In 2025, Ukrainians will celebrate Christmas under martial law for the fourth year in a row. For those who will have the opportunity to prepare 12 traditional dishes for a festive dinner, scientists at the Institute of Agricultural Economics have calculated the cost of the 2025 Christmas table based on average prices in Ukrainian supermarkets as of early December this year, writes ProAgro Group.
According to their calculations, a Christmas menu consisting of dishes that are traditional for such a table in an average family: kutia and uzvar, fried fish, vinaigrette, varenyky (with potatoes, cabbage, cherries), stewed cabbage, vegetarian borscht with beans, fried potatoes, fresh and pickled vegetables, will cost an average family about 1,374 hryvnia, according to the director of the institute, NAAS academician Yuriy Lupenko.
According to scientists’ estimates, wheat kutia – 950 g of traditional recipe ingredients – will cost UAH 213.37 and will be the second most expensive dish on the holiday table. The most expensive ingredients in the dish this year are poppy seeds – 72.50 UAH for 200 g, shelled walnuts – 68.80 UAH, and raisins – 24.99 UAH for 100 g, respectively. The main ingredient of kutia – durum wheat groats – will cost 26.90 UAH per 400 g. We will pay another 18.70 UAH per 100 g for honey and add a little sugar (50 g) for 1.48 UAH.
The third most expensive dish will be traditional uzvar. Ready-made dried fruit sets for uzvar – dried apples, pears, and prunes – cost 118 UAH in supermarkets (600 g per 2 liters of water).
The most expensive dish this year will be fried fish – 346.02 UAH. You will have to pay 339 UAH for 2 kg of live carp and 7.02 UAH for 200 g of flour.
The total cost of the Christmas table in 2025 remains practically at last year’s level of 1,365 UAH. This price situation is explained by the fact that prices for vegetables used in borscht – potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets, and onions – have more than halved over the past year due to their record harvest in 2025. The following products experienced the highest price increases compared to the previous year in the Christmas menu: oil (+26.7%), frozen cherries (+25.7%), pickled cucumbers (+25.2%), dried white beans (+18.3%), flour (+17.5%), live carp (+12.6%), and fresh tomatoes (+12.5%), Yuriy Lupenko summed up.
Earlier, we reported that the price of borscht ingredients fell by half in the fall of 2025, as the harvest of traditional vegetables for the dish—potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, and onions—exceeded last year’s figures, which led to a significant drop in prices.
