While most students were celebrating homecoming this past Saturday afternoon, the borscht-loving community was packed into the basement of St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church on York Road. People were gathered for the annual ‘Mama’s Borscht Festival’ to take in the cultural experience of Ukrainian food, dance and entertainment.
For those of you who don’t know, borscht is a traditional Ukrainian soup consisting mainly of beetroot and a variety of other vegetables. This deep-red soup may look startling to those unfamiliar with it, but it is super delicious, hitting the spot with the sweetness of beets. It tastes best with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill.
At the festival you could enjoy perohy, schnitzel, and a variety of Ukrainian treats, as well as borscht. While enjoying your meal, you could watch dancing, instrumental acts, and even a set by the celebrity comedian Luba Goy. There was quite the buzz going around the festival for the arrival of Luba. As one of Canada’s most famous Ukrainians, it was quite exciting that this Royal Canadian Air Farce star was to make an appearance at the festival. She was even given the privilege to judge the ‘Borscht Contest.’
Members of the community had the chance to make their very own batch of borscht and submit it into the festival’s borscht contest. A table was filled with slow cookers of different variations of borscht lined up for tasting. For a mere two dollars, the public had the chance to try each different batch of borscht, and then vote for their favourite batch. From the vegan borscht to the hearty winter borscht, none of the soups disappointed and it was hard to make a final decision. This contest gave the community a chance to swap recipes and to enjoy tradition and heritage.
As you left the festival, you were warm not only from the soup but from the hearty experience. If you weren’t able to catch the festival this year, get excited to come next year. And as it is beet season, pick up some beets and try making some soup for yourself!