Central and Eastern Europe have a vast range of traditional meals and ingredients, but here are some common ones across this part of the continent:
Protein
Pork
Chicken
Beef
Rabbit
Fish
Cottage cheese
Sheep’s and goat’s cheese
Milk
Eggs
Yoghurt
Kidney beans
Chickpeas
Lentils
Goat
Sausage such as kielbasa (Polish sausage)
Carbohydrates
Potato
Pirozhki (Russian stuffed and fried bread)
Khachapuri (Georgian cheese-filled bread)
Pagach (Ukrainian and Slovakian bread)
Blini
Mămăligă (Romanian porridge)
Pierogies (Dumplings)
Fats
Lard
Cheese
Cream
Butter
Nuts
Seeds
Vegetables
Cabbage/cabbage rolls
Mushrooms
Beetroot
Carrot
Artichoke
Aubergine
Parnsip
Sauekraut
Pickled vegetables
Choosing at least one source from each of the above food groups can help ensure you are creating a balanced plate that provides nourishment, energy, satiety, and fullness.
However, to also create a meal that helps stabilise your glucose levels after eating, follow the balanced plate graphic below: ¼ plate of protein, ¼ plate of carbohydrates, ½ plate of vegetables, and at least one thumb-sized serving of fat.
With this, here are some recipe ideas you can apply to the above plate. We’ve included one recipe each from some of the larger countries across central and eastern Europe:
Germany: Pork Schnitzel
Poland: Bigos stew
Latvia: Rye bread sandwiches
Switzerland: Papet Vaudois
Hungary: Second Nature goulash soup
Czechia: Vepřo-knedlo-zelo
Slovakia: Mushroom-stuffed fish
Serbia: Podvarak
Slovenia: Jota
Austria: Chicken paprikash
Croatia: Blitva
Ukraine: Chicken Kyiv
Belarus: Syrniki
Lithuania: šaltibarščiai
Romania: Sarmale
Other guides you may be interested in:
How to enjoy European foods the Second Nature way