The process of formation and development of Russian cuisine lasted for several centuries. Every now and then mentions of it pop up in the chronicles of the 10th-15th centuries. and in various historical documents. The classics loved to write about her in their immortal works. It was carefully studied by ethnographers. And all because she is original and incredibly rich. Developing together with its people, it reflected not only their way of life and customs, but also history. And it was constantly being improved, replenished with borrowings and expanded.

Today, the phrase “Russian cuisine” is associated with cabbage soup, crispy pickles and pickled mushrooms, aromatic kulebyaka and pies, as well as unique tea from a samovar.

But 1000 years ago everything was a little more modest...

History of development

Scientists identify 4 stages in the development of Russian cuisine, each of which has its own characteristics. This:

1. 1 Old Russian, dating from the 9th-16th centuries;
2. 2 Old Moscow - it occurred in the 17th century;
3. 3 Peter-Catherine – dates back to the 18th century;
4. 4 St. Petersburg - combines the traditions of the late 18th century. and lasts until the 60s of the XIX century.

Old Russian period

It was dominated by bread and flour products. The ancient Russians held pancakes, flour jelly and rye pies in high esteem. Moreover, they were filled with vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, different types meat and fish, porridge. Already at that time, dear guests were greeted with a loaf of bread and salt.

By the way, it was porridge in Rus' that was considered a symbol of well-being and prosperity. The word “porridge” was used to describe ancient Russian wedding feasts. And on the tables of the Russians there was always buckwheat, barley, pearl barley, oatmeal, bearberry or millet porridge.

In addition to it, the diet of that time included large quantities of vegetables - cabbage, turnips, radishes, peas, cucumbers. People loved to feast on fruits and berries here. In addition to them, honey was held in high esteem by those with a sweet tooth, on the basis of which delicious syrups and preserves were created. Even then, housewives baked gingerbread cookies with them.

From the 11th century In Rus', spices were used: bay leaf and black pepper, cloves, ginger, cardamom and saffron.
Until the 17th century. Here they practically did not eat meat and milk. And if they did, they made cabbage soup and gruel from the meat. They drank milk stewed or raw, made sour cream and cottage cheese from it, and were completely unaware of the existence of cream and butter until almost the 16th century.

Around the same period, national Russian drinks appeared - kvass, cider and hops. In 1284, beer was brewed for the first time. And in the 15th century. real Russian vodka was made from rye grain.

In the XVI-XVII centuries. Old Russian cuisine enriched itself with noodles and dumplings, borrowing them from the peoples of Asia.

Staromoskovsky

XVII century was marked by the division of the kitchen into the one that the nobility preferred and the one with which they were content simple people. And if earlier these differences were expressed only in the quantity of dishes, now special attention was paid to quality. And all because newfangled dishes and culinary techniques began to seep into traditional cuisine.

From then on, more fried meat, which was previously considered tasteless, began to appear on the table of the nobility. And also ham, boiled pork, corned beef, roast lamb, game and poultry. At the same time, solyanka, rassolnik and main delicacies such as jellied red fish, salty fish, black caviar.

In addition, the Russian people began to actively borrow products from the Astrakhan and Kazan Khanates, Siberia and Bashkiria, which had recently joined the state. These were raisins, figs, watermelons and melons, apricots, lemons and tea. (Although some sources claim that in some regions lemons have been consumed since the 11th century.) And hospitable housewives began to adopt recipes for delicious pies, gingerbreads, all kinds of jam and apple marshmallow. Although, according to some sources, the latter has been prepared in certain regions of Rus' since the 14th century.

Thus, the 17th century. characterized by the flourishing of traditional Russian cuisine and the simplification of simple peasant cuisine.

Petrovsko-Ekaterininsky

Following the old Moscow era, a new one came - the era of Peter the Great. It is distinguished from others by its more active borrowing of Western culinary traditions. Moreover, now the nobility are increasingly bringing not only overseas products and recipes, but also “registering” foreign chefs. They enrich Russian cuisine with pates, casseroles, rolls and cutlets, complement it with hitherto unknown dairy, vegetable and pureed soups and decorated with sandwiches, butter and real Dutch and French cheeses.

They replaced the name of the original Russian “pottage” with “soup” and taught how to serve it correctly - in pots or cast iron pots.

