Russian Cuisine
Bread has always played a special role in the life of Russians.
Foreigners were often surprised to see this affection and could not understand why no meal
could start without bread, even in spite of the fact that there was so much wild game in
Russian forests.
According to an ancient tradition, if someone dropped bread he had to
kiss it and ask its pardon for such carelessness. Peasants, as well as town-dwellers,
never threw crumbs away, but put them in a hand and ate them. Guests were welcomed with
the words “bread and salt”, which symbolized hospitality.
At first, rye bread was the most popular, but, little by little, white
bread also came into use. Normally bread was cooked from leavened dough and it was round.
Besides, leavened dough was useful for preparing cookies and pancakes. The latter was
considered to be a ritual dish, as pancakes were usually served for funeral repast and
during Pancake Week.
A special Russian dish is rye and oatmeal: kisel. It was served
as an everyday meal and at the same time was traditional at weddings and funeral repasts.
Cereals were used to prepare soups and kashas. It is to be noted
that in different regions people cooked kashas from different cereals. In the south
of the country, people liked millet; in the south of Siberia they preferred buckwheat and
so on. When there was not enough flour or cereals, people ate the so-called “second
bread”, that is, potatoes.
The plant appeared in Russia only in the 18th century and at first
people did not know what part of it to eat. You can guess whether the peasants appreciated
potatoes or not, if you learn that they ate not the tubers but the flowers of the
vegetable in the beginning! No one could understand what Peter the Great, who brought the
strange plant to Russia, found tasty in it; but little by little people discovered its
real value. Since then we have been cooking potatoes in different ways: we boil and bake
them, in peel, we have been frying them and even making kisel out of it.
Cabbage cannot be replaced either. It is impossible to cook shchi
without it and we know that shchi and kasha have always been irreplaceable for
Russians. I am sure that most of our readers could name different kinds of shchi:
sauerkraut, sorrel soup…
Centuries ago Russians ate many stewed vegetables, such as carrots,
beets, turnips. It was not expensive, and at one time turnips were even more popular than
potatoes. In Germany today they are still served very often.
An important part of Russian cuisine is oil. It is less expensive than
butter, besides, during fast periods, people are allowed to add only oil to dishes.
Earlier, northern citizens of the country used linseed-oil and southern ones hempseed and
sunflower-seed oil.
Russians were not only farmers but cattle-breeders as well. That is why
they liked so many diary products: milk, whey, sour cream, cottage cheese. Usually poor
peasants did not eat either sour cream or cheese, as it was much more profitable to sell
them. A cow gave more revenue if it was milked; that explains the not very common use of
meat in meals. At the same time, Russians could cook many dishes out of meat. They fried,
boiled, baked it, and prepared sausages and ham. During fasts, meat was replaced by fish.
In their gardens people grew berries, vegetables and fruits. Mushrooms
were in favor as well – though the population of southern regions did not usually eat
them as much as people in other parts of the country.
A huge diversity can be found among Russian traditional drinks. A daily
one – kvas – was made of bread or beet and pears. Dry fruits were used to prepare
compote; honey and barley were substances for beer. The popularity of honey and beer can
be witnessed by Russian fairy-tales, where at the end of the story the main hero always
has one of these drinks. But the most popular Russian drink is, no doubt, vodka, which was
made from different berries and herbs.
Tea came into fashion only in the 19th century. People often drank it
out of a saucer, with jam, honey or sugar. In some areas, bordering Mongolia and Turkic
territories, people drink black Kalmyk tea with flour, fat and salt! In fact, it can be
considered a soup – a very nourishing one.
Russians, just like other peoples, have preserved their culinary
traditions better than their peculiarities of home or clothes, for example. Try to make a
Russian gorge on horse-flesh like peoples in the steppes or on frogs like in France!
Nevertheless, today there are many new dishes appearing in our daily lives. No one will be
surprised to see Italian spaghetti or pizza, olives, French wine or brandy set before them
on the table.
Questions to the Next Part:
1. How many groups can Finno-Ugrians peoples be divided in?
2. Name peoples who formed these groups.
3. What do Finno-Ugrians believe in?
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