The concept of “Russian cuisine” is as broad as the country itself. The names, taste preferences and composition of dishes differ quite significantly depending on the region. Wherever members of society moved, they brought their traditions into cooking, and at their place of residence they took an active interest in the culinary tricks of the region and quickly introduced them, thereby adapting them to their own ideas about healthy and delicious food. Thus, over time, the vast country developed its own preferences.

Story

Russian cuisine has a rather interesting and long history. Despite the fact that for quite a long time the country did not even suspect the existence of such products as rice, corn, potatoes and tomatoes, the national table was distinguished by an abundance of aromatic and tasty dishes.

Traditional Russian dishes do not require exotic ingredients or specialized knowledge, however, their preparation requires a lot of experience. The main components throughout the centuries have been turnips and cabbage, all kinds of fruits and berries, radishes and cucumbers, fish, mushrooms and meat. Grains such as oats, rye, lentils, wheat and millet were not left out.

The knowledge of yeast dough was borrowed from the Scythians and Greeks. China delighted our country with tea, and Bulgaria spoke about the methods of preparing peppers, zucchini and eggplants.

Many interesting Russian dishes were adopted from European cuisine of the 16th-18th centuries; this list includes smoked meats, salads, ice cream, liqueurs, chocolate and wines.
Pancakes, borscht, Siberian dumplings, okroshka, Guryev porridge, Tula gingerbread, Don fish have long become unique culinary brands of the state.

Main Ingredients

It is no secret to everyone that our state is mainly a northern country, the winter here is long and harsh. Therefore, the dishes that are eaten must provide a lot of heat to help survive in such a climate.

The main components that made up Russian folk dishes are:

• Potato. A variety of dishes were prepared from it, fried, boiled and baked; chops, potato pancakes, pancakes, and soups were also made.
• Bread. This product occupies a significant place in the diet of the average Russian. This kind of food amazes with its variety: it includes croutons, crackers, just bread, bagels and a huge number of types that can be listed ad infinitum.
• Eggs. Most often they are boiled or fried, and a large number of different dishes are prepared on their basis.
• Meat. The most commonly consumed types are beef and pork. Many dishes are made from this product, for example, zrazy, chops, cutlets, etc.
• Oil. It is very popular and is added to many ingredients. They eat it simply spread on bread.

Also, traditional Russian dishes were very often prepared from milk, cabbage, kefir and curdled milk, mushrooms, fermented baked milk, cucumbers, sour cream and lard, apples and honey, berries and garlic, sugar and onions. In order to make any dish, you must use pepper, salt and vegetable oil.

List of popular Russian dishes

A feature of our kitchen is rationality and simplicity. This can be attributed to both the cooking technology and the recipe. A huge number of first dishes were popular, but the main list is presented below:

• Cabbage soup is one of the most popular first courses. There are a huge number of options for its preparation.
• Fish soup was popular in all its varieties: burlatsky, double, triple, team, fishermen.
• Rassolnik was most often prepared in Leningrad, home and Moscow with kidneys, chicken and goose giblets, with fish and cereals, roots and mushrooms, corn, with meatballs, and with lamb brisket.

Also played an important role flour products:

• pancakes;
• dumplings;
• pies;
• pancakes;
• pies;
• cheesecakes;
• crumpets;
• kulebyaki;
• donuts

Cereal dishes were especially popular:

• porridge in pumpkin;
• pea;
• buckwheat with mushrooms.

Meat was most often stewed or baked, and semi-liquid dishes were made from offal. The most favorite meat dishes were:

• Pozharsky cutlets;
• beef Stroganoff;
• veal "Orlov";
• capital-style poultry;
• Russian pork roll;
• offal stew;
• hazel grouse in sour cream;
• Boiled tripes.

Sweet foods were also widely represented:

• compotes;
• jelly;
• fruit drinks;
• kvass;
• sbiten;
• honeys.

Ritual and forgotten dishes

Basically, all the dishes in our cuisine have ritual significance, and some of them date back to the times of paganism. They were consumed on set days or on holidays. For example, pancakes, which were considered sacrificial bread by the Eastern Slavs, were eaten only on Maslenitsa or at funerals. And Easter cakes and Easter cakes were prepared for the holy holiday of Easter.

Kutia was served as funeral food. The same dish was also boiled for various celebrations. Moreover, each time it had a new name, which was timed to coincide with the event. The “poor” one prepared before Christmas, the “rich” one before the New Year, and the “hungry one” before Epiphany.

Some ancient Russian dishes are undeservedly forgotten today. Until recently, there was nothing tastier than carrots and cucumbers boiled with honey in a water bath. The whole world knew and loved national desserts: baked apples, honey, various gingerbreads and preserves. They also made flatbreads from berry porridge, previously dried in the oven, and “parenki” - boiled pieces of beets and carrots - these were children’s favorite Russian dishes. The list of such forgotten dishes can be continued indefinitely, since the cuisine is very rich and varied.

Original Russian drinks include kvass, sbiten and berry fruit drinks. For example, the first one on the list has been known to the Slavs for more than 1000 years. The presence of this product in the house was considered a sign of prosperity and wealth.

Vintage dishes

Modern cuisine, with all its enormous variety, is very different from the past, but still strongly intertwined with it. Today, many recipes have been lost, tastes have been forgotten, most products have become unavailable, but Russian folk dishes should not be erased from memory.

People's traditions are closely related to food intake and have developed under the influence of a wide variety of factors, among which all kinds of religious abstinence play a major role. Therefore, words such as “fasting” and “meat eater” are very common in the Russian lexicon; these periods constantly alternated.

Such circumstances greatly affected Russian cuisine. There is a huge amount of food from cereals, mushrooms, fish, vegetables, which have been seasoned with vegetable fats. On festive table There have always been such Russian dishes, photos of which can be seen below. They are associated with an abundance of game, meat, and fish. Their preparation takes considerable time and requires certain skills from cooks.