St. Petersburg cuisine

This period coincided with the advent of the “window to Europe”. It was through him that they began to enter Russian cuisine. traditional french, German, Italian and Dutch dishes. Among them: chops with and without bones, escalopes, entrecotes, steaks, potato and tomato dishes, which were just introduced at that time, as well as sausages and omelettes.
At the same time, they began to pay special attention to table setting and decorating the dishes themselves. Interestingly, in the process of mastering this art, many salads, side dishes and even vinaigrette appeared.

A distinctive feature of this period is the variety of snacks that were served to the nobility. Fish, meat, mushrooms and vegetables, they significantly diversified Russian cuisine and made it fabulously rich and even more tasty.

Russian cuisine: our days

In subsequent years traditional cuisine Russia was only getting richer. Talented chefs have emerged whose names are known far beyond the country's borders. Traveling around the world, they master the latest culinary technologies, thanks to which you can prepare the most unusual and original dishes. And combine the incompatible in each of them. For example: ice cream made from Borodino bread, foie gras borscht with flambé, cocktail salads, lamb with kvass sauce, crayfish neck with vegetable caviar, etc.

The highlight of Russian cuisine

National Russian cuisine has borrowed newfangled dishes and overseas culinary traditions for many centuries. Nevertheless, this did not stop her from remaining original and original. Having tried juicy chops, entrecotes, and juliennes, the Russian people did not change their habits.

And he didn’t give up cereals and soups, which only became more varied over time. Has not changed the tradition of serving dinners. As before, they bring hot food for the first course - soups, borscht, solyanka or cabbage soup. For the second course - a side dish with meat or fish. And on the third - sweet drink– juice, compote, fruit drink or tea. And it remained one of the most hospitable peoples in the world.

Basic cooking methods in Russian cuisine:

No matter how rich and varied Russian cuisine may be, it is still based on traditional ones, recognizable in every corner globe, dishes, namely:

Cabbage soup They say that this dish appeared in Rus' in the 9th century, at the same time as cabbage. It is a multi-ingredient soup. Cabbage soup is prepared with sorrel, fresh or sauerkraut, meat (sometimes fish or mushrooms), spices and sour dressing based on sour cream or cabbage brine. Throughout the history of its existence, its composition has remained virtually unchanged, except that the bouquet of spices for cabbage soup has been expanded.

Kulebyaka. From regular pies it is distinguished by the presence of a complex filling - from 2 to 4 types of minced meat, separated from each other by thin pancakes. Moreover, its volume is necessarily equal to at least half the volume of the dough. The first kulebyaki were prepared from yeast dough and layers of cabbage, eggs, buckwheat porridge, boiled fish, onions or mushrooms and decorated the tables of both the nobility and ordinary people.

Kutya. A funeral dish consisting of porridge made from wheat or rice with honey, poppy seeds, raisins and milk. Prepared and served on Christmas Eve and Epiphany, sometimes at funerals. It is believed that kutia takes its roots back to the times of paganism, when it was used to honor the memory of ancestors. By the way, in Rus' any porridge was called the “foremother” of bread.

Noodles - borrowed pasta, incredibly popular all over the world, including in Russia. The very first noodles are called Chinese; they appeared in the 2nd millennium BC.

Kissel. This drink is at least 1000 years old. Initially, it was prepared from oats or wheat, and later from berries. Memories of him also appear in The Tale of Bygone Years.

In the 10th century During the siege of Belgorod, famine began in the city. And when the townspeople had already decided to surrender, one elder ordered to find the remains of oats and wheat, prepare jelly from them and pour it into a tub dug into a well level with the ground. Honey uzvar was poured into another such tub. And then they invited several conquerors to taste the delicacies from the wells. After a few days, they retreated, deciding that the Russian people were being fed by Mother Earth.

Ukha is a hot fish dish. Each region has its own recipe for its preparation. For example, on the Don they love fish soup with tomatoes.

Stroganina - a dish made from raw fresh frozen fish, which is served in the form of shavings with a mixture of salt and pepper. Very popular in Siberia.

Salad "Olivier" is a national New Year's dish, named after Lucien Olivier, who invented it. The traditional Russian recipe consists of "Doctor's" sausage, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, pickled cucumbers, green peas, boiled carrots, mayonnaise and greens.

