Banosh

A creamy cornmeal porridge cooked in sour cream, topped with salty cheese, crackling and sometimes mushrooms — a Carpathian classic.

Banosh comes from the Hutsul people of the Carpathian mountain region in western Ukraine, where it developed as a filling, energy-dense dish suited to the demands of mountain farming and shepherding life. Unlike simpler cornmeal porridges made with water, banosh is traditionally cooked in sour cream, giving it a rich, tangy character. It is typically topped with brynza, a salty sheep's milk cheese common in the Carpathians, along with crispy pork cracklings or fried mushrooms, and remains a signature dish of western Ukrainian and Hutsul cuisine.

The defining feature is cooking the cornmeal in sour cream rather than water or milk, which gives banosh its rich, slightly tangy character. Brynza cheese, a salty sheep's milk cheese, is the traditional topping.