Coin Ukraine 2023 #11 ‘Ukrainian Borshch’

This coin celebrates a traditional Ukrainian first course – borshch. The world is full of culinary masterpieces, and one is borshch – the traditional Ukrainian dish that most uniquely captures the taste of Ukraine and its centuries-old culture. For Ukrainians, borshch is more than just a dish. Over time, Ukrainian borshch has been recognized worldwide as a symbol of Ukrainian cuisine and the embodiment of Ukrainian tradition. Borshch is liked across the globe, while its recipe is passed down from generation to generation. In 2022, the culture of Ukrainian borshch cooking was entered on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which is intended to spread knowledge about Ukrainian cultural and gastronomic traditions throughout the world.

Obverse: above is Ukraine’s small coat of arms; to the left of the coat of arms is the coin’s issue year – 2023, while to the right of it are the semicircular legend УКРАЇНА (Ukraine) and the coin’s face value – 5/ГРИВЕНЬ (5/hryvnias); beneath is the mint mark of the NBU’s

Banknote Printing and Minting Works; in the center, against the backdrop of a stove, is a Ukrainian woman cooking borshch; the stove, which symbolizes the continuity of people’s lives, warmth, coziness, well-being and family happiness, is decorated with a Trypillia-culture-based ornament, which stands for the centuries-old history and tradition of making borshch.

Reverse: there is a stylized composition that has a traditional Ukrainian flavor and depicts Ukrainian lifestyle – in the center is a bowl of borshch, which like a “stormy lake” symbolizes deeply rooted Ukrainian culture and traditions; the bowl has the legend БОРЩ (borshch) pad printed on it.