Tea from a samovar. They say that this drink had a special taste, which was achieved both through the use of the samovar itself and through the unity of the family, which gathered in the gazebo or on the veranda to taste it.

Rasstegai – baked pies With various types fillings - fish, meat, carrots, eggs, onions and rice and small holes on top.

Pickled mushrooms and pickles are a delicacy that has existed for several centuries.

Vinaigrette – national Russian dish from beets, potatoes, carrots, green peas, pickles, onions, vegetable oil and spices, although borrowed.

Gingerbread is a flour product that dates back to the Old Russian period.

Apple marshmallow – traditional delicacy, which has been prepared since the 14th century. with honey and apples. Modern recipes refined and may contain cinnamon, berries, etc.

Bread and salt is a treat - a unique symbol of Russian cuisine. Today it means hospitality. And in ancient times it was endowed with magical meaning. Bread represented the wealth and well-being of the family, and salt protected it from troubles and bad weather. Previously, the brownie was fertilized with bread and salt when entering a new house.

Soup, or stew, as they said in Rus'. In fact, this is the national dish of Russian cuisine. Previously, it was only vegetable, but later they began to add meat to it. Today there is great amount soups for every taste.

Pickled apples are a type of homemade pickles. They were popular several centuries ago.

Sauerkraut is a dish obtained by fermenting cabbage. It is believed that all its beneficial substances are preserved in it.

Useful properties of Russian cuisine

Due to the abundance of soups and cereals, Russian cuisine is considered one of the healthiest. It is ideal for vegetarians and is revered throughout the world. In addition, she widely uses all the gifts of nature - vegetables and fruits, each of which contains a huge amount useful substances. A special place in it is given to fermented milk products, as well as sweet drinks - compotes, jelly and juices.

Today, the average life expectancy of Russians is 71 years and, according to sociologists, it continues to grow.

• Plates appeared in Rus' in the 17th century. Before this, liquid meals were served in one large bowl from which the whole family ate. Thick food, as well as meat and fish, were laid out on big pieces of bread.
• Table etiquette was strictly observed. While eating, you were not allowed to laugh, talk loudly, or throw food. Subsequently, one explanation was given for this - the Russian people’s respect for food.
• A real Russian oven occupies a special place in Russian cuisine. Having existed for about 3000 years, it managed to perform many functions. They cooked food in it, brewed beer and kvass, dried fruit for the winter, used it to heat huts, slept on it, and sometimes even steamed in a large firebox, like in a bathhouse.
• It was the oven that gave Russian cuisine an exceptional taste. It maintained a certain temperature regime and ensured uniform heating on all sides. Due attention was also paid to the shape of the dishes - clay pots and cast iron pots, which differed in the size of the bottom and neck. The latter provided excellent taste qualities, amazing aroma and preservation of all the nutrients of cooked dishes.
• In the old days, the Russian table was always covered with a white tablecloth and decorated with bread and salt. This was a kind of sign that guests were welcome in the house.

Russian cuisine is not only cabbage soup and porridge, although these dishes deserve attention. The famous gourmet Brillat-Savarin recognized only 3 cuisines, including Russian. First of all, Russian cuisine is famous for its first courses (khlebovo): cabbage soup, solyanka, rassolniki (with pickles, mushrooms), kalya (fish or meat soup, welded on cucumber pickle), ear.
For some soups, for example, for fish soup, it was customary to serve baked goods - pies.
During hot weather, a variety of cold soups were served as a starter: okroshka, botvinya, tyurya.
The pies were taken seriously and thoroughly. Cooking kulebyaki or kurnik takes time and skill. But what a plus: the country was a leading grain producer, so flour was always available in almost every home, and the filling depended on availability. Next - the imagination and skill of the hostess.
Cottage cheese was actively used; it was added to the fillings of cheesecakes and shanegs.
It’s easier with pancakes, which for many people have long been business card Russian cuisine. Pancakes were baked in butter, filled with filling or folded into pancake pies.
A special place in Russian cuisine is occupied by mushroom dishes: mushrooms were not only boiled or dried, as in other cuisines, but also stored for future use (salted).
Meat main courses, as a rule, were prepared on great holidays. But what a variety: from cutlets and roast offal to a whole roasted pig.
Winter in most of Russia lasts almost six months and it would be a sin not to use sub-zero temperatures for cooking. For example, jellied meat. Fortunately, you don’t need to cook select cuts of meat.
A fish alternative to jellied meat is jellied fish, sturgeon, for example. Although for me personally, the number one thing in this matter is pike perch.
There was also something to wash down the meal: sbitni, kvass, fruit drinks, honey, water, whey with raisins and boiled cabbage juice, as well as tea from dried fireweed leaves, that is, fireweed tea.
Valued and strong alcohol: knew how to brew intoxicated meads (mead), berezovitsa (fermented Birch juice), kvass, beer. In the 15th century learned to do bread wine" - vodka. By the 16th century, vodka became the subject of a state monopoly: in 1533, the first tsar's tavern opened in Moscow, on Balchug Street, opposite the Kremlin.
Of course, over time, Russian cuisine changed, with the advent of new products, recipes changed, old recipes were forgotten. Fortunately, recipes have still been preserved that allow you to get an idea of ​​the traditional Russian feast.

