Ukraine’s fattiest treat gets trendy makeover

Ukraine’s national dish of pork fat is a dense, white, chewy treat that can become an acquired taste. But a new restaurant transforms the traditional dish, moulding it into kitsch edible sculptures and even “sushi”.

Pork fat is “a cult dish and we decided to turn it into a cult art object,” the co-owner of the restaurant, Mark Zarkhin, said.

Known as salo in Ukrainian, the pork fat comes in numerous varieties, ranging from smoked to streaky to pure white blubber. It is often sprinkled with paprika and washed down with a shot of vodka.

Named simply Salo, Mr Zarkhin’s restaurant opened in June in the western city of Lviv and also markets itself as a museum of the lardy delicacy.

On the menu are kitsch offerings including a copy of the genitals of Michelangelo’s David, stuffed with potato dumplings, and an anatomically accurate Van Gogh’s Ear.

There is even a local version of Japanese sushi – ubiquitous in Ukraine’s trendy restaurants – made from smoked pork fat.

Mr Zarkhin, a businessman, says the restaurant mildly mocks the national love for salo. “We are being ironic about ourselves and about our tastes,” he said.

But he himself raves about the food’s versatility, insisting that it can be much more than a savoury.

“People think of salo as either salty or smoked. They can hardly believe that this food can be more like cream. You add some ginger and cinnamon and it becomes a wonderful filling for chocolates,” he enthused.

The menu even offers desserts of whipped pork fat dipped in chocolate and a frozen “ice cream” dish called Monroe’s Lips.

The restaurant is aimed more at tourists than locals in the country’s poorer western region.

The interior is scattered with objets d’art made from pork fat, including a model of a human heart.