There Is No Ukraine Without Salo: An Analysis of the Cultural and Social Significance of Salo in Ukraine

Abstract

Salo, or pork fat in Ukrainian, is a national delicacy and symbol of Ukrainian cuisine. The reason for its popularity is because of its ability to stay fresh for weeks, its taste, and the involved process of making it from scratch. Unfortunately, like many aspects of Ukrainian life, Russians and other oppressors have used the humble salo as a means to destroy and weaken Ukraine’s national character through the use of jokes. The paper will first analyze how pork fat has metamorphosed from its associations of poverty and peasantry to representations of folk traditions through a comparative analysis of the Italian lardo and salo. It will then examine how Ukrainians have twisted and repurposed Soviet jokes as a way to uplift their own ethnic identity while taunting their oppressors. Salo is more than just a piece of pork fat; it is an embodiment of Ukraine. As one might say, “There is no Ukraine without salo.”