What to Eat in Belarus

Belarus sits on broad plains with birch forests, rivers, and dark soils that favor rye and potatoes. A continental climate brings snowy winters and mild summers, shaping a pantry of root vegetables, mushrooms, dairy, and preserved meats. Everyday cooking is practical, seasonal, and filling.

Meals follow a steady rhythm: a hot midday lunch, soup-led dinners, and weekend spreads for family gatherings. Pickling, fermenting, and drying stretch summer’s harvest into winter. Sour cream, dill, and black bread appear at most tables, connecting city apartments and rural kitchens alike.

Draniki are finely grated raw potatoes mixed with grated onion, salt, and often the potato’s own starch, with some cooks adding a light touch of egg for binding. The batter is spooned into a hot pan with sunflower oil or pork fat and fried until the edges lace and turn deeply golden, resulting in a crisp exterior and a tender, almost custardy center. The flavor is savory and subtly sweet, best finished with smetana (sour cream), sautéed mushrooms, or a ladle of machanka. Widely regarded as Belarus’s signature everyday dish, draniki appear at home for lunch or dinner, in workplace canteens around Minsk, and at family gatherings, especially in colder months when hearty, potato-forward fare is most welcome.

Machanka takes its name from the verb “to dip,” and it is exactly that: a thick, savory stew meant for dunking pancakes. Pork ribs or bones are browned with onions, sometimes joined by smoked sausage or bacon trimmings; flour is whisked in for body, and stock and sour cream create a lush gravy scented with bay leaf and pepper. The result is smoky, tangy, and silky, pairing traditionally with wheat or rye bliny, which are rolled or folded to soak up the sauce. Once a farmhouse way to stretch pork, machanka now anchors weekend meals and winter gatherings, and it is commonly prepared for pancake-focused celebrations such as Maslenitsa, when the focus is on sharing hot griddled breads at the family table.

Kolduny in Belarus are not dumplings but potato pancakes filled with meat. Cooks grate raw potatoes finely, squeeze out the liquid, then stir back the settled starch to create a cohesive, lightly elastic batter; the filling is minced pork or a pork–beef mix, seasoned with onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Small patties of potato enclose spoonfuls of meat, and the parcels are pan-fried in oil or lard until bronzed, with a crisp crust that gives way to a juicy center. Described in 19th‑century regional cookery, kolduny signal a festive main course, served with sour cream or a light broth, at Sunday lunches and holiday tables, and they remain a favorite for cool-weather meals when something substantial is expected.

Khaladnik (Belarusian: халаднік) is a bright pink cold soup built on beets and cultured dairy, ideal for the country’s warmest weeks. Cooked beets are cooled and julienned or grated, then combined with kefir or lightly thinned sour milk; cucumber, dill, scallions, and sometimes beet greens add crunch and herbal lift, while a pinch of sugar and a splash of vinegar balance the earthiness. The soup is served chilled with halved hard-boiled eggs and often accompanied by hot boiled potatoes on the side. Shared across the region but firmly rooted in Belarusian summer cooking, khaladnik is a lunchtime staple in homes and canteens in Minsk and beyond from late spring through early autumn, prized for its refreshing tang and clean, garden-fresh aromas.

Bulbyanaya babka (potato babka) turns grated potatoes into a baked centerpiece with a crackling top and soft interior. The potatoes are mixed with sautéed onions, salt, and pepper, then enriched with pork cracklings (shkvarki) or diced bacon; some cooks add a spoon of sour cream or an egg for structure. The mixture is poured into a greased clay pot or baking dish and baked until the sides caramelize and the surface browns deeply, yielding a sliceable loaf that pairs with sour cream and pickled cucumbers. Tied to rural oven cooking in the traditional pech, this dish bridges thrift and comfort and is commonly served on weekends or at family gatherings, especially in cooler seasons when slow, oven-baked foods fit the rhythm of the day.

Belarusian cuisine is shaped by climate and forests: potatoes, dairy, mushrooms, and pork, sharpened by pickling and souring. From pan-fried draniki to oven-baked babka and summer’s cool khaladnik, technique follows the seasons. Explore more food insights and plan weather-smart trips using Sunheron’s filters and destination database.