Shpundra

Medium·25 min

An ancient Cossack dish of fatty pork braised slowly with red beetroot in tangy beet kvas until the meat is meltingly tender and stained ruby-red. The sauce turns thick, sweet-and-sour and deeply savory.

Shpundra is one of the oldest dishes of the Cossack and Poltava kitchen, predating the tomato's arrival and relying instead on fermented beet kvas for its signature tang and crimson color. It was a hearty cold-season dish of the Hetmanate era, when soured beet brine was a pantry staple in every Ukrainian household.

Lush, fall-apart pork soaked in a glossy crimson sauce that hits sweet, sour and savory all at once. The beets turn silky and earthy-sweet, and the fermented kvas gives the whole dish a bright, almost wine-like tang against the rich fat.

Slow braising breaks down the collagen in fatty pork into gelatin, giving the meat its melting tenderness and the sauce its body. The acidity of beet kvas both tenderizes the meat and preserves the beets' deep red color while balancing the richness.

Variations

Pork belly or shoulder cuts, versions with added carrot, a modern tomato-and-vinegar substitute for kvas, a thicker stew-style finish

On the Palate

Where Shpundra sits in the Ukrainian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

How it's made

8 steps · 25 min

1
10 min
Cut fatty pork or pork belly into generous chunks and render some of the fat in a heavy pot.
2
8 min
Brown the pork pieces on all sides in the rendered fat until richly colored.
Watch out
Brown the pork hard on every side in its own rendered fat — that deep crust is where the sauce's savor comes from.
3
7 min
Add sliced onion and cook until softened and golden.
4
5 min
Stir in peeled, diced or sliced red beetroot and a spoonful of flour to thicken.
5
5 min
Pour in beet kvas to nearly cover, season with salt, pepper, bay leaf and a little sugar.
Watch out
Pour the beet kvas to nearly cover — its tang both softens the meat and locks the beets a deep red instead of fading to brown.
6
60 min
Cover and braise gently over low heat until the pork is fork-tender and the beets are soft.
Watch out
Braise low and slow until the pork gives way to a fork — rushed high heat toughens it before the collagen melts.
7
10 min
Uncover and let the sauce reduce to a thick, glossy ruby gravy.
Watch out
Uncover and reduce to a glossy ruby gravy that coats the spoon — too thin and it tastes watered-down.
8
5 min
Rest briefly, then serve hot with bread or boiled potatoes.