Halushky

Halushky are an ancient traditional dish of Ukrainian cuisine, small pieces of boiled dough, simple and hearty. They are so rooted in Ukrainian culture that they have become a folk symbol of plenty and cosiness, sung in folklore (recall Gogol's Patsiuk, to whom halushky jumped into the mouth by themselves).

The dough for halushky is made simply — of flour, water or milk, egg, and salt. It is either rolled out and cut into pieces, or pinched or spooned and dropped into boiling water or stock, where they quickly float up cooked. Halushky come in several kinds: the classic flour ones, the more tender curd ones (with added curd cheese), and the potato ones (in Galicia called “paliushky”). They are served in various ways: as a stand-alone dish, drizzled with onion fried in lard with cracklings and sour cream, or as a component of a soup, where they replace noodles. Poltava halushky with a fried topping are one of the most famous regional dishes, and in Poltava a monument to the halushka has even been erected. This unpretentious but sincere dish is an example of Ukrainian culinary ingenuity, when from a minimum of simple products nourishing and beloved food is made.