Uzvar : Ukrainian Spiced Fruit Compote
On January 6th my house smells like dried apricots and honey. It’s the Orthodox Christmas Eve, which in Ukrainian is called Svyata Vecherya, the Holy Supper, and two dishes central to it are kutya and uzvar. I have written about kutya already, but uzvar deserves special mention, because this spiced fruit compote is not only delicious, it has a heady perfume.
Uzvar is not only paired with kutya for the Ukrainian Christmas and Easter, it’s a favorite winter dessert in my family. It’s simple, healthy and can be varied based on what’s available in the cupboard. I can still picture my great-grandfather, Sergiy, laying out sliced apricots to dry on the roof of the garden shed and smoking plums over cherry wood. “For uzvar in the winter,” he would say, while turning the dark, jammy fruit.
Emily in Lavender Perfumes : Not So Simple (and my Lavender Gold Standard): Mmmmm, MEM by Bogue. Got a sample early on in my fragrance obsessive phase & then a decant. My first prismatic encounter. Haven’t smelled it in too long, you’re inspiring… January 13, 2025 at 12:58pm