Borsch is officially a dish of Ukrainian origin

But, apparently, not everyone knows that!

Recently I came across a recipe for borscht [sic], a traditional cold beet soup. It’s from The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 

The author describes it as a cool sweet-and-sour soup which was particularly popular in Lithuania, and is now one of the great Jewish standbys of the restaurant trade.

She does mention that there are lots of different Russian and Ukrainian versions of borsch (Ukrainians drop the "t").

Still, someone really should enlighten the author to the fact that it’s *our* soup. It even says so in Wikipedia!

As the grandaughter and great-granddaughter of Ukrainian immigrants, I was raised on borsch. Different kinds ... meat, meatless, with cream, cream-less, rhubarb, potluck, you name it. So I consider myself a bit of a connoissuer. And in my experience, borsch was always hot.

The first time I learned there was such a thing as cold borsch was when I was a young adult, still (relatively) fresh off the farm and living in Winnipeg.

I popped in to visit a new friend, who happened to be Jewish. When I rang her doorbell, I caught her noshing on (of all things) cold borsch ... straight out of a Manischewitz jar!

At the time what she was eating seemed as foreign to me as sashimi or goat curry (neither of which I’ve yet acquired a taste for).

For one thing ... who ever heard of store-bought borsch? Never mind cold, but with nothing but beets and broth yet. Not a shred of cabbage or beans or potato to be seen. Let alone chopped dill!

Besides, as far as I was concerned, the only kind of beets that came in a jar was the pickled kind. So ... cold borsch in a jar? That was just plain weird.

I’ve learned (and eaten) much since then, and there’s even a Ukrainian deli in my family now that sells the stuff ... the hot variety of course. (And it is the best borsch you have ever tasted!)

As for the cold variety, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar recently shared her recipe for chilled borsch on Nash Holos. It is one of over 200 authentic Ukrainian recipes that Sylvia (a retired Vancouver cook and cooking instructor extraordinaire) has shared with Nash Holos listeners over the years. You can find the recipe here.

Meanwhile, the Jewish version for cold borscht (borsch) that I came across is here. And if you'd like to check out the book, it's available on Amazon. Here's the info and title again: The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York.

Reading this article and the recipe brought back fond memories of my friend Marci, with whom I’ve unfortunately lost touch.

If we ever manage to re-connect I certainly hope that, in addition to the memories and catch-up stories, we will share a bowl of borsch.

Which version ... hot or cold, Jewish or Ukrainian ... well, only the future knows. 

Living with the aftermath of Chernobyl

Chornobyl (also Chernobyl), site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, is one of the most radioactive areas on the planet.

According to an April 26, 2006 article in The Guardian, the fallout damage was roughly the equivalent of 400 Hiroshima nuclear bombs. 

When the core of reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded on April 26, 1986  it caused fires, a nuclear meltdown, and sent out a radioactive cloud that blanketed Ukraine, Belarus, Scandinavia and Western Europe.

The official Soviet death toll was 31 people. However in reality, the actual toll is more likely in the area of 250,000 and rising.

Soviet authorities had hoped (and tried) to keep the world ignorant of the accident. However, word soon began to spread via amateur (HAM and shortwave) radio, confirming the source of the sudden and substantially increased amounts of radiation in the atmosphere.

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster drastically transformed the lives of thousands of people in Ukraine and Belarus. Even today, Ukraine continues to cope with the long-term health, economic and environmental consequences of this preventable disaster.

Ukrainian American writer and film-maker Irene Zabytko is the author of The Sky Unwashed, a novel about the the elderly people who insist on living, as they always have, in their homes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the highly irradiated 30 kilometer area surrounding the site of the 1986 explosion. (Available through Amazon.)

She has also spent several years documenting this tragedy on film, featuring their lives in a documentary film she is spearheading, called Life In The Dead Zone.

Irene and her film crew at Wheat Street Productions, Inc. have already released an award-winning film short, Epiphany At Chornobyl, based on the soon-to-be-released documentary. Here's the trailer:




More information about the film can be found at the film's website.

Irene is still in need of funding to complete her project. Please consider supporting her efforts with a donation.

On May 1, 2011, Irene was a guest on Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio. We talked about her film and her travels to the Chornobyl Dead Zone to research and shoot the film. You can listen to the interview here.

