Things to do in Belarus

Eat draniks and other dishes of national cuisine

Draniks are grated potato pancakes that are served as a main hit of the Belarusian national cuisine in any restaurant and cafe. Potatoes are considered to be a favorite on the table of Belarusians who are really good at cooking a lot of exquisite potato dishes. Even those who do not think of potatoes as a very great delicacy just must taste golden, crispy, piping hot draniks served with sour cream, fried pork, mushrooms, or cooked in clay pots.

Today Belarusian cafes and restaurants offer draniks, and other national dishes in dozens of ways, prepared according to the recreated recipes of the past. Bacon, mushrooms, cranberries and sauerkraut are also regarded as original Belarusian food products. Many national dishes are cooked from pork, for example, the famous machanka (yeasted pancakes with country gravy, spareribs and home-made sausage), vereshchaka (home-made sausages with salted bacon in a pot), kolduny, literally “sorcerers” (potato pancakes stuffed with meat and mushrooms), kishenya, literally “pocket” (pork chop stuffed with cabbage and chanterelles).

The national beverages include cranberry drink, sbiten (hot drink of water honey and spices) and mead. In restaurants you can order krambambulya, an alcoholic drink, infused with spices. It was invented 200 years ago and made almost in every manor. Today it is industrially manufactured.

By the way, it is worth paying attention to one more drink in alcoholic drinks lists of Belarusian cafes and restaurants. It is vodka "Belovezhskaya" produced according to the old recipes. It is made from a grain spirit "Lux" and aromatic spirits of dill fruit, angel's-eye roots and bay leaves. For its savor "Belovezhskaya" is awarded six golden and three silver medals of the international and national tasting contests.