23.12.2013
PEOPLE'S TOP: Favorite dishes of Ukrainians
- Rating Group continues its People’s TOP project, a series of studies aimed at identifying “the best of the best.” The distinctive feature of the methodology is that respondents are not provided with any lists or prompts and give their answers exclusively through open-ended questions, naming their own options. In this wave, respondents were asked to name their three favorite dishes, regardless of the cuisine of origin. The results show that borshch is by far the most popular dish among Ukrainians, chosen by 44% of respondents. It is followed by varenyky at 18%, especially those filled with cottage cheese, potatoes, and cherries, as well as shashlik at 10%, kholodets at 7%, cutlets at 6%, and pork chops at 5%. Other meat dishes together account for 14%, with sausage, French-style meat, and fried or stewed meat being the most frequently mentioned. About 7% named plov as their favorite dish and 4% roast, while only 4% of respondents chose salo as their top dish. Dumplings were mentioned by 10%, various potato dishes such as mashed potatoes at 11% and fried potatoes at 8% were also very common, while salads were highly popular, including Olivier at 11%, “Shuba” at 4%, and other salads at 10%, such as vegetable, vinaigrette, Greek, crab, meat, and Caesar salads. Fish dishes were named by 10% of respondents, with preferences for fried, stuffed, or jellied fish, herring, and seafood. Around 9% of respondents selected baked goods and desserts such as syrnyky, pies, ice cream, cottage cheese casserole, and fruit, while pancakes were chosen by 4%, mainly with cottage cheese filling. Other soups besides borshch were mentioned by 10%, including okroshka, solyanka, green borshch, broth, cabbage soup, kharcho, pea soup, and rassolnik, while various cereals were mentioned by 4%, mainly buckwheat, milk porridge, oatmeal, and kulish.
- Overall, Ukrainians’ top favorite dishes are borshch, varenyky, and meat-based dishes, with meat clearly preferred over potatoes and far more than fish. The culture of soups and desserts is well developed, and various salads are also relatively popular, even though most of them are not traditionally Ukrainian. Newer dishes such as pizza, chosen by 4%, and sushi, chosen by 2%, are gaining popularity. Ukrainians are generally very willing to share their food preferences, with only 4% unable to name a favorite dish. Regional differences are pronounced: in the West, cabbage rolls, varenyky, and potato pancakes are especially popular; in the Center, fish dishes, kholodets, and salo; in the North, potatoes, soups, and pork chops; in the South, dumplings, fried potatoes, and plov; and in the East and Donbas, salads and meat dishes such as Olivier and shashlik, as well as okroshka and “Shuba” salad.
- Age, education, and gender also shape culinary tastes. With increasing age and lower levels of education, respondents more often choose traditional Ukrainian dishes such as borshch, varenyky, and potatoes. Younger people prefer Olivier salad, shashlik, and fried or baked potatoes, while higher education is associated with a stronger preference for salads, shashlik, and pork chops. Non-traditional dishes such as pizza and sushi are especially popular among young people and those with higher education. Men gravitate toward heavier dishes like varenyky, shashlik, dumplings, fried or baked potatoes, and salo, and they also choose borshch more often than women. Women’s menus are lighter and more diverse, including salads, mashed potatoes, fish dishes, stewed or grilled vegetables, cabbage rolls, cereals, sushi, and desserts. Borshch and Olivier are particularly popular among lower-income respondents. Urban residents more often choose fish dishes, salads, roast, sushi, cakes, and pizza, while rural residents favor traditional foods such as borshch, varenyky, mashed potatoes, and kholodets. Preferences also vary by native language: Ukrainian-speaking respondents more often name borshch, varenyky, kholodets, cabbage rolls, and potatoes; Russian-speaking respondents prefer Olivier, other salads, plov, okroshka, pizza, and shashlik; and those who consider both languages native more often choose cutlets, fried potatoes, and “Shuba” salad.
Methodology
- Survey population: population of Ukraine aged 18 and over
- Sample size: 2,000 respondents
- Method: face-to-face interviews
- Margin of error (95% confidence):
- near 50%: ≤ 2.2%
- near 30%: ≤ 2%
- near 10%: ≤ 1.3%
- near 5%: ≤ 1%
- Fieldwork period: September 26 – October 6, 2013
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