Today is the 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Human beings are not good at learning from the mistakes of the past. But at least on this day in history, once a year, let us not forget ... and let us not make light of the awful legacy it left behind.

March 9th is Ukrainian Literature Day!

Officially launched in March 2009 by the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA) with a postcard campaign, Ukrainian Literature Day is being marked this year by the Ukrainian Canadian students’ organization SUSK and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC).

March 9 is the birth date of Taras Shevchenko, a persecuted yet still prolific Ukrainian poet and artist who is widely regarded as Ukraine’s literary father. He is also renowned and revered for his impact on the development of the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian culture and the strengthening of the Ukrainian identity.

So it is fitting that this date was chosen as Ukrainian Literature Day across Canada.

The 1929 Ukrainian cookbook of Olha Senatovych

As mentioned in an earlier post, we’re presenting Nash Holos listeners and blog readers with a translation of the cookbook of one Olha Senatovych of Lviv, Ukraine, dating back to 1929.

It's really more of a journal filled with information and cooking tips that Olha gathered and compiled, perhaps with the intention of passing them on to her descendants. The recipes she included are both familiar and exotic to modern cooks who know all about Ukrainian cuisine.

Olha's original “cookbook” is hand-written, in Galician Ukrainian. (Galicia is a province in western Ukraine.) Her grandson in Lviv has kindly provided us with a digitized version — also in Ukrainian.

It all started out as a translation project for a writer’s group that Natalia Buchok (fellow contributor to Kobzar’s Children) and I belong to. A few of the members who are fluent in Ukrainian had a preliminary look-see and decided that it was definitely something worth translating and sharing with the world.

Natalka was fascinated with the book and , in spite of an already insane work and home schedule, decided to take on the translation.

Meanwhile, it occured to me that such an ongoing project would be perfect for Ukrainian Food Flair. Mindful of her crazy schedule, I nonetheless asked Natalka (nothing ventured, nothing gained, eh?) if she would be interested in sharing her translated treasured with Nash Holos listeners.

The "radio bug" bit down hard, and she agreed to host Ukrainian Food Flair on a bi-weekly basis.

Admittedly, it was a huge undertaking, and neither of us really had any idea how Natalia was going to find the time to do both the translation and the radio gig.

Enter another member of our writer’s group to the rescue. 

Mila Komarnisky, a native Ukrainian speaker and first-time published author, is our Angel of Mercy. With her novel, Wretched Land, finally completed and now in print, Mila was ready for another project and offered to help us out.

This frees Natalia up to focus on the radio presentation of the recipes as well as the valuable information and fascinating historical and personal anecdotes in Olha's cookbook.

In addition to the translation, Mila is also creating low-calorie versions of Olha's recipes, much of which rely on larger quantities of ingredients like cream, butter, bacon, and sugar than we’re used to these days. (It was written in the 1920s, after all!)

Many thanks to both Natalka and Mila for undertaking this fascinating project. I’m sure you’ll find our journey of Ukrainian culinary discoveries every bit as enjoyable as we do!

So stay tuned as Natalka presents Olha's recipes and Mila's low-cal adaptations on Ukrainian Food Flair every other week, and posts them here on the Nash Holos blog!

Ukrainians as Aryans: Marsha Skrypuch's novel Stolen Child about bizarre Nazi eugenics

Talk about twisted.

In the 1930s the Nazis devised a scheme to create a master race that is purely Aryan. Because to their warped minds Aryans were supposedly superior to all other human beings and thereby entitled to rule the world.

Only one problem with that plan. Not enough blond blue-eyed Aryan "pure bloods" in Germany to grow their gene pool.

Slavs, although considered untermenschen (sub-human) by the Nazis, were nonetheless one rung up from the Jews on the Nazis' hierarchy of humans. While the Nazis aimed to annihilate every single Jew on the face of the earth, some Slavs were to be spared, as the Third Reich needed slaves to do the manual labour.

As WWII got underway and the Nazis invaded the Slavic lands to the east, they realized they had a "solution" to their master race problem.

Little is known about this nefarious "solution" known as the Lebensborn Program, and less yet is known about the Ukrainians and other Slavs who fell victim to it.

When popular children's author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch found she had a personal connection to it, she resolved to write about it.

The result was her mid-grade novel, Stolen Child, which was recently given a Crystal Kite Award by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (It was also shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association's children's book of the year award, Saskatchewan's Diamond Willow Award and the Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak Book Award.

