Three different collections, including one with the Kyiv Independent brand merchandise and two more featuring works of Ukrainian artists, are already available for purchase.
In 1584, a German merchant traveled to Kyiv, at the time under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In his diary, he mentions borsch—the earliest known reference to the dish. But according to historical records, Ukrainians have been eating and adapting a dish known as borsch for at least 1,200 years.
Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko welcomed the decision: “Victory in the war for borscht is ours.” Last year Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko tried to convince the authorities to put borscht, a traditional Ukrainian soup, forward for nomination but this caused controversy as in many places it is perceived as a Russian soup. “A lot of things have been taken away from Ukraine, but they will not take our borscht,” he said then.
Ukrainian beetroot soup borscht can be included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage that needs urgent protection. UNESCO will rule on the matter on July 1, according to the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzheppar.
