Korovai

The story

In Ukraine the korovai is the bread of a wedding. The Encyclopedia of Ukraine describes a large wheat loaf covered with dough figures such as the sun, the moon and birds, a custom old enough to reach back to pre-Christian beliefs about grain. Traditionally it was baked by korovainytsi, respected married women, and a Kyiv bakery director told Saveur that clients ask for only married women with children to bake their loaf. Every decoration has a meaning: a pair of birds stands for the couple, braids for the joining of two families, pine cones for fertility and periwinkle for lasting love. The couple is blessed with the bread before the ceremony, the starosty, or wedding elders, carry it into church, and at the reception it is the centerpiece until it is cut and shared among the guests. The chef Yevhen Klopotenko notes that at many weddings the bride and groom bite into it, and whoever takes the bigger bite is said to lead the household; a couple married without a korovai could be nicknamed Bezkorovainyi. None of this belongs to February 14; it is wedding bread. At home it makes a centerpiece for an engagement or anniversary dinner. Korovai was traditionally eaten cold, often the next day, so slice what is left and serve it with butter and tea.