You may remember my post about the “Ukrainian Snickers Bar,” which is actually chocolate-covered salo, or pork fat. I came upon a fitting follow-up to that post, a BBC report about a salo Festival being held in Simferopil’, Ukraine. Why the fascination with salo? Although I’m Ukrainian myself, I personally don’t see the allure, but I know from friends and family that this is not an exaggeration:
Traditionally, small slices of the white snack are eaten with black bread, garlic and vodka. And, more recently, there is even a chocolate-coated version. [See? :-)]
Many Ukrainians believe salo is good for them and even keeps them slim. They say it contains amino acids that help burn fat in the body.
And they write poems, or sing songs, about their favourite national dish.
If nothing else, stories like this make me feel slightly better about my less-than-ideal dietary habits… 😉
