Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on contested interpretations of the beet-based soup borscht in Ukrainian and Jewish contexts. It shows that beets cross borders, producing multiple meanings. Borscht has historically been an affordable dish, a symbol of ethnic belonging, and a political weapon.

Paper long abstract:

The beet-based soup borscht recently generated a significant amount of attention due to its appearance in international media, including Radio Free Europe (11 Oct 2020), The Times (13 Oct 2020), The Washington Post (21 Oct 2020), The New York Times (4 Nov 2020), and CBC (4 Nov 2020). The main driving force behind this interest is Ievgen Klopotenko, a Kyiv-based chef, television presenter and entrepreneur. In response to the Russian government’s recent claim of Russian origins for borscht, Klopotenko initiated a number of projects directed at proving that borscht is an originally Ukrainian dish. The endeavours include a plan to apply for UNESCO recognition for Ukrainian borscht. The dispute over borscht cannot be viewed apart from the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis.

The dispute raises the important question of food heritage ownership, considering Ukrainians and Russians are just two among many ethnic groups who view borscht as their own. It also has its own place in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, and through this Jewish prism borscht became known to the broader North American population.

Drawing on auto-ethnographic accounts, cookbooks, culinary shows, media reports, and historical and political discourses, this paper focuses on selected (contested) interpretations of borscht in Ukrainian and Jewish contexts. The complex historical trajectories of borscht show that beets cross borders, producing multiple personal, local, diasporic, and larger-scale meanings. Borscht has historically been an affordable dish, a symbol of ethnic identity and belonging, and, most recently, a political weapon.