It also was named an Ontario Library Association best bet, one of the top juvenile novels of 2010, and year's best by Resource Links, a national journal that reviews resources for children and young adults.

Stolen Child is the story of 12-year old Nadia, a Ukrainian child who had been kidnapped for her blond, blue-eyed Aryan looks by the Nazis in their frenzy to build a master race. After the war she finds herself in Brantford, Ontario where she slowly unravels her past life as a Lebensborn.

Stolen Child is published by Scholastic Canada and is available from the publisher as well as from Amazon and other major booksellers.


Marsha Skrypuch is available for school readings and loves to talk about her writing. She has been interviewed on Nash Holos several times, most recently (May 29, 2011) to talk about Stolen Child. More information about Marsha's books can be found at her website. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on her blog .

Missing BC's annual Ukrainian cultural festival

There's something for everyone at the annual BC Ukrainian Cultural Festival ... non-stop dance competitions by dancers from all over British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, fabulous Ukrainian cuisine (usually provided by Judy Hrynenko of Prairie Cottage Perogies), live music by roving musicians, and all kinds of Ukrainian arts, crafts, and cultural displays.

Life in the Dead Zone - new film about living in Chernobyl today

So the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster has passed. And, par for the course, the world`s attention is waning.

Having made the inevitable comparisons to the nuclear disaster in Fukishima, Japan a mere two months ago, the international media has moved on to sensationalise more recent disasters and debacles.

Fair enough. It`s their job, and just common practice.

So the less common practice of delving deeper and trying to make sense of the devastation that rained down on the unsuspecting populace, and to (perhaps) help humanity to learn from its mistakes, falls to

Stories lost, history suppressed

Choreographed by Lori Hamar. Featuring dance artists Brandy Baybutt, Jung-ah Chung, Nicole McSkimming and composer Dave Chokroun.

Blood Line photo by Miles Lowry



Blood Line is a new contemporary dance work by Victoria dancer and choreographer, Lori Hamer.

It is the first section of a three part work she plans to have completed and premiered in 2012.  The final phase will see the work expanded into a full-length dance theatre production (45-60 minutes) featuring live music and an exploration of Lori’s personal ties to the Ukrainian culture and the impact of specific historical events on the culture.

Nash Holos audio archives updated to Sept 26, 2010

On last night's show we got a fab audio "sneak preview" of the upcoming concert and tour of the Virsky National Dancers of Ukraine.

Also, two lucky listeners won free tickets to Virsky's October 7 concert in Vancouver. The Vancouver concert kicks off their 2010 Canada tour. I just popped the tickets in the mail today, and will be giving away one last pair of tickets to another lucky listener on Nash Holos next Sunday.

Here are yesterday's show highlights:

• Interview with Bohdan Tkachyshyn, of Boen Arts. You can listen to it here. (Also my colleague Stan Nastenko interviewed him (in Ukrainian) on his show yesterday morning. Catch his podcast here.)
• On his Kultural Capsule, Vasyl Pawlowsky features Ukrainian Canadian Victoria Cross recipient Filip Konowal. (Listen to it here.) 
• Marina Lewycka's newest book, We are all Made of Glue, is the focus of Irena Bell's Чи знали ви? (Did Your Know?) feature.
• Proverb of the week, upcoming events in Vancouver's Ukrainian community, and plenty of great Ukrainian music!

Enjoy!

Nash Holos recipe: Almond Fish

Almond fish is often served on Ukrainian Christmas eve, but it's delicious any time of the year! This is an adaptation from a recipe in the hugely popular Ukrainian Daughters Cookbook .

For Almond Fish you will need:

1/3 cup of flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
½ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup almonds, finely chopped
1 lb. white fish
4 tablespoons butter (or oil if for Christmas Eve Supper)

Put the flour into a small bowl.

In a second bowl, combine egg and salt.

In a third bowl, combine breadcrumbs and almonds.

Coat fish on both sides with flour, then dip into the egg mixture, then into crumb mixture. Place on a plate. Continue until all fish is coated.

In a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of the butter. Cook fish over medium heat, turning once and adding more butter or oil as needed, until fish flakes easily with fork, about 5-8 minutes.

This makes 4 servings, and the recipe can be doubled/tripled.

Smachnoho!