Most often, the feast began with appetizers, namely mushrooms, sauerkraut, cucumbers, and pickled apples. Salads appeared later, during the reign of Peter I.
Then we ate Russian dishes such as soups. It should be noted that the national cuisine has a rich selection of first courses. First of all, these are cabbage soup, solyanka, borscht, ukha and botvinya. This was followed by porridge, which was popularly called the mother of bread. In meat-eating days, cooks prepared delicious dishes from offal and meat.

Soups

Ukraine and Belarus had a strong influence on the formation of culinary preferences. Therefore, the country began to prepare such Russian hot dishes as kuleshi, borscht, beetroot soup, and soup with dumplings. They have become a very strong part of the menu, but national dishes such as cabbage soup, okroshka, and ukha are still popular.

Soups can be divided into seven types:

1. Cold ones, which are prepared on the basis of kvass (okroshka, turi, botvinya).
2. Vegetable decoctions are made with water.
3. Dairy, meat, mushroom and with noodles.
4. Everyone's favorite dish, cabbage soup, belongs to this group.
5. High-calorie solyankas and rassolniks, prepared on the basis of meat broth, have a slightly salty and sour taste.
6. This subcategory includes a variety of fish concoctions.
7. Soups that are made only with the addition of cereals in vegetable broth.

In hot weather, it is very pleasant to eat cool Russian first courses. Their recipes are very diverse. For example, it could be okroshka. Initially, it was prepared only from vegetables with the addition of kvass. But today there are a large number of recipes with fish or meat.

A very tasty ancient dish, botvinya, which has lost its popularity due to the labor-intensive preparation and high cost. It included such varieties of fish as salmon, sturgeon and stellate sturgeon. Various recipes can require from a couple of hours to a day to prepare. But no matter how complex the dish, such Russian dishes will bring great pleasure to a real gourmet. The list of soups is very diverse, like the country itself with its nationalities.

Urine, pickling, pickling

The most in a simple way To prepare the preparations is soaking. These Russian dishes were stocked with apples, lingonberries and cranberries, sloe, cloudberries, pears, cherries and rowan berries. In our country there was even a specially bred variety of apples that was perfect for such preparations.

According to the recipes, additives such as kvass, molasses, brine and malt were distinguished. There are practically no special differences between salting, fermentation and soaking; often it is only the amount of salt used.

In the sixteenth century, this spice ceased to be a luxury, and everyone in the Kama region began to actively mine it. By the end of the seventeenth century, the Stroganov factories alone produced more than 2 million poods per year. At this time, such Russian dishes arose, the names of which are today remain relevant. The availability of salt made it possible to harvest cabbage, mushrooms, beets, turnips and cucumbers for the winter. This method helped to reliably can and preserve favorite foods.

Fish and meat

Russia is a country where winter lasts quite a long time, and food should be nutritious and satisfying. Therefore, the main Russian dishes always included meat, and a very varied one. Beef, pork, lamb, veal and game were perfectly prepared. Basically, everything was baked whole or cut into large pieces. Very popular were dishes made on skewers, which were called “verted”. Sliced ​​meat was often added to porridges and also stuffed into pancakes. Not a single table could do without roasted ducks, hazel grouse, chickens, geese and quails. In a word, hearty Russian meat dishes have always been held in high esteem.

Recipes for fish dishes and preparations are also amazing in their variety and quantity. These products did not cost the peasants anything at all, since they caught the “ingredients” for them themselves in large quantities. And during the years of famine, such supplies formed the basis of the diet. But expensive species, such as sturgeon and salmon, were served only on major holidays. Like meat, this product was stored for future use; it was salted, smoked and dried.

Below are several recipes for original Russian dishes.

Rassolnik

It is one of the most popular dishes, the basis of which is pickled cucumbers and sometimes brine. This dish is not typical of other cuisines of the world, such as, for example, solyanka and okroshka. Over the course of its long existence, it has changed significantly, but is still considered a favorite.

The prototype of the familiar pickle can be called kalya - this is a rather spicy and thick soup, which was prepared in cucumber brine with the addition of pressed caviar and oily fish. Gradually, the last ingredient was changed to meat, and this is how the well-known and beloved dish appeared. Today's recipes are very diverse, so they are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Such native Russian dishes use beef, offal and pork as a base.

To prepare a well-known dish, you need to boil meat or offal for 50 minutes. Next, add bay leaves and peppercorns, salt, carrots and onions. The last of the ingredients is peeled and cut crosswise, or you can simply pierce it with a knife. Everything is boiled for another 30 minutes, then the meat is removed and the broth is filtered. Next, the carrots and onions are fried, the cucumbers are grated and also placed there. The broth is brought to a boil, the meat is chopped into pieces and added to it, it is covered with rice and finely chopped potatoes. Everything is brought to readiness and seasoned with vegetables, let it simmer for 5 minutes, add herbs and sour cream.

Aspic

This dish is eaten cold; for cooking, the meat broth is thickened to a jelly-like mass with the addition of small pieces of meat. It is very often considered a type of aspic, but this is a serious misconception, since the latter has such a structure thanks to agar-agar or gelatin. Jellied meat tops Russian meat dishes and is considered an independent dish that does not require the addition of gelling substances.

Not everyone knows that several hundred years ago such a popular dish was prepared for the king’s servants. Initially it was called jelly. And they made it from leftovers from the master's table. The waste was chopped quite finely, then boiled in broth, and then cooled. The resulting dish was unsightly and had a dubious taste.

