Belarusian cuisine
Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of vegetables, meat (especially pork), and breads. Foods are usually either slowly cooked or stewed. A typical Belarusian eats a light breakfast and two hearty meals, with dinner being the largest meal of the day. Wheat and rye breads are consumed in Belarus, but rye is more plentiful because conditions are too harsh for growing wheat. To show hospitality, a host traditionally presents an offering of bread and salt when greeting a guest or visitor. Popular drinks in Belarus include Russian wheat vodka and kvass, a drink made from fermented malted brown bread or rye flour. Kvass may also be combined with sliced vegetables to create a cold soup called okroshka.
Draniki
Draniki is a belarusian style shallow fried potato pancakes made of grated potatoes. It is a traditional belarusian dish still very popular in present day Belarus. There are many variations of this simple recipe.
Beef Stew in a Pot
Traditional belarusian beef stew with potatoes and mushrooms cooked in a ceramic pot. Traditionally most belarusian dishes were cooked in a wooden stove using ceramic pots. It is still a popular way to prepare and serve food in modern belarusian cuisine. Various kind of stews can be prepared this way.
Borscht
Borscht is a soup of Belarusian origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color. In some countries, tomato is used as the main ingredient, while beetroot acts as a secondary ingredient. The two main variants of borscht are generally referred to as hot and cold. Both are based on beets, but are otherwise prepared and served differently.
Cold borscht - Its preparation starts with young beets being chopped and boiled, together with their leaves, when available. After cooling down, the soup is usually mixed with sour cream, soured milk , kefir or yoghurt (depending on regional preferences). Typically, raw chopped vegetables, such as radishes or cucumbers, are added and the soup is garnished and flavored with dill or parsley. Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are often added. The soup has a rich pink color which varies in intensity depending on the ratio of beets to dairy ingredients.
Cold borscht - Its preparation starts with young beets being chopped and boiled, together with their leaves, when available. After cooling down, the soup is usually mixed with sour cream, soured milk , kefir or yoghurt (depending on regional preferences). Typically, raw chopped vegetables, such as radishes or cucumbers, are added and the soup is garnished and flavored with dill or parsley. Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are often added. The soup has a rich pink color which varies in intensity depending on the ratio of beets to dairy ingredients.