Bar da Dona Onça removes stroganoff from the menu in protest against the war in Ukraine

The famous stroganoff at Bar da Dona Onça, in downtown São Paulo, will be off the menu — and, yes, the justification is the war in Ukraine. Removing the recipe of Russian origin from the menu was the way chef Janaína Rueda, who runs the house, found to protest against the conflict. “Only come back when the war is over.”

The decision was taken this Tuesday, the 8th, but the dish will only be unavailable from this Wednesday, the 9th. According to Rueda, the decision was a way to draw people’s attention to the confrontation, which began on February 24. , with Russian troops invading Ukrainian territory. “But it’s not a cancellation from Russia,” she points out. “It’s another way of saying we’re against whoever started this.”

Served since the address opened in April 2008, stroganoff is one of the house’s best-selling items — and the chef’s favorite dish, she says. “For me, it’s a dish that has already become popular in Brazil.” Despite this, Rueda recalls that the recipe is Russian and says he believes that gastronomy also plays a role in presenting the culture of other countries.

“With stroganoff, I’ve been telling the story of Russians for 15 years in my restaurant.”

Not just in your restaurant. In 2016, the chef began to work on the reformulation of the school feeding program of state schools in São Paulo, in a program that provided for the exchange of industrialized products for fresh ingredients in children’s dishes. Stroganoff was on the menu.

There are a few stories about the origin of the dish in Russia. What is certain is that the original recipe brought beef flakes and mushrooms mixed with smetana, Russian sour cream.

Some of the must-have ingredients are hot paprika, two tablespoons of cognac, Worcestershire sauce, strong mustard, roti sauce (from cooking the meat), fresh mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, sour cream and, of course, filet mignon.

The recipe became popular after arriving in France after the Russian Revolution. Then it spread – France, Italy and the United States all have their own stroganoff readings. It arrived in Brazil in the 1960s and soon conquered its place on the local menu, with the addition of side dishes such as rice and potato straw.

“I know I’m just a little ant [diante da situação da guerra], but if they all come together, something can change. I’m not alone,” says Rueda. The attitude recalls that of American bars, which changed the name of the moscow mule drink to kiev mule, for example. But Rueda also shows concern for his Russian colleagues. “All my solidarity with them.”

The chef says she hopes the dish will return to the menu soon — but there is no deadline, it only comes back when the war is over. “As soon as Putin backs off, we’ll have a party with lots of vodka and stroganoff at Bar da Dona Onça”, she jokes.