With the country's passion for French cuisine, many Russian dishes, the names of which also came from there, have changed slightly. The modern jellied meat, which was called galantine, was no exception. It consisted of pre-boiled game, rabbit and pork. These ingredients were ground together with eggs, then diluted with broth to the consistency of sour cream. Our cooks turned out to be more resourceful, so through various simplifications and tricks, galantine and jelly were transformed into modern Russian jellied meat. The meat was replaced with a pork head and leg and beef ears and tails were added.

So, to prepare such a dish, you need to take the gelling components that are presented above and simmer them for at least 5 hours over low heat, then add any meat and cook for a few more hours. First, be sure to add carrots, onions and your favorite spices. After the time is up, you will need to strain the broth, disassemble the meat and place it on plates, then pour the resulting liquid and send it to harden in the cold.

Today, not a single feast is complete without this dish. Despite the fact that all Russian home-style dishes take a lot of time, the cooking process is not particularly difficult. The essence of jellied meat has remained unchanged for a long time; only its basis is transformed.

Russian borsh

It is considered very popular and loved by everyone. For cooking you will need meat, potatoes and cabbage, beets and onions, parsnips and carrots, tomatoes and beets. Be sure to add spices such as pepper and salt, bay leaf and garlic, vegetable oil and water. Its composition can change, ingredients can be added or subtracted.

Borscht is a traditional Russian dish, the preparation of which requires boiling the meat. It is first thoroughly washed and filled cold water, and then bring to a boil over medium heat, remove the foam as it appears, and then cook the broth for another 1.5 hours. Parsnips and beets are cut into thin strips, onions into half rings, carrots and tomatoes are grated, and cabbage is finely shredded. At the end of cooking, the broth must be salted. Then cabbage is added to it, the mixture is brought to a boil, and the potatoes are added whole. We are waiting until everything is half ready. Onions, parsnips and carrots are lightly fried in a small frying pan, then everything is poured with tomatoes and thoroughly stewed.

In a separate container, you need to steam the beets for 15 minutes so that they are cooked, and then transfer them to frying. Next, the potatoes are removed from the broth and added to all the vegetables, after which they are kneaded a little with a fork, as they should be soaked in the sauce. Simmer everything for another 10 minutes. Next, the ingredients are sent into the broth, and a few bay leaves and pepper are thrown in there. Boil for another 5 minutes, then sprinkle with herbs and crushed garlic. The prepared dish needs to sit for 15 minutes. It can also be made without adding meat, in which case it is perfect for Lent, and thanks to the variety of vegetables, it will still remain incredibly tasty.

Dumplings

This culinary product consists of minced meat and unleavened dough. It is considered a famous dish of Russian cuisine, which has ancient Finno-Ugric, Turkic, Chinese and Slavic roots. The name comes from the Udmurt word “pelnyan”, which means “bread ear”. Analogs of dumplings are found in most cuisines of the world.

History tells that this product was extremely popular during Ermak’s wanderings. Since then, this dish has become the most favorite among the residents of Siberia, and then the rest of the regions of wider Russia. This dish consists of unleavened dough, which requires water, flour and eggs, and minced pork, beef or lamb for the filling. Quite often the filling is made from chicken with the addition of sauerkraut, pumpkin and other vegetables.

In order to prepare the dough, you need to mix 300 ml of water and 700 grams of flour, add 1 egg and knead into a stiff dough. For the filling, mix the minced meat with finely chopped onion, a little pepper and salt. Next, roll out the dough and use a mold to squeeze out circles, put some minced meat into them and pinch them into triangles. Then boil water and cook until the dumplings float.

The incredible, somehow mystical, unbridled, inexorable passionarity of the Russians, who conquered vast expanses of Eurasia, had little effect on their everyday life. Wherever possible, traditional Russian stoves were installed, familiar dishes were prepared, and pickles and pickles were prepared.

Preparing garden and wild fruits, berries and vegetables for the winter using fermented milk fermentation is one of the main differences of the Russian culinary tradition.

Urine, pickling, pickling

The simplest and most ancient method of preparing such preparations is soaking. We soaked apples, cranberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, thorns, plums, cherries, pears, rowan, and dulya (wild pear). Only on the territory of Russia was a special variety of apples developed, ideal for soaking, as well as for preparing delicacies in a Russian oven - Antonovka or “Bel Mozhaiskaya”.

According to the methods of preparation, they differed in soaking in molasses, kvass, malt, and brine. Although the main difference between urine and pickles or fermentations is a small (no more than 1-2%) concentration of salt, or even its absence.

In the sixteenth century, salt ceased to be an imported luxury in Rus', and the entire Kama region began to actively engage in salt mining. By the end of the seventeenth century, the Stroganov factories alone produced more than two million pounds of salt per year.

At that time, the best Russian snacks, which have come down to us unchanged, arose - pickles and pickles, which are distinguished from mochiny by a higher concentration of salt (2-3% in pickles and up to 8% in pickles). Affordable salt makes it possible to more reliably harvest mushrooms, cabbage, turnips, beets, and cucumbers for the winter.

Fish

It was then that Russia began to salt fish in large quantities and traditional fish products appeared, including salted caviar.

In the same Domostroy, the variety of types of salted fish and salting methods listed there is amazing:

• life-salted sterlet
• salted sturgeon
• brine bream
• drooping sterlet
• sturgeon jointed
• Beluga chicken in brine
• whitefish in brine under boil
• barrel sterlet
• beluga shabby
• sturgeon tags

And also - just “salty”...

There was always a lot of fish in Rus'. So many. The advancement of the Russians to the East and to the Volga delta made the availability of a wide variety of fish simply unthinkable in the minds of any “Central European” of that time. Back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the most expensive fish was cheaper than bread.

• There is evidence that in lean years, Siberian peasants baked bread with the addition of dried sturgeon caviar, as the most accessible substitute.

