Babusya’s Ukrainian Cookbook
Kaela is a returned Peace Corps volunteer and current graduate student. She is passionate about people, travel, and all things food.
Peace, Understanding, and Resilience through Food
Evacuation and Invasion
In March 2020, over 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers received the call that they had mere hours to evacuate to the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers, who dedicate two years of service to a global community, were devastated to leave behind their friends, work counterparts, and host families. In Ukraine, over 300 Volunteers were evacuated.
Despite the shock and fear of the evacuation and global pandemic, many volunteers spent the majority of 2020 and 2021 dreaming of returning to their communities in Ukraine. This dream seemed a possibility in late 2021 when the Peace Corps announced that they would be restarting programs in several countries in the spring of 2022. Unfortunately, once again Peace Corps Ukraine Volunteers woke to shocking news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the morning of February 24th, 2022
“It’s still painful to read the news today. I’m still in touch with all of my closest friends in Ukraine [and] it sometimes physically hurts to know what is happening to them. It all seems so unfair.” laments Sarah Friedman, a returned volunteer who served in Poltava oblast.
Uniting for Action
Unable to return to the communities they care so deeply for, they feared for the safety of their friends and former colleagues. Volunteers quickly sprang into action with The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Alliance for Ukraine (RPCV Alliance for Ukraine). Volunteers are involved in everything from free English language tutoring, political action and activism, humanitarian aid deliveries, and perhaps most publicly… food.
Within two days of the invasion, the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine organized an emergency meeting attended by nearly 150 people. Many more joined a Crisis Response group on social media, where they coordinated evacuations, shared notes on emergency housing options, and worked through the challenges of international financial transfers. A suggestion to revamp a beloved Peace Corps Ukraine cookbook, “Babusya’s Kitchen,” became an ideal opportunity for fundraising.
The Universal Language of Food
Babusya’s Kitchen was originally intended as a guide for newly arrived volunteers in Ukraine. When volunteers arrive in their country of service, they face many challenges including lacking the language skills to express themselves. Food then becomes the de facto language between volunteers and their communities, a neutral space of creativity, culture, learning, and history. Through food, we can express love, patience, tolerance, and respect. Food is essential not only for the physical survival of volunteers while in service, but also for their emotional well-being.
“As an act of peaceful protest, the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine—in direct support of the Peace Corps’ 3rd goal to strengthen Americans’ understanding of the world and its people—is republishing Babusya’s Kitchen to raise funds for Ukraine relief efforts.”
Beautiful illustrated page from Babusya's Cookbook
After 2022, Babusya’s Kitchen took on a new meaning.
The new Babusya’s Kitchen cookbook was successfully published in 2022 and is composed of 105 recipes. Each recipe is created with love and pride, whether originating from a volunteer at the end of their monthly food stipend making their hryvna’s (Ukrainian currency) stretch just a few more meals, or originating in a Ukrainian grandmother’s (babusya) kitchen. The recipes are tried and true, tested by hundreds of volunteers and generations of Ukrainians. The end result is an eclectic book with fun anecdotes about Peace Corps service and interesting facts about Ukrainian cuisine and culture. Perhaps most compelling, the pages are filled with vibrant photos of Ukraine, drawing the reader in and making them feel as if they are living through a volunteer’s lens.
Babusya’s Kitchen is a testament to the power of cultural exchange and understanding, the first two of the three principal goals of the Peace Corps. It is a testament to the pride of Ukrainians and the importance of preserving their culture.
Memories, stories, and love all live on through cooking.
Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory
To date, Babusya’s Kitchen has sold over 4,000 copies. All proceeds go towards funding humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine through the Alliance’s Peremoha Mini-Grants program, benefiting schools, orphanages, and community centers in Ukraine.
In Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, a dedicated nonprofit organization received funds from the Peremoha Mini Grant to preserve food for vulnerable communities during the harsh winter months. Given the short harvesting season in the Carpathian Mountains, the provision of a refrigerator and canning supplies allowed this group to increase their food preservation efforts by 50%. Their relentless dedication ensured the collection, canning, and distribution of food to families and hospitals in need, making a significant impact on the well-being of those they serve.
