German Berliner, Italian zeppole, Spanish churros, Austrian krapfen, American donuts… Whatever the world’s most popular delicacy is called, one thing remains unchanged – the doughnuts (as we speak of them) are loved by everyone. The only point is that some people express their love openly, while others emote indifference – keeping figure, if you believe it… But here in Lvov nobody is ashamed of its warm feelings for pampukh – as doughnuts are named in Western Ukraine. Moreover, this passion is raised in the rank of a cult – so much so that for 4 years consecutively the city of Lion celebrates the Day of Pampukh with much eclat.
Legend has it that once upon a time the doughnuts were created by mere chance – a man accidently dropped a cod of flour into boiling oil. The name of the hero remained unknown, otherwise the citizens of Lvov would definitely have immortalized it in the title of one of the numerous varieties of “pampukh” made on a special recipe. By the way, the Western capital of Ukraine does not suffer a shortage of recipes for the beloved delicacy! One can`t doubt it, as every family here have their own recipe for this traditional Christmas dish, the secrets of this know-how are handed down from one generation to another! Pampukhs can either be sweet with poppy seeds, candied fruit, marmalade, custard, ginger, dusted with sugar powder and wrapped up in chocolate icing, or rye with salt or garlic. And even if it’s just a plain classic pampukh, it’s still incredibly tasty! Moreover, a great number of funny traditions are related to this iconic dish. For instance, goodwives often joke baking pampukhs with symbolic stuffing. Finding a coin means wealth (unless, of course not an expense at the dentist!), black pepper warns to expect a surprise, in case you came across some honey inside a pampukh – there will be a wedding soon. Thus one can make a feast of these delicacies and simultaneously know the future.
Being truly loved by the people, this so-called “professional” holiday of pampukh is in all aspects a remarkable event. Here one can not only enjoy the sweets to the bottom of his heart, but also have a closer look at national traditions of baking, write down his favorite recipes, learn a lot about Christmas traditions around the world and finally just have fun. Besides the “culinary” part, the holiday program includes a Christmas parade, lottery, festive concerts, games and a crib contest – the traditional Christmas street performances.
You will definitely enjoy your lucky pampukh at Lvov Rynok Square (Market Square) – and thus get another sweet moment of the New Year!
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