Fried · Market Snack

Deruny

📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

The name comes straight from the Ukrainian verb 'to grate' — deruny are named after how they're made, not what's in them.

Deruny are pancakes made from finely grated raw potato bound with egg and a little flour, pan-fried until the edges turn lacy and crisp while the center stays soft. Market and street vendors serve them hot with sour cream.

Why it's made this way: Potatoes have been a cheap, filling staple crop across Ukraine, and grating them raw into a quick-fried pancake turned an everyday ingredient into a snack cooked to order.