The main fish in the Russian culinary repertoire is red, that is, there are five types of sturgeon - sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, thorn and sterlet. It was this fish that, until the end of the nineteenth century, boiled, baked or salted, was the main Russian fish dish. In addition, the exclusively Russian national dishes included freshly salted white fish, White Sea herring, crucian carp and perch baked in sour cream, double and triple fish soup, kalya, botvinya and, of course, lightly salted salmon. Because genuine salmon is a Russian product.

Dahl has salmon - White Sea "species of salmon", from L.P. Sabaneev - Salmon, on the White Sea - salmon.

At all times, it was Russian salmon that was considered the best of all salmon; it actually has the most tender and tasty meat. They catch it to this day in the rivers that Vladimir Ivanovich Dal lists in his article about salmon: Porog, Umba, Varzuga, Ponoi, Sukhaya, Mezen, Pechora. That is why the current trade name “Norwegian salmon” can be considered illiterate and incorrect.

The following methods of preparing fish in Russia were typical: steamed, boiled, fried, stewed, calf (without bones), mended (filled with porridge or mushrooms), jellied, salted, dried, dried. In the Pechora and Perm regions they traditionally made sour fish (fermented fish), in Western Siberia they used it raw or frozen (stroganina). From the beginning of the 20th century, fish began to be smoked in addition.

Game

Another national Russian product is upland and waterfowl game. Vast expanses of forests made it possible to hunt unlimited quantities of hazel grouse, black grouse, wood grouse, partridges, ducks, geese, larks, and blackbirds.

In medieval Russia there was even a class restriction on the consumption of certain types of game. So, for example, fried swan was considered a princely dish, but hazel grouse and black grouse, on the contrary, were considered common. There was a ban on some types of game until the 19th century; even hares were considered “unclean” until the end of the seventeenth century. Nevertheless, the abundance of game and its availability for all social strata surprised many foreign travelers.

There were, of course, national game dishes - in full accordance with all traditional culinary techniques. In the same Domostroy, spinned and poled, pickled and linen ones are mentioned - hares, hazel grouse, black grouse, swans, larks. There are also spun hare kidneys, hare loaves, and hare in noodles.

Spices

Russian cuisine is characterized by the use of a wide selection of spices. Traditionally, onions, garlic, dill, parsley, and horseradish were grown and used. In the 10th century, black pepper, bay leaves, and cloves began to be imported. At the end of the 15th century, ginger, saffron, and cinnamon appeared. Since the 17th century, salt has been used. The influence of German cuisine had a negative impact on the amount of spices used in Russian cuisine. In addition, many imported spices remained inaccessible to the population, and they were not used during cooking, but were placed directly on the table during meals, when everyone could use the spices to their own taste. This circumstance gave rise to the erroneous opinion that spices were used to a limited extent in Russian cuisine.

Dairy

You can’t talk about Russian cuisine without mentioning dairy products. Such traditional ones as Russian cottage cheese - practically unknown in Western Europe and the East. Varenets and baked milk are exclusively domestic dishes, unknown anywhere else.

Since ancient times, hard cheese has been known in Russia, which is mentioned in Novgorod charters, and in the sixteenth century it was a mandatory dish on the wedding table.

Eggs - chicken, goose and duck - were also used in national cuisine. There were several main egg dishes - hot eggs, scrambled eggs, egg porridge, drachena (remembering from Yesenin:
It smells like loose pucker,
There's kvass in the bowl at the doorstep,
Over chiseled stoves
Cockroaches crawl into the groove...).

Bakery

Another feature of our national cuisine is the huge variety of baked goods. The Russian oven, located in every home and heated throughout the year, made it possible to bake daily not only rye bread, but also unique Russian pies, pies, kulebyaki, pies, sochni, loaves, kurniks, cheesecakes, bends, shangi.

In the same way, Russian porridge cooked in the oven is different from any similar dish cooked on the stove.

Porridges differed not only in the types of cereals used, but also in the methods of preparation.

Russian porridges are now almost forgotten - green, Smolenskaya, Tikhvin, malt, zaspitsa and many others.

Rye (black) bread

One of the distinctive features of Russian cuisine is the widespread use of rye (black) bread. It appeared in Russia in the 9th century, before wheat bread, and immediately gained popularity.

Unlike Western Europe, where the displacement of black bread by wheat occurred back in the 17th century, rye bread never left the tables and remained a full-fledged part of the diet.

The so-called “black bread” made in Western Europe and America for certain types of baking should be distinguished from rye bread. This is wheat bread, the color of which is given by dyes.

Honey

From very early times, Russians were actively involved in beekeeping. The so-called beekeeping - hollowed out beehives (borti) were installed in the forest on tree trunks, as an option - hollows were hollowed out in living trees or tie-up beehives were installed. Each owner had not only his own sides, but also trees on which individual signs were placed.

The Russkaya Pravda mentions responsibility for the removal of someone else's plane.

Honey, replacing sugar in Russians, was widely used for various dishes and blanks. Jams were made using it, and the fruits and berries mentioned in Domostroy were prepared “in honey.”

Honey diluted with water was called full. They “fed up”, that is, they sweetened the well-fed, Russian drinks, including Russian beer. The fact that there was a special Sytny Dvor on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin shows how common the use of sati was.

Until the end of the 19th century, stavka mead, a low-alcohol drink made from bee honey, was extremely popular.

Beverages

It is impossible not to mention Russian served drinks.

It so happened that over the past hard century we have lost this most important component of our national cuisine. In fact, if today's compatriots are familiar with beer and familiar with bread kvass, then other drinks have long disappeared from their place of honor on the traditional Russian table.

