Cabbage is a staple in Ukrainian cuisine, not just for its many outstanding health benefits but for its versatility and economy.

The quintessential Ukrainian cabbage dish is of course holubtsi, aka cabbage rolls. The traditional rolls can be quite time consuming to make, so modern cooks often opt for "lazy cabbage rolls" which is basically a layered casserole of cabbage, rice, and other ingredients.

In this episode of Ukrainian Food Flair, Sylvia shares her recipe for a hearty dinner variation with ground beef, rice, and cabbage.

She also shares some very interesting anecdotes about cabbage folklore and medicinal qualities.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This edition of Knyzhka Corner discusses The Blue Riviera – A Daughter’s Investigation, a memoir recounting a daughter’s effort to understand the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death in 1960.

The review outlines Sally Tomiuk Kurpita’s early life in Stari Kuti, her family’s immigration to Canada, her illness on the voyage, and her involvement in Montreal’s Ukrainian Catholic community.

It describes the events leading up to her fatal car accident, the unanswered questions surrounding her final hours, and the impact of her death on her daughter’s life.

The review follows the author’s exploration of family history, her relationship with her father, her connection to Ukrainian heritage, and her reflections on Ukrainian history and current events.

More information about the author and her work is available at her website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is a story about a little known aspect of Nazi camps – the 3.3 to 5 million Ostarbeiters, or forced labourers. Readers will learn a great deal about World War II and the treatment of captured Ukrainian civilians.

Skrypuch’s characters overcome great challenges during a period of war and intense turbulence. Her images of suffering are unforgettable.

The novel begins in 1943 as Lida and her younger sister Laryssa are separated after the Nazis take over their village. Nine-year old Lida is sent to a work camp in Bavaria and struggles to survive in the horrible conditions there.

Read the full transcript on the Nash Holos blog here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation with Vincent Rees of Cobblestone Freeway and Ukraine Dance World, and organizer of the first annual West Coast Ukie Fest in Vancouver, Burnaby and Sidney, BC Jun 28-30.

Vincent shares his vision for launching this festival, as well as giving us a sneak preview of all the events at this exciting extravaganza taking place over three days at three different locations.

Newsflash: there will be perogies. Along with workshops and demonstrations, Ukrainian arts & crafts, music, dancing, and great Ukrainian food. Including perogies.

Find festival details and update on Facebook.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of May this year (2026), during his annual routine maintenance visit to the Castle Mountain Camp memorial in Banff National Park, Borys Sydoruk of the National Internment Committee was shocked to discover that two bronze plaques were missing and the statue itself had been damaged.

In this conversation, he discussed the likely motive behind the theft, the RCMP investigation, and Parks Canada’s uncertain response over who should repair a monument funded by the Ukrainian community and gifted to Parks Canada.

As well, he shared the wider story of Canada’s First World War internment operations, and reminded listeners of the role of internees—used as slave labour—in developing Canada’s national parks.

He also discussed the struggle to mark these sites across the country, and what this kind of vandalism reveals about how little most Canadians still know—or are taught—about this dark chapter of Canada's history.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage, we explore the origins, purpose, and lived reality of the Pale of Settlement. Created by Catherine II in 1791 after the partitions of Poland, this vast territory confined the largest Jewish population in the world to 25 western provinces of the Russian Empire.

Many of these provinces lay on captive Ukrainian lands the empire had already colonized — ruled by force, stripped for resources, and kept under tight military control. Several of those same areas lie within modern Ukraine’s borders today, including regions now under Russian occupation.

The episode traces the long Jewish presence in these lands, the shifting political forces that shaped their fate, and the alternating cycles of restriction, limited autonomy, and violent repression under successive Russian rulers.

It also highlights the cultural, educational, religious, and economic life that flourished despite hardship, and the events that ultimately brought the Pale to an end in 1917.

The geographic overlap between the former Pale and today’s occupied Ukrainian territories underscores how imperial patterns of control and repression continue to echo in the present.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this segment, Sylvia Pidraziuk Molnar brings forward a fabulous, simple recipe in praise of asparagus — a plant that has grown wild in Ukraine for centuries and still appears in Ukrainian kitchens across the country. She speaks to its quiet presence and long history in Ukrainian cookery, and the way its character pairs so naturally with familiar flavours, including the Carpathian bryndzia cheese as well as parmesan. Sylvia offers a straightforward preparation that lets the vegetable remain the star, a small dish with deep roots and a hint of the mountains in its finish.

You’ll find this recipe, along with others from the series, in the Ukrainian Food Flair cookbook, available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this edition of Knyzka Corner, Myra reviews Airport, Sergei Loiko’s novel based on the 242‑day siege of Donetsk airport.

Drawing on his experience as the only foreign reporter living with the defenders, Loiko depicts the Cyborgs’ determination, the brutality of the assault by Russian troops and mercenaries, and the personal turmoil of his fictional alter-ego, war correspondent Alexei Molchanov.

The review highlights the novel’s blend of fact‑based detail, frontline observation, and the intertwined themes of courage, loss, love, and betrayal.

Originally released in Ukrainian (2015) and Russian (2016), and translated into English by Alexander Cigale in 2018. Available on Amazon here (affiliate link).

You can hear Pawlina's interview with Sergei Loiko recorded in 2016 here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.