Website launched for Yaroslaw's Treasure

Coquitlam author Mirko Petriw has launched a website for his recently published novel, Yaroslaw's Treasure, which I blogged about earlier (here).

Described by some as Indiana Jones meets James Bond, what makes Yaroslaw’s Treasure different from both of those stories is its firm grounding in hard, cold and often bloody fact. ...

For more info, visit Mirko's website here.

Pawlina writing a book

Just thought I'd let you know that I'm in the process of writing a book. I've signed a contract and just met with my editor to discuss the direction of my story.

It's a non-fiction book on the WWI internment of Ukrainian Canadians and will be one of a 3-part series on wartime internment of ethnic minorities (the other two are the WWII Japanese and Italian) in Canada. The target audience is high school students.

I'm actually co-authoring it. My mission is to write a narrative and my co-author (chosen by the publisher) will compile the "dry" historical and political facts.

Because the Ukrainian internment happened so long ago, and the government destroyed the official records in the 1950s, it's a pretty tough row to hoe. I've got a lot of research under my belt already but it's so far mostly the "dry" stuff. Now I have to dig deeper and find any personal accounts that may have been chronicled and are stored in some dusty archives.

I've got a few already but may still have to do a research trip or two in the near future. In the meantime, if you happen to know of any personal diaries that descendants may still have, or have personal stories in your own family and are willing to share them, please let me know. Either leave a comment on this blog post letting me know how to get in touch with you, or contact me directly by email.

Duzhe diakuyu!

Ukrainian writers in BC meet European colleague

Three Ukrainian Canadian writers in BC attended the Vancouver presentation on the massacre of the Cossacks at Lienz, Austria. At the presentation they met a fellow author who was launching his book, Surviving Lienz. The author, Anthony Schlega (writing as Anton Schleha) lives in Germany and recently joined a writers’ list-serv that I co-moderate with Marsha Skrypuch. Marsha launched the list when she brought a group of writers together to collaborate on Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Stories, an anthology she was editing. Since then the group has expanded to include other aspiring writers as well as published authors writing other untold Ukrainian stories.

One of the BC writers attending Anthony’s book launch was Danny Evanishen, one of the original list members and a fellow Kobzar’s Children contributor. Danny also runs Ethnic Enterprises, which produced and distributes Anthony’s book in Canada on behalf of the publisher, Innsbruck University Golf Publishers. (The book is available for purchase from Danny's website (here) for those unable to attend one of their presentations.) Danny and his wife Jean just came down for the evening and had to head back to the Okanagon today. So there was only time for a couple of hurried snapshots (and a few bad jokes of Danny’s I hadn’t heard before). Danny has some new books on his website and Jean creates beautiful Trypillian pottery, so I’ll be doing some in-depth interviews on Nash Holos with both of them in the not too distant future.

Another interview I’m looking forward to doing is with newly-published author Mirko Petriw, whose novel I blogged about earlier. Mirko is another list member who came out to meet Anthony in person and learn more about Dr. Stadler’s work. BTW, Mirko hasn’t done an “official” book launch yet of Yaroslaw’s Treasure but he sold a whack of books at the BC Ukrainian Festival in Mission on Saturday and has people calling and emailing for copies. So I’m looking forward to letting Nash Holos listeners know more about Mirko and his book.

Anthony is still exploring his father's past and is working on a personal memoir, so you'll be hearing more about him and his work in the future as well. He'll be returning to Canada at some point in the future with Dr. Stadler to continue spreading the word about the Bridge of Remembrance project in Lienz, Austria. I'll bring you the details the minute I get them!

Vancouver the first stop on tour revealing Allied massacre of Ukrainians at end of WWII

Two European historians are visiting western Canada May 5-15 to reveal the virtually unknown story of a 20th century massacre in Austria by British forces at the end of WWII in what is known as "Operation Keelhaul."

It's a story of betrayal and brutality, known in the region as "The Tragedy on the Drau." The victims were mostly Ukrainian Kuban cossacks and their families who had escaped soviet communist tyranny during WWII and were led to believe that the British were giving them sanctuary along the banks of the river Drau. Even when forced at gunpoint and bayonet-point to return to the soviet union, they resisted. Some Cossacks and their family members were killed by British troops while praying enmass, or trying to escape into the woods. Many preferred death by drowning rather than torture and/or starvation and threw themselves into the rushing river. A few managed to escape through the woods. Little is known of the fate of those the British did manage to send back into the arms of Uncle Joe.