Here are those that are mentioned in the same Domostroy:

• egg beer
• oat beer
• rye beer
• March beer
• beer
• honey barn
• molasses honey
• boyar honey
• berry honey
• apple kvass
• shchavny kvass
• lingonberry juice
• cherry fruit drink
• lingonberry water
• Braga
• sour cabbage soup
• pickles set

Character of Russian cuisine

The features of the national cuisine have been preserved better than, for example, the typical features of clothing or housing.
Traditional Russian dishes are distinguished by their high energy value and contain a lot of fat. This is caused by the harsh climate: it was always necessary to eat heavily (“While the fat one dries, the thin one will die.”).
Dishes in Russian cuisine are simple, rational and practical. People mainly prepared dishes from bread, flour and everything that the forest provided - honey, berries, nuts, mushrooms (although the population of the southern part of Russia is wary of mushrooms and is afraid to eat them). The main part of Russian food was different types porridge and dairy products. Meat was considered a festive dish.
The Russians learned to preserve and preserve food - they smoked meat, dried it, salted it, fermented vegetables and fruits, pickled them, salted them (cucumbers, garlic, grape leaves, wild garlic), made jams, dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots, raisins).

Food for the poor

When there was not enough flour or cereals, people ate “second bread” - potatoes. They also often ate cabbage, from which soups are made, for example, cabbage soup (“cabbage soup and porridge is our food”), as well as carrots, beets and buckwheat (buckwheat porridge).

Bread

Bread played and continues to play the most important role in everyday and holiday food. Russians say: “bread is the head of everything.”
Russians revered bread very much: according to the old custom, dropped bread must be picked up, wiped, kissed and asked for forgiveness for negligence. People never threw away bread crumbs. From childhood, the child was taught to respect this product. The guests were greeted with the words “bread and salt.”
Bread is used as a snack throughout the day (for soup, for the main course).
Russian rye bread is baked with various additives(spices, raisins - the most famous aromatic bread “Borodinsky” with coriander).
White bread or lavash (white bread from the south or from Central Asia in the form of a large flat cake) is also sold.

Russian national dishes

Snacks

Russian cuisine is especially famous for its abundance of various snacks. These are salads, pickles (vegetables, mushrooms, fish), pies with different fillings (meat, fish, cabbage, potatoes, rice and eggs, apples, lemon, various types of jams), pancakes with different fillings (products made from batter, poured onto a hot frying pan in a thin layer), smoked meat, fish, sausage, ham, caviar - black from sturgeon, which is valued more than red from salmon.

Soups

Russian soups are hearty and thick, or, as the Russians say, “dense.” They are prepared with water or kvass; sour cream or mayonnaise is often added to a bowl of soup. Be sure to eat bread with soup.

• Shchi is a cabbage soup; there are about 60 types of cabbage soup.
• Borscht is a red soup made from cabbage, beets, carrots, and meat.
• Solyanka is a soup with pickled cucumbers.
• Ukha is a Russian fish soup.
• Okroshka, rassolnik, beetroot soup - cold soups.

Meat dishes

In Russia there is no tradition of lightly frying meat. Very often dishes are prepared from minced meat. Cutlets are made from minced meat; it serves as a filling for dumplings, pies, cabbage rolls (minced meat in cabbage leaves). Armenian kebab is popular - pieces of lamb. Russians often eat fish.

Sweet

Russians love sweets; stores offer a large and varied selection of chocolate, sweets (sold by weight), ice cream, and cookies; Pyushki are popular - baked circles made from yeast dough with powdered sugar.

Dairy

Fermented baked milk is made from sour milk; cottage cheese products are common - curd mass (with dried apricots, prunes, raisins), sweet cheese.

Festive and ritual dishes

• Christmas - sochivo, kutya
• Maslenitsa - pancakes with butter
• Easter - Easter cake, eggs, Easter, do not eat hot dishes
• wake - pancakes, kutia, white jelly

Borrowed dishes

Over the centuries, Russian cuisine has been enriched with many dishes from neighboring peoples.

• Shish kebab is a Caucasian dish in origin, borscht and solyanka are Ukrainian soups.
• Pelmeni is a Siberian dish in the form of boiled products made from unleavened dough stuffed with minced meat, as well as fish, potatoes, and cabbage.

Modern trends in Russian nutrition

At the beginning of the 90s. Russians have come under the influence of imported products and fast foods. We especially loved fried foods - pastries, French fries. Now they are again partially returning to domestic products and dishes. At the same time, especially in big cities, healthy nutrition is becoming extremely popular; dietary, vegetarian and exotic (mainly Japanese) cuisine is becoming fashionable.

Beverages

Kvass

A traditional Russian drink is kvass, a dark, slightly alcoholic drink made from bread or honey.

Vodka

Vodka is considered one of the symbols of Russia, although in recent years the amount of vodka consumption is inferior to the amount of beer consumption.
There are world famous brands of Russian vodka: “Stolichnaya”, “Smirnovskaya”, there is also an old tradition of home-made vodka, the so-called moonshine.
Vodka is affordable both in price and because you can buy it anywhere if you want, and this is one of the reasons for alcoholism among Russians. There are frequent cases of poisoning with vodka or moonshine.
You need to have vodka and beer. Endless selection available different products. With beer they sell dried squid, smelt (small dried fish), roach (dried fish that you break and eat like chips), chips, peanuts, pistachios, crackers (small dried pieces of bread with different flavors). Vodka should be enjoyed with bread, sausage, pickled cucumber, wild garlic, etc.

Tea party

In the past, Russians usually ended the day with the ritual of drinking tea; they exchanged news over tea, talked about the events of the day, and the whole family gathered over tea.
Tea is brewed in a special teapot, allowed to settle, and then the tea is poured into cups and topped up with boiling water, or tea is prepared in a samovar. Sweets are served with tea: jam (cherry jam is most valued), sweets, cakes, buns, cookies.

