A battle over borsch

"It has to be smoky... and you have to balance the taste with sour cream."

The national dish is basically a sweet and sour beetroot-infused stock. Yevhen can't or won't put on record his recipe or even the ingredients for borsch.

It's a dish just as diverse as the country itself. "Borsch is like Ukrainians... We are all different with our thoughts, our lifestyles."

He launched a successful campaign to put borsch (spelt 'borscht' in English after the Yiddish spelling) on Unesco's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage In Urgent Need of Safeguarding (along with Sardinian pastoral songs and Spanish flamenco).

But it was only after the Russian invasion that borsch's application was fast-tracked. Ukraine's Minister of Culture called Unesco's recognition a "victory in the war for borsch". The Russian Minister of Culture said, "Oh, these crazy Ukrainians, why are they fighting over borsch? Borsch is for everyone."

Borsch is a mother's dish, not very tasty but extra ingredients like mushrooms or sour tomatoes can be added. Yevhen regarded borsch as a stereotype of Ukrainian cuisine until he realised how significant it was nationally.

He once wrote on Facebook "I eat borsch without beans." In ten minutes hundreds of people started arguing about borsch, and then I understood how important it was for Ukrainians. "It's so much more than just a food stereotype," Yevhen explained.

Wine of the week

Decorus Rosado. This wine from the Arlanza region is undeservedly ignored on most restaurant wine lists. Much in the same way as Priorato wines became known by being championed by a group of young winemakers, recognition finally arrived in the same manner. Decorus is a blend of high quality red and white grape varieties. Around €16.