Eastern European Food: English Vocabulary List

a traditional Georgian dish made of bread filled with cheese, eggs, and other ingredients

"Khachapuri has cheese egg bread."

"While travelling through Georgia, I discovered khachapuri, and I've been obsessed with making it at home ever since."

small Eastern European pastries filled with meat, fish, fruits or vegetables and baked or fried until golden brown

"Pirozhki are baked or fried buns."

"Pirozhki are Russian baked or fried buns filled with meat cabbage or cheese."

a stuffed leafy vegetable dish with meat and rice, typically cooked in a tomato-based sauce

"Sarma are stuffed cabbage rolls."

"My Turkish neighbour invited us for dinner and served sarma, which she had spent the entire afternoon preparing with great care."

a baked breaded chicken breast filled with herbed garlic and parsley butter

"Chicken kiev has garlic butter."

"Chicken Kiev is a breaded chicken cutlet stuffed with garlic butter that oozes out when cut."

a Russian dish made of cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of meat and rice, often baked in a tomato-based sauce

"Golubtsy are stuffed cabbage rolls."

"My Russian aunt always prepares golubtsy for family gatherings, and everyone looks forward to her special recipe every year."

a traditional Ukrainian dish made of cooked wheat berries mixed with honey, poppy seeds, and other ingredients

"Kutia is wheat poppyseed dish."

"Kutia is a traditional Ukrainian sweet grain pudding made with poppy seeds honey and raisins."

a Georgian dish consisting of a spatchcocked chicken seasoned with garlic, herbs, and spices, and then pan-fried

"We ate chicken tabaka."

"This Georgian chicken tabaka is seasoned with garlic and herbs, then pan-fried to perfection."

a Georgian dish made from simmered or stewed beans, typically red kidney beans, with herbs, spices

"Lobio is bean stew."

"Lobio is a Georgian bean stew typically made with kidney beans walnuts and spices."

a Russian and Ukrainian preserve made from fruit or berries, similar to jam or fruit preserves

"Varenye is fruit preserves."

"My grandmother always makes delicious varenye from fresh strawberries she picks every summer in her garden."

a traditional Eastern European dish made from cooked buckwheat groats

"Kasha is toasted buckwheat."

"For breakfast, my mother usually prepares warm kasha with butter, which keeps me full until lunchtime."

a popular dish in many Middle Eastern, and Eastern European countries, consisting of marinated and grilled cubes of meat served on skewers

"Shashlik is skewered meat."

"We enjoyed juicy shashlik at the outdoor market, where vendors grilled the marinated meat right in front of us."

a traditional Russian pastry made with sweet yeast dough and filled with farmer's cheese or other sweet fillings

"Vatrushka has cottage cheese filling."

"The bakery near our school sells vatrushka every morning, and I love eating one with my hot chocolate."

a traditional Eastern European pastry consisting of a baked or fried dough filled with sweet or savory fillings

"Pirog is large baked pie."

"Pirog is a Russian pie with a filling of meat fish or vegetables enclosed in pastry."

a traditional Georgian dumpling filled with spiced minced meat, typically lamb or beef

"Khinkali are Georgian dumplings."

"When I visited Tbilisi, I tried khinkali for the first time and was amazed by its rich, spiced meat filling."

a Russian dish consisting of baked fish, typically salmon, encased in puff pastry with rice, eggs, and dill

"Coulibiac has salmon rice."

"Coulibiac is a Russian salmon and rice pie enclosed in puff pastry."

Russian pancakes made from fresh cheese and usually fried until crispy on the outside

"Syrniki are cheese pancakes."

"On weekends, my aunt makes syrniki with sour cream and honey, and the whole family gathers around the table."

a classic Russian dish made from minced meat formed into a patty, breaded, and fried until crispy

"Pozharsky cutlet is ground chicken."

"The restaurant's signature dish is pozharsky cutlet, served with mashed potatoes and a side of fresh vegetables."

small, fluffy pancakes typically made from batter containing flour, eggs, milk, and sugar

"Oladyi are small pancakes."

"Oladyi are small thick Russian pancakes often served with sour cream or jam."

a traditional Georgian dish made of seasoned minced meat, shaped into sausages or patties and grilled or fried

"Kupati are Georgian sausages."

"During the festival, we grilled kupati over charcoal and shared it with our neighbors who had never tried it before."

a traditional Ukrainian dish made with cornmeal cooked in milk or cream, often served with cheese, butter, and honey

"Banush is cornmeal sour cream dish."

"My Ukrainian friend taught me how to cook banush with cheese and cream, and it turned out surprisingly delicious."

a Russian dish made with puff pastry filled with various types of meat, fish, or vegetable fillings

"Rasstegai are open pies."

"The old recipe book describes rasstegai filled with fish, which was once served at royal banquets in Russia."

Belarusian potato pancakes that are typically fried until crispy and golden brown

"Deruny are potato pancakes."

"My grandmother taught me how to make deruny, and they always turn out perfectly crispy and delicious."

a traditional Uzbek rice dish cooked with meat, vegetables, and a blend of spices

"We ate Uzbek shah pilaf."

"Shah pilaf is a fragrant Uzbek rice dish featuring tender meat and aromatic spices."

an Armenian dish made of grilled or roasted meat that is marinated in spices, vegetables, and sometimes fruit

"Khorovats is Armenian barbecue."

"We enjoyed khorovats at the Armenian festival, and the grilled meat was incredibly flavorful and tender."

a traditionally Armenian dish of seasoned minced meat grilled on skewers

"Lula kebab is minced meat skewer."

"The restaurant served lula kebab with fresh herbs, and every bite was absolutely mouthwatering and satisfying."

a Turkish dish made with lamb or beef cooked in a tomato-based stew

"Soyutma is lamb stew."

"My Turkish friend prepared soyutma for dinner, and the rich tomato stew was absolutely incredible and hearty."

an Armenian dish consisting of a stuffed pumpkin or squash, usually filled with rice, dried fruits, nuts, and spices

"Ghapama is stuffed pumpkin."

"Ghapama is an Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish filled with rice dried fruits and nuts."

a Georgian dish made from chopped vegetables, typically spinach or beet leaves, mixed with ground walnuts, garlic, and spices

"Pkhali are vegetable walnut pates."

"Pkhali are Georgian vegetable and walnut pates served as cold appetizers."

a traditional Russian dish made from frozen raw fish, typically salmon or whitefish, thinly sliced and served as a delicacy

"Stroganina is frozen raw fish."

"During our trip to Siberia, we tried stroganina, which is thinly sliced frozen fish served as a traditional delicacy."