The two men are in Canada to raise awareness of this tragedy, and funds for an interpretive memorial at the site. They launched their tour last night here in Vancouver.

The evening began with a slide presentation by Dr. Harold Stadler: "The Fate of the Cossacks in Lienz During the 20th Century." Dr Stadler is Professor of Archaeology at the Leopold Franzens-University, Innsbruck, Austria. He gave a gripping overview of the leadup to the massacre and the public perception in East Tyrol Ukrainian cossacks. He told us that the vast majority of Austrians and Germans don't know the difference between Ukrainians and Russians and that he feels it is important that they do. As an archaeologist and historian with "a slavic soul" he is working on "The Bridge of Remembrance," the name of the memorial at the site of the massacre.

As well, author Anthony Schlega (writing as Anton Shleha) of Lenggries, Germany, launched his book,Surviving Lienz, an eye-witness account by a survivor of Operation Keelhaul. He gave an emotional and very touching account of why he wrote this book, which is the story of his father's close friend. His own father died when the Anton was only 21, shortly after he had begun to understand the underlying causes of their troubled relationship and its link to this massacre, the war, and the strain of fighting fascists (literally) left and right.

Last night's presentation and book launch was held at the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox auditorium, 154 E 10th Ave in Vancouver. Their next stop is Winnipeg (May 10) followed by Saskatoon (May 11) and Edmonton (May 15).

If you are in or near one of these cities, I highly recommend taking in this presentation. The schedule, times, and location are below and in their media kit which you can view or download here.

Please support this project by attending the presentation and making a donation for their memorial. More information about the memorial and the work these two wonderful men are doing can be found at their website here.

The Fate of the Cossacks in Lienz

For Immediate Release

April 27, 2009

A little-known story of betrayal and treachery during Operation Keelhaul at the end of WWII will be revealed to Canadians by Professor Doctor Harald Stadler and author Anthony Schlega. They will be visiting four Canadian cities from May 5–16, 2009 to raise awareness of this shameful historical event, and funds for a memorial at the site of the massacre in Lienz, Austria.

Doctor Harald Stadler is Professor of Pre- and Proto-History, Medieval Ages and Post-Medieval Archaeology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. In Lienz he has researched the history and movements of the Cossacks in World Wars I and II. His presentation on this tour is an account of their tragic story.

Anthony Schlega (writing under the name Anton Schleha) is the son of a WWII, Kuban Cossack. He is Assistant to Dr. Stadler and the author of Survivng Lienz. This newly-published book tells the true story of Ivan, a friend of the author’s father and a survivor of the massacre at Lienz at the end of WWII. Mr. Schlega lives in Lenggries, Germany. He will be launching his book on this tour.

The Fate of the Cossacks in Lienz During the 20th Century
An interdisciplinary project by:
Doctor Harald Stadler, Professor of Archaeology
Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria

and

Surviving Lienz
Book launch and signing by:
Anton Schleha
Author, and Assistant to Dr. Stadler

Schedule:

Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral
154 East 10th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
6 p.m.

Sunday, May 10, 2009
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral
1175 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB
Inmediately following Divine Liturgy (which begins at 10 a.m.)

Monday, May 11, 2009
Mohyla Institute
1240 Temperance Street
Saskatoon, SK
6 p.m.

Friday May 15, 2009
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Elia
11833 66 Street NW
Edmonton, AB
6 p.m.

For more information:
Anthony Schlega: Schlega.a@web.de
www.cossacks-lienz.net

Ukrainian thriller (in English) in bookstores soon

Yaroslaw’s Treasure will soon be available in a bookstore near you!

From the publisher's website:

Yaroslaw’s Treasure is a thrilling suspense story set against the gripping drama of the Orange Revolution, the 2004 popular uprising that saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in Ukraine to overthrow a corrupt government and reinforce democracy in a land long occupied by repressive and foreign regimes.

Rich with history, romance, politics, and danger, Yaroslaw’s Treasure superbly captures the wonders and horrors of Ukraine’s past, swirls through the treacherous currents of its present politics, all the while providing entertainment as a first-rate thriller.

The author, Mirko Petriw, is a Coquitlam BC resident and occasional contributor to Nash Holos radio program. Stay tuned for an interview with the author and details of his book launch!