One way to support the people of Ukraine from wherever you are in the world is to #cookforukraine.

One of the ways we are trying to support Ukranian people from afar is by being a part of the #cookforukrainecampaign begun by Alissa Timoshkina and Olia Hercules.

The campaign invites us to experience the food and stories of that part of the world to build our empathy, and also to donate to #cookforukraine to send financial aid to children and families affected by the horrific events that continue there.  

Alissa Timoshkina and Olia Hercules are both food writers, cookbook authors and activists currently based in the UK. Alissa was born in Russia and Olia in Ukraine, and both share a passion for their roots, and highlight how intertwined those roots are.

There are many places to find Ukrainian recipes to suit your fancy. They list some recipes to try on their justgiving page, they each have recipes posted on their respective websites Alissa here, and Olia here), and both are featured widely on sites like the Guardian, Saveur, etc.

When we cook foods from places that feel far away, and listen to music rooted from these places, suddenly the distance shrinks, and empathy builds.

Ulia Hercules’ recipe for Manti (Ukranian Pork Belly Dumplings), was fun for the kids and I to make, and were so incredibly delicious that they wanted to make them again the very next day. Don’t skip making the fried shallots go along with them…

We also made Olia’s Cauliflower Fritters, which my daughter described as roasted cauliflower wrapped in a Galettes-Bretonnes (buckwheat crepe from Brittany).  

Ukranian Village Voices are a New York-based collective which brings the sounds of Ukraine’s villages to the West. You can read more about them here, or catch them live around New York if you are local. Please also support them on bandcamp!

We will be doing this again soon! We will try new recipes and probably also make Manti again. Contact us if you would like to join us the next time.