Samovar

A samovar is a self-heating device for making tea. The samovar consists of a vase (it contains a charcoal brazier with a pipe), handles, a teapot burner, and a spout with a key.
In the past, in every home, the samovar occupied an important place in the interior of the living room or dining room. During tea drinking, it was placed on the table or on a special table, and the hostess or eldest daughter poured the tea. Gradually, samovars began to look not like teapots, but like decorative vases, they became simpler and stricter, and, finally, they became electric. In modern Russia, the samovar has ceased to be a necessity.

Feast

There is a big difference between everyday and holiday meals, between the dishes offered in restaurants

Food during the day

Breakfast (approx. 9 o'clock)

Breakfast is preferably hearty. During the day there is often nowhere to eat, so Russians prefer warm food - porridge (oatmeal, rice, wheat, buckwheat, semolina), scrambled eggs, sausages, pancakes. They eat cottage cheese, cheese, drink tea or coffee.

Lunch (approx. 2 p.m.)

Lunch usually consists of the first - soup, and the second - hot (meat or fish with a side dish). Russians are accustomed to eating at fast foods during the working day (establishments of this type are springing up, offering Russian national dishes), in canteens and cafes. In contrast to the rich Russian home feast, a foreigner may be surprised by the small portions in Russian restaurants. There are quite comfortable restaurants at the highest level, but a normal Russian cannot afford to have lunch or dinner there.
On the street you can always buy something to eat - pies, pastries, pancakes, shawarma (kebab), fried potatoes with different fillings.

Dinner (about 20 h)

Dinner does not occupy too important a place in the diet. They usually eat what they had for lunch, or what they can find at home.

Homemade holiday feast

In Russia, family holidays are usually celebrated at home; they also invite guests home and treat them themselves. There is no custom to hold meetings in restaurants.
In Russia there is a tradition of a rich feast. It has long been the custom that a guest must be received as best as possible and fed to his fullest.
The change of dishes (appetizers, first - soup, second - hot, third - sweet) in a Russian feast is not very clear - on the table, as a rule, there are all sorts of snacks, pies, salads, meat dishes and even desserts at the same time. At the same time, Russians attach great importance to the abundance on the table - there should always be plenty of food of all kinds (despite possible financial difficulties).

Purchases

Now in Russia we already have everything, everything can be obtained. This is a new situation for Russians - in Soviet times, stores looked completely different: empty counters, zero choice, unpleasant saleswomen, low-quality products, long lines. The saleswomen considered the buyer almost their enemy.
Abacuses were used instead of a cash register. Goods, for example, cheese or sausage, if they appeared, were sold in kilograms (people bought them for future use).

At the beginning of the 90s. Almost everyone got food from the market.

„Ruský model zákazníka: snaží se ho vždy za všech okolností podvést jeho krajan. Je to hra na kočku a na myš. Až 90% obyvatel nakupuje na trhu a často neví, jak má originální potravina chutnat a zboží vypadat.”
David Šťáhlavský: Rusko mezi řádky

Now everything depends on the amount of money in the buyer’s wallet. There are many trading options. There are still grandmothers standing on the street offering vegetables from their gardens, cigarettes or beer. At the entrances to the metro or near other transport hubs there are counters and kiosks with different types products (dairy, bread, cookies...). Each district has its own market.
You can also buy in stores with counters, where the assortment is divided into several departments, but there is only one cash register and the payment system is complicated - you need to select a product, then go to the cash register and pay for everything, and then return to the department with a receipt and receive the selected product there.
You can shop in modern self-service supermarkets. Many of them are open around the clock - 24 hours.
The outskirts of large cities are now becoming overgrown, as everywhere else, with hypermarkets and shopping centers.
In big cities there are very expensive stores with imported and high quality products, with branded goods that are intended only for modern Russian V.I.P. - very rich people.

Literature:

• Sergeeva, A.: Russians. Stereotypes of behavior, traditions, mentality. Flint Publishing House, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow 2005.
• Shangina, I.I.: Russian people. Weekdays and holidays. Publishing house "Azbuka-classics", St. Petersburg 2003.
• Pešek, P.: Ruská kuchyně v proměnách doby: gastro-etno-kulturní studie. Pavel Mervart, Červený Kostelec 2007.
• Ruská kuchyně. Champagne Avantgarde. Bratislava 1992.
• Cooking: http://www.gotovim.ru

Historical events taking place in different countries, as well as their geographical location, culture, traditions, national characteristics and religious beliefs of their people had a great influence on national culinary recipes.

Methods for preparing many dishes have been improved over many centuries and often today, without realizing it, we use recipes and techniques for preparing various dishes that have been known for a very long time.

The use of methods for preparing various dishes, the variety of kitchen utensils and utensils, and the use of various spices largely depend on the geographical location of the country. For example, in Asian countries, it is customary to use a large amount of various spicy herbs when cooking, and to prepare pilaf (which is very common in various Asian cuisines) - using a cauldron. For the cuisines of European countries, America, Australia and New Zealand, which are characterized by food that can be prepared fairly quickly, sandwiches, sandwiches, pizza, and canapés are very popular.

Methods of cooking largely depend on the culture and traditions of certain peoples. Often similar dishes, distinguished by the use of different types of meat, spices and herbs, can be found in the cuisines of different nations.

The cuisine of each country is interesting and varied. We invite you to take a short excursion into the history, customs and national traditions of cuisines around the world.

Azerbaijan is an ancient country with amazingly beautiful and diverse nature, hardworking and hospitable people, unique culture and centuries-old traditions. Azerbaijani cuisine is one of the most interesting in the countries of Transcaucasia and deservedly enjoys wide popularity...

We can talk about Arab cuisine as a general phenomenon inherent in the entire “Arab continent”. After all, both culture and language from Morocco to the Persian Gulf have common roots. For over a thousand years, this sense of unity has not been tested by borders...

Armenian cuisine is one of the most ancient on Earth. A currently popular dish like shish kebab (khorovats) originates from hoary antiquity. The technology for preparing the fish dish kutap today is almost the same as it was 1500 years ago. Armenian cuisine is distinguished by its unique piquant taste and spiciness...