Throughout its existence, Russian cuisine, known throughout the world, has always amazed and surprised foreigners due to its diversity and abundance. Russian culinary arts It has centuries-old history, during which it was replenished with a large number of tasty and hearty dishes, which have become truly traditional for the Russian people, loved and revered today.

The food of the ancient Slavs was simple and uncomplicated, but at the same time it was nourishing and high-calorie. In accordance with religious beliefs, the dishes were lenten and fast; there were much more of the former, so many plant ingredients were used: vegetables, grains, mushrooms, berries. The most popular vegetables were cabbage, radish, rutabaga, beets, and grains - millet, oats, rye, lentils and wheat. Meat (mainly beef or pork), fish, milk and dairy products(cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk), eggs, honey, nuts.

Main dishes of Russian cuisine:

First meal:

Cabbage soup

Shchi is a liquid hot dish based on sour or sauerkraut, which was present on the table of our ancestors for many hundreds of years, and they ate it both in royal mansions and in poor huts. There are several dozen recipes for Russian cabbage soup, which can be either lean or meat-based. They were prepared in a Russian oven, where they had to simmer, brew and acquire a bright, rich taste and aroma. They ate them with black, rye bread, whitened with sour cream, sour milk or curdled milk.

Rassolnik

Rassolnik is an ancient first dish based on pickled cucumbers and brine. Its prototype is Old Russian dish kalya - thick spicy soup based on cucumber pickle with the addition pressed caviar and pieces of fatty fish. Over time, fish was replaced by meat (beef, pork, various offal). The pickle is served hot with the addition of herbs and sour cream.

Ear

Ukha is a liquid dish based on fish. There were a huge number of recipes: double, triple (the name is based on the amount of fish included), fishing, burlatskaya, combined. Classic version Russian “white” fish soup implied the presence of sticky, soft and slightly sweet fish, giving a transparent fish broth, perches, ruffs, pike perch or whitefish are suitable for this; parts of fish such as catfish, tench, ide or burbot were also added. For “black” fish soup they used asps, carp, chub, crucian carp, carp, rudd, for “red” or “amber” - fatty types red fish (salmon, sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon).

Second courses:

Our ancestors preferred porridge as a second dish, which was considered the main attribute of the daily diet, hence the saying “Soup soup and porridge are our food.” To prepare them, they used crushed grain, which gave the dish a delicate consistency and speeded up the cooking process. IN ready-made porridge butter (butter or ghee) was added, sweetened with honey, berries and fruits.

Buckwheat

Coming to us from other countries and becoming widespread in Altai, as evidenced by many references in chronicles, buckwheat became one of the main and favorite dishes in Rus' - buckwheat porridge. History does not give an exact answer about the place of origin of buckwheat, but what buckwheat Over the course of many centuries, it has become a common food for ordinary Russian people, as its numerous names from word forms in Rus' say, whatever it was called: buckwheat, and buckwheat, and beyond its native expanses, in Europe, it was generally called “Russian bread.”

Guryevskaya porridge

One of the most famous porridges of Russian cuisine - Guryev porridge, which bears the name of the 18th century finance minister Prince Guryev, who was reputed to be a big fan of this porridge. This porridge is prepared on the basis of semolina, with the addition of foam skimmed from heated milk or cream. Layers of semolina and foam sprinkled with nuts are baked in the oven, candied fruits or fresh berries, nuts and jam filling.

