Kotsyurba: A Forgotten Cossack Comfort Food

Kotsyurba, a Cossack dish from Poltava

Long before restaurants and recipe books, Cossack cooking was born of necessity — hearty meals made from what the land and hearth could give. Kotsyurba takes its name from a humble kitchen tool, the oven poker, used to shift vessels in and out of the wood-fired oven as the dish slowly cooked. Its secret: boiled potatoes, fluffy hand-pinched dumplings, golden pork belly cracklings, and a generous scattering of fresh garlic — all brought together on one plate.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6: 800g-1kg potatoes, 400-500g pork belly, 2 onions, 4-5 cloves garlic, salt, bay leaf, fresh dill.

Method

Boil potatoes until tender. Make soft dumplings from kefir, egg, and flour. Fry pork belly until golden with onions. Layer potatoes, dumplings, garlic, and the hot fry together — shake gently so the aroma soaks through everything. Serve with sour cream and pickles.

Nalysnyky with cheese

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The Taste of Ukraine: Kotsyurba and Nalysnyky, recipe collection

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