The cuisine of the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula has special, specific elements, such as a passion for pork, pepper seasonings, and the indispensable presence of soup in every meal. The geographical location of the Balkan Peninsula has determined the presence of common elements between the culinary traditions of the Balkan countries and the cuisines of neighboring cultures...

Centuries-old, rich and interesting story has Belarusian cuisine. Since ancient times, Belarusians have maintained close economic ties with Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Latvians and Lithuanians. And it is quite natural that Belarusian cuisine influenced the cuisines of neighboring peoples. In turn, the cuisines of these peoples significantly influenced the Belarusian...

The principles of development of modern British gastronomy are very similar to the Mediterranean. The British strive to use local products, preferably organically grown, while introducing new ingredients from distant lands - in particular, spices and herbs from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean coast...

Like any other national cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine was formed under the influence of the country's geographical location and its history: in the south of the country, more hot red peppers, dried herbs and spices are used in food. Residents of the northern part of the country prefer soups and roasts...

The basis of Greek cuisine is created by a relatively limited range of agricultural products. Although the appetizer is served, it often consists only of olives, bread, Feta cheese and tzatziki - yogurt mixed with grated cucumber and chives...

Georgian cuisine - original and unique - has gained great popularity not only in our country, but also abroad. Many of the Georgian dishes, such as shish kebab, kharcho soup, etc., have become truly international. Despite the fact that Georgia is relatively small, the difference in the direction of agricultural production of its various regions affects the character of the cuisine...

When we talk about Jewish cuisine, we mean: firstly, food prepared according to the strict rules of ritual purity - “kashrut”, and secondly, a set of dishes loved by Jews and different from the dishes of other peoples: after all, traditional recipes, passed down from generation to generation, contain only that set of initial products that the Shulchan Aruch, a set of Jewish laws, allows...

Indians attach special importance to food - it is more than just a process of cooking or absorbing calories. This is a ritual, a healing agent, and a source of pleasure. The ancient Indian culinary tradition had its own rules and customs that regulated all aspects of the food preparation process...

In Spain it is difficult to identify a single national type of cuisine. There are a huge number of regional culinary schools, traditions and trends in the country, and each of them can differ markedly from the generally accepted idea of ​​​​Spanish cuisine...

Italy has been a Mecca for gourmets since the time of the Roman Empire, and to this day Italian cuisine has lost none of its former splendor. When creating dishes, the culinary wizards of the Apennine Peninsula rely on the centuries-old experience of their predecessors...

A characteristic feature of Kazakh cuisine is the widespread use of meat, milk, and flour products. In the summer, almost every Kazakh family prepares ayran - sour milk diluted with water. It is drunk as a soft drink and served as a topping for various cereal stews...

In terms of quality, Chinese cuisine is often equated to French cuisine. Cooking has always been regarded here as a real art; poets and philosophers wrote treatises on food and compiled recipes. Therefore, we can trace the thousand-year history of Chinese dishes through ancient writings and images...

Korean cuisine has a lot in common with Japanese. Pork, eggs, rice, soybeans, vegetables also predominate; fish and seafood occupy a significant place; many spices are used for cooking. Soup occupies an important place in the Korean diet, without which almost no meal is complete...

In Malaysia, where over the centuries cohabitation So many cultures have grown together, national cuisine as such does not exist. It is a skillful interweaving of the best culinary traditions of all those nations that once came here. But all the traditional cuisines of the Malaysian peoples have one thing in common - rice, or “nasi” in Malay...

Mexican cuisine is famous throughout the world for its unique taste. It is original and unique, combining the cuisine of Indian tribes, Spanish and French culinary traditions. A feature of Mexican cuisine is the abundance of corn or maize, sauces and seasonings. Fiery hot salsas (chili and tomato) are something you can’t imagine Mexican cuisine without...

The traditional cuisine of Moldova is famous for its diversity and sophistication due to the fact that it was formed under the influence of the cultures of many peoples, including different time staying on the territory of the country (Ukrainians, Russians, Greeks, Jews, Germans, etc.)…

German cuisine is distinguished by a wide variety of dishes from various vegetables, pork, poultry, game, veal, beef and fish. A lot of vegetables are consumed, especially boiled, as a side dish - cauliflower, bean pods, carrots, red cabbage, etc...

Baltic cuisines - Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian - have a number of common features due to the similarity of natural conditions and historical development of the Baltic peoples...

Like any other national cuisine, Russian cuisine has developed under the influence of various natural, social, economic and historical factors. The main feature of Russian national cuisine is the abundance and variety of products used to prepare dishes...

It is almost impossible to single out Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic or Swedish cuisine, as they simply do not exist. But there is one thing in common that unites everyone Scandinavian cuisine. It was shaped by the natural conditions in which the inhabitants of this region of Europe had to live...

Thai cuisine is one of the oldest, since its foundations were laid back in the days when an independent Thai state did not exist and the Thais were one of the nationalities of the southern Chinese provinces. Therefore, many of the ingredients and spices of modern Thai cuisine come from China. Also, the formation of Thai cuisine was influenced by the Indo-Lankan culinary tradition...

The original Tatar cuisine took shape during the centuries-long history of the existence of the ethnic group and its interaction and contact in everyday life with its neighbors - Russians, Mari, Chuvash and Mordvins, Kazakhs, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Tajiks...

The cuisine of Turkey will not leave anyone indifferent - there are nutritious meat dishes, tender vegetables, mind-blowing desserts, and fiery oriental spices and herbs. The traditions of Turkish cuisine are based on one single postulate - the dish should have the taste of the main product, it should not be interrupted by various sauces or seasonings...

