Other than the pleasure gained from eating, food is also a reflection of history. You can learn a lot about an area based on an analysis of the food in a particular region. Enter Saskatchewan, The Ukraine and Perogies.
From my limited time in Saskatchewan, I noticed that many menus had some form of perogies on them. From the Government of Saskatchewan’s website, I learned that:
“Saskatchewan has had a long relationship with the country of Ukraine. Ukrainian immigrants helped settle the province more than a century ago and Ukrainian culture and traditions are deeply embedded in the Saskatchewan mosaic.
More than 13 per cent of Saskatchewan residents trace all or part of their ancestry to Ukraine, according to the last census. Ukraine is currently the fourth top source of immigration to the province.”
This brings us to the topic of today’s post – Baba’s Homestyle Perogies in Saskatoon. I learned about this place from a food show and decided to pay a visit.
The inside had a few places to sit and eat, and also, a lot of both frozen and fresh takeout options.
You can see Ukrainian ladies making fresh cabbage rolls in the back. That’s the kind of stuff I love to see. Handmade, passion.
I was speaking with a gentleman from the Ukraine, and apparently, there is some dispute with Poland over who invented perogies. In any case, we ordered a plate of perogies, cabbage rolls and borscht. We added a dill and mushroom sauce to the perogies which apparently, the place is well known for.
The meal also came with a bread roll and some butter. I don’t know enough about perogies, cabbage rolls or borscht to say whether it was authentic or not. The taste was good. Not amazing, mind blowing, but good. It was even better eating it after knowing about the history of Ukranians in Saskatchewan, and of course, seeing the ladies making everything by hand. If you are in Saskatoon, I think this place is worth a visit, and then, read up on history.