honey were mentioned as food by Zaporozhian Cossack colonel Yakiv Markovych in early 18th century. A traditional Don Cossack dessert is
nardek (
watermelon honey). It is usually eaten with
bursak (
bursachki). The influence of oriental cuisine is seen in the use of
raisins, which are added to porridge.
Drinks Consumption of coffee was a traditional attribute of Ukrainian
Cossack starshina. Drinks such as
juice,
tea and
coffee were mentioned by Zaporozhian Cossack officer Yakiv Markovych in early 18th century. Common drinks among the Don Cossacks include
uzvar (a sweet, nonalcoholic drink made with
dried fruits) and
kvass (a low-alcohol grain-based beverage). Kuban Cossacks drink
kissels, brews, and Iryan, a Cossack variant of
ayran similar to
suzma.
Alcohol ) distillery in the Museum of folk architecture and everyday life in Pereyaslav Among products ordered by Zaporozhian Cossack officer Yakiv Markovych from Ukraine during his service in the Caucasus were "wine and good
horilkas", as well as
prune brandy. Historically, a traditional alcoholic beverage of the Don Cossacks was
wine, and winemaking emerged on the Don with the appearance of the first Greek colonies, approximately in the sixth-century B.C.E. The ancient Greek historian
Strabo wrote that during his travels, he visited the mouth of the Don, where the vines were covered with earth for the winter to protect them from snow and frost. However, when the
Polovtsians came to the Don region, followed by the
Tatar-Mongols, winemaking disappeared.
Peter the Great had an opportunity to revive viticulture on the Don. In 1697, the tsar ordered the
Azov governor, Prozorovsky, "to start vineyards". Soon, wine became the most popular drink of the Don again. ==Utensils and etiquette==