Don't misunderstand me, please. This little girl loves not only ice cream. While searching, she's got an interesting culinary experience. So far, she found 4 sculptures dedicated to yummies. Together with her, you will learn today what are well-known Chicken Kyiv, Kyiv cake, Kyiv coffee, and Kyiv candied fruit. These are our "must-try" and things you can bring home as a gift.
Oh, side note for those who missed previous parts. The idea of "Shukai!" ("Search") project is to learn the history of the city without a guide. People walk, found mini-sculptures and open to the site with information about them by QR-code.
But first thing's first. We have a lot to see and try today, so wheels up!
Chicken Kyiv
Oooh, it's the most famous delicious culinary symbol of the Ukrainian capital. Okay, one of two :D By the way, this mini sculpture was the very first from the series installed 3 years ago, in Jan 2019. It is located in Gorodetsky Square, near the restaurant of the famous Ukrainian restaurateur Dmytro Borysov, which is also named Chicken Kyiv. On the outer window sill.
Rub me and you will always be full up and healthy.
In the XІXth century "breaded deep-fried cutlet made from chicken meat" had the name "côtelette de volaille". The recipe for its preparation is very similar. The difference is that in Kyiv cutlets the filling is butter, to which spices are added: herbs, pepper, cheese, egg yolk. In Kyiv, in the restaurant of the hotel "Continental", such chicken cutlets were prepared since the early twentieth century.
The popularity of the "Chicken Kyiv" cutlet was promoted by diplomatic treats at the level of representatives of the UN founding states. Also, when they served this dish at a diplomatic reception with instructions on how to eat it.
In Kyiv, cutlets are often served on a chicken bone, with a paper shoe. There is also a fish version, they say it's worth trying.
I've tried different recipes and servings, but I've never been to this particular restaurant. Their prices aren't too expensive, and I feel like going to visit them with Sonja one day.
Kyiv coffee
Rub me and you will feel awake.
You have probably heard the legend that connects coffee with Ukraine. Cossack Yuri-Franz Kulczycki received from Polish King Jan III Sobieski three hundred bags of coffee as a reward for saving Vienna, where he opened his own coffee shop.
But coffee was first brought to Kyiv by Arab merchants during the reign of Volodymyr the Great.
From the middle of the XIX century, Kyiv's coffee history acquires a new taste. Raw grains brought from abroad are fried in Kyiv, in a special factory. A visit to the confectionery, where coffee is served, becomes a sign of wealth.
At the corner of Khreshchatyk and Prorizna streets, there was a confectionery "Georges", founded by a native of Prussia Georges Dortenman. The most expensive coffee of world-famous varieties and cakes "from George" were tasted here in elegant porcelain cups.
Nearby was another confectionery, which has become a popular center for business meetings. While tasting coffee, its regulars not only discussed stock market news but also enjoyed reading fresh newspapers or playing chess. During business negotiations, partners often calculated costs and benefits by writing the numbers in pencil on the marble surface of the tables. This is the story of the mini-sculpture.
When a telephone station was opened on Khreshchatyk, the enterprising owner bought the first telephone number in the city, where the one could book a table in his confectionery. Wow!
After such an interesting story Sonja felt the urge to drink coffee immediately right here! I mean, in the "City Zen" cafe where the mini sculpture is located. Besides, 2 years ago I worked here in this building, Panorama Bussiness Center, so I don't mind at all to recall those times. We will not write with a pencil on the table, just drink a cappuccino and move on.
And now it's a good time for the special dessert!
Kyiv cake
Rub me and you will always be slim. (Haha, Sonja said)
There is no Ukrainian who would not know about Kyiv cake. In the days of my childhood and youth, everyone who arrived from Kyiv did not dare to come to their hometown without the main gift for family and friends - Kyiv cake, a delicious treat with crispy meringue and fragrant nuts that could be found only in Kyiv. It was expensive, but for me, there was nothing tastier than it was baked anywhere around Ukraine. Except, of course, home baking.