Pancakes

A primordially Russian delicacy, golden, fragrant and appetizing, a symbol of the spring sun, bright and warm, which our ancestors loved and respected, are classic Russian pancakes cooked with yeast. In the old days, yeast was used to bake them. sponge dough based on buckwheat, wheat, millet or barley flour. For the ancient Slavs, pancakes were a funeral, ritual dish that was eaten at funerals; pancakes were also the main attribute of the Maslenitsa holiday and symbolized the hot, red sun. Pancakes were baked in special small frying pans and served topped with hot melted butter.

Dumplings

Pelmeni (Udmurt “pelnyano” - bread ear), which have ancient Finno-Ugric, Turkic, Chinese and Slavic peoples. They consist of unleavened dough (flour + water + eggs) and minced meat(chopped pork+beef+lamb+onion, salt and pepper). Cut out circles from thinly rolled dough, put the filling there and pinch the edges. Dumplings are boiled in salted boiling water and served with sour cream or poured over melted butter.

Third courses:

Russian national drinks Kvass, sbiten and jelly have long been considered.

Kvass

Kvass - traditional sour, cold drink ancient Slavs, prepared on the basis of flour, malt, rye or wheat bread, subjected to a fermentation process (yeast, sugar and raisins were added) with the addition herbs, honey and other ingredients. During times ancient Rus' Kvass was an everyday drink, revered by both peasants and nobles; its presence in the house was considered a sign of prosperity. By the 15th century, there were about 500 varieties of kvass in Russia.

Sbiten

Unlike kvass, which was consumed mainly in the summer, in winter our ancestors preferred to drink sbiten; it is an ancient hot drink of the ancient Slavs, prepared on the basis of honey, water and molasses with the addition of mixed spices (cinnamon, mint, hops and cloves) and medicinal herbal preparations. Previously, sbiten was very common in public and homemade food, until it was supplanted by such an “overseas” drink as tea.

Oatmeal jelly

Another native Russian drink is Russian white jelly; this is a sour-tasting, gelatinous, jelly-like dish made from grains such as oats, wheat, rye, hemp, and peas with the addition of starch. Oatmeal jelly among the ancient Slavs it was considered a delicacy; it was eaten hot with the addition of linseed or hemp oil or cold, frozen, poured with milk or jam. To sweeten the sour jelly over time, honey, berries, jam and fruits began to be added to it, which gradually turned it into a dessert.

Dishes of Russian cuisine gained great worldwide fame at the end of the 19th century, when in just a few decades they gained love and popularity among European connoisseurs of gastronomic art. Since then, Russian cuisine has been considered one of the most delicious and diverse in the world; foreign chefs prepare traditional Russian dishes in best restaurants all over the world and try to comprehend all the secrets of Russian cuisine.

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 representatives of society moved, they brought their traditions into cooking, and at the place of residence they were actively interested in culinary tricks region and rapidly implemented 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 Scythians and Greeks borrowed knowledge about yeast dough. 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 XVII-XVIII 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's no secret to everyone that our state is mainly 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 the Russians 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 diversity: 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, with lamb brisket.

Flour products also played an important role:

• 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. 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 jams. 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 kitchen with everything huge variety very different from the past, but still very 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 dishes from cereals, mushrooms, fish, vegetables that have been seasoned 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.

Very delicious old 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 may 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 fish dishes and blanks 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 kalia - it is quite spicy and thick soup, which was cooked in cucumber brine with the addition of pressed caviar and fatty 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 popular dish 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 of dubious taste.

With the passion of the country French cuisine many Russian dishes, the names of which also came from there, were slightly modified. Was no exception modern jellied meat, which was called galantine there. 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 pig head and leg and added beef ears and tails.

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 that requires boiling meat to prepare. 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 mass 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 comprises minced meat And unleavened dough. It is considered famous dish 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.

Let's say you had the opportunity to try one dish in every country in the world. How to choose the most worthy culinary attraction?

On the Quora website (a social service, a kind of online market for questions and answers), they decided to conduct a survey on this topic. Users had to name one dish that they considered the most “cult” for their country. The result was a list of 35 national dishes, representing 35 countries.

