It's getting cold outside. Where I live, the wind chill factor has kicked in over the past few days, bringing frequent – albeit highly exaggerated – comparisons with Eastern Europe in the middle of winter.
It's the time of year when I pull out the thick coat, beanie and scarf and fire up my favourite heater to warm up the room, after it first burns away six months' worth of dust. And at this time of year, I always start thinking fondly of Eastern European food.
During the warmer months, my preferences for European cuisines tend to favour the Mediterranean, but as the temperature drops, I start looking eastwards. When I’m at the point where I have to rug up every time I go outside, I start pining for those heartier meals that were designed to get people through an unforgivingly bitter winter in a part of the world where a zero degree day feels like a welcome respite from the real cold.
The food of the old Austro-Hungarian empire always appeal as my body starts longing for piping hot comforting food, and I start longing for Wiener-Schnitzel, crusty potato rösti and an at least somewhat healthy side of sauerkraut.
But further east, though, they serve equally tasty food for the chillier months, and with Eurovision on our TVs this week from the Ukrainian capital [visit SBS’s Eurovision site to find out how and when to watch], and Australia once again invited to take part in the fun, the meal on everyone’s lips – whether eating or speaking – is of course Chicken Kyiv.
I very much hope Team Australia – and Team Australia-Representing-Denmark – has had the chance to tuck in to Kyiv's most famous culinary export, because it's definitely delicious enough to warrant a break from the no-doubt frantic Song Contesting action.
Chicken breast is flavoursome even on its own, of course. But when it’s stuffed with, or rolled around, garlic and parsley butter, it may lose its lean reputation, but if anything it’s even more delicious. Wrap it in a golden crust of breadcrumbs, shallow fry it and/or bake it, and you have comfort food so downright soothing that it'll practically hug your tastebuds.
Mashed potato is the perfect side, as it'll soak up all of the juices, and of course a token green like some wilted spinach will balance out the meal - perhaps with even more butter in order to achieve consistency, along with calorificness.
As with so many regional recipes, the origin of chicken Kyiv (often seen as chicken Kiev on menus) is somewhat disputed, and given the enduring popularity that sees it remain a staple on the menus of Eastern European restaurants, it’s not surprising that it’s inspired a few arguments over the years.
The Russians claim it, suggesting that it originated in the Moscow Merchant’s Club, which makes this yet another unfortunate territorial dispute between the two neighbours. It’s more than a little reminiscent of the ongoing dispute between Australia and New Zealand over who first came up with pavlova.
Also reminiscent of the pavlova battle is the claim that it came from somewhere else entirely – in this case, it’s often suggested that its trueorigins are French, which is certainly credible when one considers the sheer amount of butter in it.
Tolstoy readers will know that at one point, France and the upper echelons of Russian society had considerable cultural exchange, so chicken Kyiv’s true origins between those two societies may never be known.
What cannot be disputed, though, is its status as an iconic food. It was rather fashionable in the 1970s in particular, and remains so popular that the frozen food aisle in any major Australian supermarket inevitably contains a number of different frozen versions. But rather than that, you’d be well advised tomake it from scratch or seek it out at your local regional restaurant.
You could also put a spin on it with Adam Liaw's Chicken Kyiv nuggets (recipe here), created especially for this year's Eurovision excitement:
And of course if you find yourself in Kyiv, like quite a few lucky European music aficionados this week, you can try this famous dish in its namesake city – based on this report, you can try it with both Ukrainian vodka and the local Kyiv folk dancing – rather an irresistible combination.
So when you tune into Eurovision this weekend, see if you can’t track down a plate of breadcrumbed, buttery goodness and embrace one of Ukraine’s most famous exports while you’re listening to the finalists.
And if you haven’t tried it, but have ever eaten chicken schnitzel with garlic bread and wondered just how awesome it would be if you combined the two, wonder no more.
Try our recipe for golden-crumbed Chicken Kiev/Kyiv here.
Chicken kiev (kotleta po kievsky) Source: SBS Food
Catch all the excitement of semi-final two of Eurovision on Friday 12 May and the big final on Sunday 14 May on SBS- full details of telecast times here.
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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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