Uzvar

Uzvar (from the word for “to boil down”) is a traditional Ukrainian drink made by infusing or lightly boiling dried fruit and berries. It is a ritual drink, the inseparable companion of kutia on the Christmas Eve, symbolising together with it plenty and the continuation of the family line.

The base of uzvar is dried apples, pears, plums (prunes), cherries, and also raisins, which give the drink natural sweetness, a rich colour, and a full aroma. Unlike compote, which is often boiled from fresh fruit and served at once, uzvar is made precisely from dried fruit and, importantly, is not boiled long but rather brought to the boil and left to infuse, to keep the maximum of flavour, aroma, and goodness. It is usually sweetened with honey, and spices are sometimes added. Uzvar is served both warm and chilled. Besides the Christmas table, it is simply a tasty, wholesome, and refreshing drink, rich in vitamins, that quenches thirst wonderfully. It was long prized in Ukrainian families as a natural source of health in the cold season. Uzvar is the taste of Ukrainian winter, of the holiday, and of homely warmth.