others

Other issues important to a Minsk tourist: Belarus state holidays, Minsk internet cafes, Minsk weather, Belarus draniki recipe, Belarus travel safety, etc.

Can I cook Belarusian draniki myself?

updated on 30/05/2014

Draniki - or potato pancakes - are a traditional Belarusian dish. It is very popular in other countries including Russia (kakorki), Ukraine (deruny) and Israel (latkes) but surely the most delicious draniki can be tasted only in Belarus.

If the ingredients are available at your home food market why not cook draniki yourself? Here comes one of the most common recipes of Belarusian draniki. A necessary requirement: when getting down to business, the cook must be in a fine mood.

Wash the potatoes clean, peel them and after washing again grate them using a small grater or grind them using a blender or a meat chopper. If there is too much potato juice, remove it. To prevent draniki from getting dark, you may add a spoon of sour cream into the dough.

Draniki served in Ozertso Museum Tavern

Ingredients (meal for 1-2 guests): Potatoes (5-6), Onion (1-2), Egg (1), Flour (2 large spoons), Sunflower oil, Salt, Black pepper

 
Grind the onions and add them to the potato dough. It is up to you whether to also add dill or parsley. Add eggs, salt, flour and black pepper. You shouldn’t add any other spices so as not to kill the natural taste of draniki. Mix it all into a uniform mass.

Heat a pan and pour some sunflower oil onto it. Put the potato dough on the hot pan using a large spoon to create pancakes of the size you like. Note, that the smaller the pancakes, the easier they are to handle. Let the pancakes fry for a couple of minutes until the first side gets roasted, turn them over and remove them from the pan when it's of the desired condition.

Belarusian draniki are normally served hot with cold sour cream. Other stuffings such as mushrooms or meat (draniki with the latter are called kolduny in Belarus) are up to you. And don’t leave them in the fridge overnight – they will loose taste!

If cooking is not your strongest suit, the map below will throw some light onto the best cooking spots in Minsk. Naturally, the list is based on my experience only and is focused on the Belarusian cuisine.

Cooking draniki at home!


Questions are welcome!

Andrei Burdenkov - your personal guide in Belarus
IG logo FB logo YT logo email icon phone icon

Featured

How do I apply for a Belarus tourist visa?
updated on 13.02.2017

Applying at their local Belarus Consulate, the citizens of migration-secure states (e.g. the USA, Canada, Japan and others) can obtain a short-term...

Filling in Belarus visa application
updated on 18.02.2020

The form of application for a visa to Belarus has become digital and you can save and send it as a PDF file. It is only a 2-page document that is available...

Anything I should know about landing in MSQ Minsk Airport?
updated on 08.02.2017

Quite a number of things, as a matter of fact. Let’s examine a typical case from my travel agent’s past with a traveler landing in Minsk Airport (MSQ) and applying for a visa...

How do I apply for a Belarus private/guest visa?
updated on 01.02.2017

People, who want to travel to Belarus to see a friend, take care of the grave of a relative, take part in the court hearings, etc. need to apply for a private visa... 

Tour Belarus for family research
updated on 16.05.2013

This article covers field family research in Belarus that in most cases comes after dealing with the State archives of Belarus and genealogical research.

Using a plastic card in Belarus?
updated on 14.10.2016

A plastic card is a fine thing, no doubt, but there have been a number of cases when the ATM displayed ERROR, or required a PIN code...

Traditional souvenirs from Belarus?
updated on 18.10.2016

While most tourists agree that Belarus is not the country for grand shopping, there are still some things that can be brought back as souvenirs...