Breakfast Traditions: What Belarusian Kids Eat In The Morning

Belarusian cuisine is heavily influenced by its Slavic roots, and the country's location and history, so expect to find flavours of Lithuania, Russia and Poland. Dishes are largely simple, with meat and vegetables as the main ingredients. Potatoes are a common feature of most meals, with over 300 national recipes on offer. In fact, the average local eats more than 180kg of potatoes a year! So, what do kids eat for breakfast? Well, one traditional breakfast dish is draniki (thick potato pancakes), which are made by mixing together grated onions and potatoes, before frying in oil.

Potato pancakes

To make potato pancakes, first peel and grate the potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a bowl of water to prevent them from browning. Then, squeeze out the excess water using a paper towel. You will notice that a cloudy, white substance has settled at the bottom of the bowl—this is the leftover starch, which will make your potato pancakes nice and crispy. Make sure to put this back into the potato mixture!

Next, add your desired seasonings to the potato mixture. Some popular options include salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. You can also add minced garlic to the mixture if you like.

Now, it's time to fry your potato pancakes! Heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, add about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture to the pan and flatten it with a spatula. Fry each side until it is golden brown and crispy.

Finally, drain your potato pancakes on a paper towel to remove any excess oil, and serve them hot with a dollop of sour cream or applesauce on top. Enjoy!

Meat and vegetables

Meat Dishes

Belarusian cuisine features a variety of meat dishes, with pork being a popular choice. Machanka, a pork-based stew, is a traditional dish that includes different cuts of meat such as sausage, bacon, and ham. It is cooked with onions, mushrooms, dill, and spices, and served with a sour cream sauce. Vereshchaka, another pork dish, is a variation of machanka invented by a royal chef. It typically includes sausage and ham, along with a generous amount of beer.

In addition to pork, poultry and game meats are also consumed in Belarus. Chicken, duck, goose, turkey, elk, roe, and boar are some of the options available. Meat dishes are often served with bliny or draniki, a type of potato pancake.

Vegetable Dishes

Belarusian cuisine offers a diverse range of vegetable dishes, despite being heavily meat-centric. Potatoes are a common ingredient, with over 300 national recipes featuring them. Draniki, the crowd-pleasing potato pancakes made from grated onions and potatoes, are a beloved dish. They can be fried or baked in a ceramic pot with sausage, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and cream.

Other potato-based dishes include tukmachi, a gratin-like potato cake served with salted curd or milk, and babka, a larger version of draniki baked in a deep dish.

Beyond potatoes, Belarusians also consume a variety of other vegetables. Beetroot is a key ingredient in borscht, a traditional soup that also includes meat, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and onions. Salads are also popular, often featuring a mix of boiled beef or chicken, potato, beet, carrot, apple, herring, cheese, and various vegetables, seasoned with mayonnaise or sunflower oil.

Dairy products

A typical breakfast for kids in Belarus might include dairy products such as curd cheese, made from cow or goat's milk, and sour cream. These could be served alongside the popular potato pancakes known as draniki, or with other traditional breakfast foods such as porridge or pancakes.

Sour cream is widely used in Belarusian cooking, both in recipes and as a garnish. Sour cream is often served with pancakes, and it is also used as a topping for the potato pancakes known as tsibriki, a popular snack that pairs well with beer.

Another popular dairy product in Belarus is butter, which was historically exported to Britain and valued as a luxury item.

Cheese is also consumed in Belarus, although it may not be as prominent as other dairy products. Fresh white cheese is mentioned as a common food, and cottage cheese is used as a filling for the potato cutlets known as sashni.

Fruit and berries

These fruits and berries are used in a variety of dishes, from sweets and desserts to salads and drinks. For example, baked apples are a popular dessert, and cranberries in sugar powder are a favourite treat and souvenir.

Furthermore, fruits and berries are used in salads, such as the spring salad, which includes chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, dill, and sour cream or olive oil.

Finally, fruits and berries are often used in combination with other ingredients to create unique dishes. For instance, draniki, a popular potato pancake dish, can be served with apple and sour cream sauce.

Bread

The preference for rye bread in Belarus can be attributed to the country's climate, which is too cold and wet for wheat cultivation. As a result, rye became the primary grain used in Belarusian baking. This tradition has persisted, and rye bread remains a staple in modern Belarus, served alongside soups and used to make the traditional drink, kvass.

In addition to its use in bread, rye flour is also an essential ingredient in the preparation of zefir, a popular Belarusian sweet treat. Zefir is a cross between a marshmallow and a meringue, and it is often coated in chocolate or flavoured with black currant.

While rye is the most traditional grain used in Belarusian bread, other grains such as oats, barley, and buckwheat are also cultivated and used in baking. These grains are commonly used to make flour for pancakes, flatbreads, and other baked goods. Buckwheat, in particular, is celebrated in Belarusian cuisine, and it was once the centre of Europe's buckwheat culture.

The influence of neighbouring countries and migrant settlers has also contributed to the diversity of breads found in Belarus. For example, the country shares culinary similarities with Lithuania, Russia, and Poland, and these influences are reflected in the types of bread and baked goods available.

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