Not borscht, not salo: chef Andriy Masiuta named salt a Ukrainian product with world-class potential

Ukrainian gastronomy is traditionally reduced abroad to a small set of recognizable symbols — borscht, salo, varenyky. Yet among professional chefs, the idea is increasingly heard that familiar ingredients can reveal themselves in an entirely different light within the framework of haute cuisine. It is in this spirit that chef Andriy Masiuta discusses the potential of Ukrainian food, and in an interview with the lifestyle project “WAVE” (RBC-Ukraine) he named one of the most underrated ingredients — and it is far from the dish that Ukraine is associated with abroad.

Salt as an underrated product

In response to a question about an everyday product for Ukrainians in which he sees potential for a world-class restaurant, Masiuta chose, perhaps, the most unexpected option. “There are such products. Salt is one of them,” the chef stated. Thus, at the center of his attention was not a finished recipe but a basic, at first glance, element of any kitchen, which in the mass perception is not associated with any “Ukrainian” product.

The “Bread-Salt” project

According to Masiuta, he has already begun to put this idea into practice. “I am currently working on one of my projects that will be connected with this. Bread-salt,” the chef explained. In this way, salt in his concept serves not merely as a seasoning but as an independent hero of a gastronomic project, united with bread in a single authorial statement.

The potential of the everyday

The key emphasis in the chef’s words lies in the contrast between the simplicity of the product and its hidden potential. “Our salt is really special. It seems very simple. Of course, there are other products, very promising ones, that can be developed,” Masiuta added. This logic is typical of modern haute cuisine, where value is increasingly created not by exoticism but by the depth of working through familiar raw materials and their local specificity.

Context: Ukrainian gastronomy on the world stage

The choice of salt as a “calling card” can be seen as part of a broader trend: Ukrainian chefs are striving to move beyond the stereotypical set of dishes and show that even the most mundane ingredients carry a cultural and flavor code worthy of presentation at the level of world-class restaurants. In this sense, Masiuta’s statement is not merely an assessment of a product but a declaration that Ukrainian gastronomy has the resources to develop beyond familiar associations.