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settled in the area. This includes music, traditional clothing during celebrations, and traditional dishes. Popular Potatoes Northern Ukrainian farms can produce a variety of crops, which also enables them to provide a sustainable meat supply. This is why the region’s cuisine leans toward traditional recipes with “bone-sticking” ingredients, like starchy vegetables and meats that are both filling and savory. Potatoes grow particularly well in this region and show up in many favored recipes.

STYLISH SHIRT

The vyshyvanka is a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt— which dates back to the Scythians in the ninth century BCE—that has become a popular fashion statement, especially among younger Ukrainians, who commonly wear the shirt with jeans. In 2006, a flash mob at Chernivtsi National University initiated Vyshyvanka Day, which has now become a national event celebrated on the third Thursday of May. During the pandemic in May 2020, Google gave a shout out to Vyshyvanka Day with a Google doodle, noting: “Embroidery has been a part of Ukrainian culture since long before the country itself was established. Over 250 distinct embroidery stitches can be used to form the vyshyvanka’s signature coded symbols. These typically fall into three categories: floral ornamentation, zoomorphic figures, and geometric shapes.” Wearing a vyshyvanka is done to honor Ukrainian identity, traditions, and national unity—and is also really comfortable.

Ukrainian

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