Babusya’s Kitchen is a cookbook made with love and resilience. With Babusya’s Kitchen, cooking becomes an act of remembrance and solidarity with all the Babusi and Ukrainians fighting for the right to live in peace.
Purchase
Learn to cook a pot of borshch and cabbage rolls for a good cause! The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine, an independent nonprofit organization, is proud to share Babusya’s Kitchen to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Ukrainians needed due to Russia’s unprovoked war and raise awareness in the United States of Ukrainian cuisine and culture.
For more information and to purchase a copy of Babusya’s Kitchen visit The Returned Peace Corps Alliance for Ukraine’s website.
Kaela Werchniak
Kaela Werchniak is a recent university graduate who studied International Relations and Spanish. She spent four years in Arizona seeking the best taco, of which she found many. She has eaten her way through 15 countries while letting the locals guide her to each new spot. Kaela believes there is no better way to explore than through food, as it is the heart and soul of any and every culture. She is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who was stationed in the Andean region of Colombia. She is passionate about people, travel, and all things food.
Read more from Kaela WerchniakMedovyk (Ukrainian Honey Cake)
Halyna is the baker/owner of a cottage bakery specializing in Eastern Eurpean baked goods. Baked with passion, served with love!
Medovyk, or “honey cake” in English, is a very special addition to Babusya’s Kitchen, provided by a Ukrainian baker, Galyna Halavurta. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Galyna, like many other Ukrainians, searched for ways to send help to Ukraine. She started offering virtual baking classes of this delicious cake. Now, she shares her secrets with the readers of Babusya’s Kitchen.
For Galyna, baking has always been a special way to connect with those around her and express her emotions. “Honey cake has always been that special treat for me and my friends,” she told us. Together, the soft honey layers with the sour cream frosting create a delicate and light dessert that pairs nicely with a cup of tea or coffee, or even for breakfast for those with a sweet tooth.
Ingredients
For the honey cake layers:
- 79 ml (⅓ cup) honey
- 115 grams (½ cup) butter
- 99 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 420 grams (3½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
For the cream filling:
- 710 ml (3 cups) heavy whipping cream
- 99 grams (1½ cups) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 490 grams (2 cups) sour cream (smetana)
- 20–30 pieces of dried prunes,
For decoration:
- 50 grams (2 ounces) roasted walnuts
Preparation
- For the honey cake layers: To a medium saucepan, add the honey, butter, and sugar, and melt them together over medium heat, whisking until all of the ingredients are melted and the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs. Whisk vigorously until the eggs are incorporated.
2. Add the baking soda and sprinkle it with lemon juice to activate the baking soda. Whisk the mixture until no lumps remain. Fold in the flour gradually with a spatula. If you see the dough doesn’t come together and is still very sticky, you can add a bit more flour. If you have extra time, place the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour, making it easier to roll.
3. Preheat the oven to 204°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 7 pieces. Flour a work surface and roll each piece into a thin 23 cm (9-inch) circle around .3 cm (⅛-inch) thick. Place a 23 cm (9-inch) plate or cake pan over the rolled dough and trace around it with a knife to get an even circle. Keep the scraps, as they will be used for decoration.
4. Working in batches, place the layers on the prepared baking sheet and bake the layers for 5 to 6 mins or till they turn a golden color. Transfer the layers to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Bake the scraps as well. Once the baked scraps are cooled, pulse them together with the roasted walnuts in a food processor or chop them very finely.
5. For the cream filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with the sugar until the cream is fluffy and stiff. Add the vanilla extract if using, and fold in the sour cream with a spatula.
6. To assemble and decorate: Spread the cream generously on each cake layer and, if using, spread the prunes over the first two layers. Spread the remaining cream on the top and sides of the cake. Dust the top and the sides with the crumbs. Place the cake in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so the cake layers absorb the cream and soften. Decorate the top of the cake with a sprinkling of the walnut mixture.
Halyna Halavurta
Halyna is the baker/owner of a cottage bakery specializing in Eastern Eurpean baked goods. Baked with passion, served with love!
Read more from Halyna Halavurta