For a European, fully enjoying an Uzbek feast is an impossible task. Not only is Uzbek cuisine rich and filling. Here it is customary to eat slowly, for a long time and with taste. A long series of dishes amazes the unprepared imagination of those accustomed to diets. Up to ten dishes per meal - ordinary Uzbek hospitality...

Dishes of Ukrainian cuisine have gained well-deserved fame in our country and abroad. Ukrainian borscht, various flour products (dumplings, dumplings, dumplings, cakes, etc.), meat products and dishes (Ukrainian sausages, cold appetizers, game, poultry, etc.), vegetable and dairy products (ryazhenka, cheesecakes) , all kinds of drinks made from fruits and honey are widely popular...

French cuisine is conventionally divided into three parts: popular, regional and haute cuisine, an example of which was the court cuisine of the French kings. It is clear that this division is very arbitrary: after all, for example, a Burgundian dish, which in Paris will be considered regional, in Burgundy itself will be classified as common...

The formation of Japanese cuisine was greatly influenced by China, from where some products were imported, such as soybeans, tea and noodles, and Europe. Initially, Japanese cuisine itself was very simple, if not primitive, but at the same time very diverse...

It turns out that the food that is rightfully considered traditionally Russian is actually healthy. But the benefits of some of those dishes and drinks that are perceived by many as one hundred percent folk, although they came to us from outside, are questionable. AiF spoke about the features of Russian cuisine Igor Sokolsky, Candidate of Pharmaceutical Sciences, author of books on the history of cooking.

5 original Russian dishes

“Where there is cabbage soup, look for Russians.” Initially, cabbage soup or shti is “a stew of dried fish and cereals” and “a brew, stew, soup seasoned with cabbage, sorrel and other herbs.” Later, the recipe given in Domostroy became established: “Finely chop the cabbage, or tops, or crumbles and wash well, and boil, and steam more vigorously; in the coming days, add meat, ham or bacon, serve sour cream or add cereal and boil.” During Lent, cabbage soup was prepared without meat. Outside of fasting - meat or fish soup, which well nourished and warmed the body.

Porridge

Neither a holiday nor an everyday table would be complete without porridge: it is the main supplier of fiber and vitamins and microelements that are deficient in our diet. Another value of porridge is healthy “slow” carbohydrates, which support the body with energy for a long time. Porridge was not cooked except from an ax: in addition to millet and buckwheat, porridge made from spelled (wild wheat) and millet was popular.

Kvass

Bread kvass was used both for drinking and as a basis for cooking - cold (okroshka, botvinya, beetroot soups) and hot soups, appetizers (grated radish, turnips and carrots) and meat dishes (lamb, hare, bear meat - boiled in - kvass). In the 15th century in Rus' there were more than 500 (!) recipes for kvass.

Turnip

Until the 18th century the main food product of Russian people. Turnips were most often steamed in a pot, boiled, and added to cabbage soup and pies. This root vegetable is rich in vitamins, the content of which does not decrease after winter storage and decreases slightly during heat treatment (an irreplaceable product in long winter conditions).

Mushrooms

In Rus', fasting was strictly observed, so mushrooms, which are called second meat due to their high nutritional value, were in great demand these days. Mushrooms were fried, boiled, stewed, salted, soaked, and used as a filling for pies.

5 dishes that our ancestors did not know

Borsch

According to legend, it was first brewed by the Cossacks in 1641 during the “Azov Sitting” (heroic defense of Azov). The Cossacks who came under siege cooked soup from everything they could get their hands on. But borscht established itself in Russian cuisine no earlier than the 18th century. In general, this is a healthy and nutritious dish with a lot of fiber, which removes harmful substances from the body. But because of the same fiber, it is contraindicated for gastritis and pancreatitis.

Potato

It took a worthy place on our table only in the 19th century, after the violent “potato riots” (the best lands were taken away from the peasants for planting the newfangled crop, and they were punished and taxed for refusing to plant it). Not the healthiest product - high in calories, containing a lot of starch and losing its beneficial properties after 3-5 months.

The vinaigrette

The recipe appeared in Russian cuisine thanks to the Frenchman Marie-Antoine Careme, who was invited to St. Petersburg as the cook of Emperor Alexander I. However, now all over the world the vinaigrette is called “Russian salad.” It should not be abused. Boiled potatoes, beets and carrots are foods with a high glycemic index that quickly increase insulin levels in the blood, provoking the development of diabetes.

Dumplings

A national... Chinese dish, the recipe for which appeared in Russia at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. From a nutritional point of view, this is a heavy (high-calorie and fatty) dish. If you have digestive problems, it is better not to eat dumplings!

It became publicly available only from the middle of the 19th century, when tea began to be brought to Russia in large quantities by sea from India and Ceylon, which reduced its price. Tea in moderate quantities (3-4 glasses a day) is a healthy tonic drink, rich in microelements and antioxidants.

Is yours healthier?

It is believed that you should only eat vegetables and fruits from your native region.

Oleg Medvedev, professor, chairman of the National Research Center “Healthy Nutrition”

Perhaps our great-grandfathers, who all their lives ate only what grew in the garden, may have lacked the enzymes necessary to digest overseas fruits. But on modern people who have enjoyed bananas and kiwi since childhood, this rule no longer applies. Most nutritionists believe: the more varied the diet, the better for the body.

But it is also not true that southern fruits are the healthiest. On the contrary, domestic ones contain much more useful substances. Firstly, they are fresh - the more vitamins they contain, the shorter the fruits have been stored. Secondly, they do not contain preservatives used for greater preservation. Among our cultures there are completely unique ones. For example, turnip is healthy, nutritious and unpretentious. And rapeseed oil, which was produced in pre-revolutionary Russia, is in no way inferior to olive oil. The main thing is that everything that grows in our country is in stores and costs reasonable money. Meanwhile, Egyptian oranges are cheaper than our cabbage.