Shashlik

By Volodymyr Kish

The advent of spring in Canada brings with it the advent of barbecue season.  For the past few weekends, whenever I stepped outside into my back yard I detected the unmistakeable aroma of meat on the grill.

Canadians love their barbecue whether their preference runs to burgers, steak, pork chops, sausages or chicken.  It is a rare deck, patio or back yard in Canada that is not graced with a propane barbecue.  Of course there are purists that insist that it’s not real barbecue unless it’s done with charcoal, but they are a shrinking minority.  The availability and convenience of propane has made a back year grill a standard appliance in most suburban homes.  In fact the size, features and accessories of some of the models have made them almost a status symbol with everyone seeking to outdo their neighbour in the show off department.

Yet in this striving to “improve” on the basic process, I think the essential nature of this type of cooking has been lost.  I was reminded of this when I lived in Ukraine and experienced something a lot closer and more genuine to the original tradition of our cave man ancestors roasting meat on an open fire.

Ukrainians too love to grill meat out of doors, however they do it the way it’s been done for millennia.  You won’t find many propane barbecues there.  To be sure, they are available in many of the large hardware superstores that are springing up like hryby everywhere, but few people buy them except for the foreigners. 

Barbecuing meat in Ukraine means only one thing – shashlik.  The origins of this name is lost in far distant history as is evidenced by the similarity of terms for this form of cuisine in this part of the world – shashlik (Ukrainian & Russian), szaszlyk (Polish), sislik (Persian), sisliq (Tatar), shishlyk (Hebrew) and shyshche (Bulgarian). Throughout the Middle East it is also known under various forms of the word kebab.  Essentially it is marinated chunks of meat grilled over an open flame.  It was initially brought to Central Europe by caravan traders from Asia and especially by the Mongols in the wake of their infamous raids and invasions.

Although in the Middle East lamb and goat tend to prevail, in the Slavic countries and Ukraine in particular, it is mostly pork.  The pork is cut into bite sized chunks and marinated for several hours and preferably for at least a day.  Everyone has their own jealously guarded secret for the marinade, usually passed down in the family from generation to generation; however they are usually variations of two basic types, one with a yoghurt base and another with a red wine base.  To these base liquids are added onions, garlic and various spices.  After marinating, the meat is put on large skewers in preparation for grilling.

In Ukraine, shashliks are always grilled out of doors and preferably in the woods or by a riverbank as part of a picnic expedition.  A wood fire is built and reduced to charcoal under a special frame made from branches on which the skewers will be rested against for grilling.  Because wood in many parts of Ukraine is scarce, dried corn cobs are often used as an effective substitute for fuel.  The skewered meat is roasted until done and then consumed in great quantities, usually accompanied by pickled hryby and assorted fresh vegetables such as tomatoes and green onions.  Usually the shashlik is dipped into a special shashlik sauce, with those from Georgia being particular favourites.  At a typical Ukrainian grocery store there are as many varieties of shashlik sauces as we have mustards and relishes. Of course, liberal quantities of vodka are also consumed at all stages of a shashlik picnic, though cold beer is making great inroads as an accompanying beverage.

Shashliks are the favourite form of “in transit” food for long trips by car.  Along the major highways and roads between cities in Ukraine there are numerous roadside shashlik stands.

Much as we make pit stops at service centers and have a quick burger and fries, in Ukraine, they stop at these roadside stands for a quick meal of shashlik and a cold beer.

Just thinking of the shashlik I used to enjoy back in Ukraine makes me drool.  I think it’s time to dig out that ancient family shashlik marinade recipe and plan on making some next weekend.  I will make one compromise – it will have to endure my trusty back deck propane barbecue; an open fire might tempt a neighbour to call the fire department!