Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №11/2004

AROUND RUSSIA

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?