Eating Out
Ukrainian cuisine is quite tasty, but just as other cuisines in the region uses a lot of fat ingredients, especially in the festive dishes. Traditional local food includes "salo" (salted lard) and soups like "borshch" (???? in Ukr.) made of red beets or "solianka" (??????? in Ukr.) which is a delicious meat soup. The first, salo, is perhaps something you might not make yourself try - however is a delicious side dish, as for the soups being a must-have dish.
If you are outside a big city or in doubt about food, exercise caution and common sense about where you buy food. Try to buy groceries only in supermarkets or large grocery stores, always check the expiration date, and never buy meat or dairy products on the street (you can buy them on the market, but not near the market).
When choosing a restaurant at which to eat, you will find one that you like based on the menu posted by the entrance of every establishment. This may sound strange, but in most towns in Ukraine there are some very good restaurants, sometimes even luxurious ones, and these restaurants do serve properly made food. If you like traveling to more remote parts of the country and are in doubt about what to eat, remember that vegetables are always a safe choice.
Along the way you may find nice places to eat not by following the rare signs, but just by tracing the sky for the smoke of traditional wood fires. These are often places where they serve traditional Ukrainian food, including very tasty shashlyky (??????? in Ukr.). Restauranteurs are very friendly, and more often than not you will be one of their first foreign visitors. Next to the "borshch" you might also ask for "varenyky" (???????? in Ukr. - dumplings filled with meat or vegetables) or "deruny" (?????? - potato pancakes). You have to try varenyky with potatoes and cottage cheese in a sautéed onion and sourcream sauce - it's a fantastic dish. These are just starters, but ones that might fill you up quickly.