Only the Kyiv cake, which was baked at the Karl Marx factory, was considered a true one. Repurchases brought them in big cars or trucks to the train station so you can buy one before the train left. In the shop by the factory, the cakes were the cheapest and freshest, but there were always long queues. They said that people have been queuing since 4 am!
The legends of the recipe remind me of similar legends of the famous "Sacher" cake. Officially, the recipe was invented in 1956 and patented in 1973. The detailed original recipe at the Kyiv factory is still kept secret.
Over time, the recipe has changed. Cashew nuts, which were specially imported from India, were later replaced by domestic hazelnuts. At the request of the sanitary service, the egg custard gave way to butter and cream. But the design of the package has never changed - the round box always depicts a green branch of chestnut and two funny chestnuts. Years ago, they were painted by hand, and the pictures were a little different (I remember that!), but now it is standardized and also serves as protection against forgery.
By the way, the chestnut tree is another well-known symbol of Kyiv, but this will be another story.
The mini-sculpture is installed on the facade of the confectionery factory "Roshen" - the former Karl Marx factory, where the original recipe was created.
Once, I worked nearby here too and sometimes paid a visit to their candy shop but I wasn't here for a while. They did a reconstruction, get rid of an ugly fence, and now it looks like a nice space. But the best time to visit it is December. They used to make one the most beautiful and creative lighting for their buildings in the city. I even liked to crawl in a traffic jam if I could watch their Christmas garlands.
Okay, of course, Sonja did not want to return home without a Kyiv cake, at least the small one. It turned out that I forgot my face mask in the car so Nick and Sonja came in and I was waiting for them by the entrance and taking pictures of the new design. I must admit that I really liked it, especially the idea of candies in windows.
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This is the proof, lol. The cake was delicious, we all missed it.
But before I finish, here is the last culinary symbol of Kyiv.
Kyiv candied fruit
Rub me and you will not get sick in winter.
This time, not everyone knows what it is. I learned about Kyiv candied fruits (in Ukrainian, it sounds like a dry jam) a few years ago when I was looking for something to bring from Ukraine to our friends from Georgia.
Meanwhile, these are traditional Kyiv delicacies, the recipe of which has long been considered forgotten. But now it is revived, and tourists are happy to buy a sweet souvenir in memory of our city.
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[//]:# (!pinmapple 50.462113 lat 30.516946 long Sonja on new diet. Culinary Kyiv, parts #12-15 d3scr)
The tradition of making syrups, jams, and candied fruits has existed in Kyiv since ancient times. Back in 1386, sweets from Kyiv were sent to the wedding of Grand Duke of Lithuania - Władysław Jagiełło.
The production of "Dry Jam" - transparent slices of fruit, repeatedly boiled in sugar syrup, dried and rolled in crushed sugar or powdered sugar, became an industrial basis in the late XVIII - early XIX centuries.
Later, "Kyiv dry jam" was skyrocketing. It was even served at the imperial table in St. Petersburg.
But during the Civil War, the owners of Kyiv Dry Jam left the city, and the recipe for the dry jam was lost. Finally, in 2014, producers of dry jam reappeared in Kyiv. They not only restored the old recipe but also added new features to it. Now you can eat candied fruit not only from fruits but also from vegetables.
This mini-sculpture is installed in a cozy courtyard, at the wall of the building where Druzi cafe (cafe Friends) and Dream Hostel are located. Another new place to visit :)
Few... Thank you so much for making it to the end! Hopefully, you enjoyed our walk and searching. Winter is not yet a reason to stay at home. It was -12 С this morning but it was sunny and it felt warm! Quarantine is a good opportunity to explore and find new places in our hometowns :o)
Stay tuned, because the next part will be interesting and picturesque!
Previous mini-symbols of Kyiv and their's stories, parts 1-11:
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