Australia: Pie Float

The float cake has a reputation as a hangover cure. This meat pie floating in a bowl of thick pea soup. Sometimes it is seasoned tomato sauce and vinegar. This dish is especially popular in winter.

Austria: Wiener Schnitzel

This dish is considered one of the symbols of Austria. The classic Wiener schnitzel is a very thin piece of battered, breaded veal, fried until golden brown in a large amount of fat or butter. As a side dish, usually. Serve potatoes or rice and garnish with lemon and parsley.

Argentina: asado

A grill for preparing asado can be found in every self-respecting Argentinean family. In essence, it is meat cooked over coals, but its taste depends on many subtleties, and it is usually done by men - asadors. The dish contains meat, homemade sausage, glands, kidneys and blood sausage. The asado is served with bread, salad, chimichurri sauce and red wine.

Belgium: mussels with fries

This dish can be tried in other countries - for example, in France or the USA, but it was the Belgians who were the first to come up with this delicious combination of ingredients.

Mussels are prepared in abundance different ways(in wine, butter, herbs or tomato sauce), and served with salty, crispy fries. And they wash it down with a cold Belgian beer.

Brazil: Feijoada

Brazil is a country with a rich and varied culinary tradition, so choosing just one dish is not easy. However, Quora users settled on feijoada, a dish made from... black beans, baked pork, beef, spices and cassava flour. It is usually served with rice, cabbage, orange slices and hot sauce to speed up the digestion process.

Canada: poutine

This is very high-calorie dish originally from Quebec. It consists of French fries, cheese and sauce.

China: Xiao Long Bao

These are Shanghai dumplings floating in soup. The shape of xiao long bao is even more similar to khinkali. They are made from different varieties meat and steamed in special bamboo baskets.

Croatia: Pažski cheese

The world-famous Pag cheese is made from sheep's milk on the island of Pag.

Egypt: Molochei

Variations of this dish are prepared throughout northern Africa, but it has gained particular popularity in its homeland - Egypt.

The Egyptian version is made from molochea leaves (a bitter-tasting vegetable), which are separated from the stems, chopped and simmered in a broth with coriander and garlic. Molochey is served with pieces of chicken or rabbit meat, sometimes they are replaced with lamb or fish.

England: fried beef& Yorkshire pudding

Once upon a time, English chefs came up with a way to use the fat dripping onto the pan while frying meat to make puddings. Nowadays, roast beef with dripping pudding is considered the national dish of England.

Georgia: khachapuri

Khachapuri is a juicy, chewy flatbread with a filling, usually cheese or egg.

Holland: herring

The Dutch prefer herring with a fresh bun and chopped onions.

India: tandoori chicken

In India, culinary traditions vary greatly depending on the region, so finding one dish that would represent the entire country is almost impossible. People in the north eat more spiced curries meat dishes, and in the south preference is given to vegetables with a large variety of spices.

However, if you still need to choose only one classic Indian dish, then it will be tandoori chicken. Pieces of chicken are marinated in yogurt with spices and then baked over high heat in a clay oven. It is usually served with vegetables and rice.

Indonesia: Terang Bulan Pie

This is a sweet pie in the shape of a semicircle, filled with all sorts of goodies - chocolate chips, grated cheese, pieces of peanuts and even bananas. These pies are sold by street vendors all over Indonesia.

Italy: pizza

Classic Italian pizza is made from a very thin base and a topping consisting of... fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and various meat products. In Italy, pizza is considered art and pizza makers are artists.

Japan: katsudon

It would seem that the whole world associates Japan with sushi, but the Japanese themselves advise travelers not to miss the opportunity to try katsudon - a thin pork chop with an egg, which is placed on top of a bowl of rice.

Malaysia: nasi lemak

Nasi lemak translates to “rice with cream.” Rice is cooked in coconut milk with pieces of pandanus leaves. Served wrapped in banana leaves with sambal sauce, anchovies, peanuts and boiled egg.

Mexico: mole sauce

This is a very complex sauce, containing up to 100 ingredients, including herbs, ground nuts, butter, cocoa, meat broth and, of course, several types of chiles. And mole sauce takes quite a long time to prepare – sometimes several days.

Norway: rakfisk

Rakfisk is considered winter dish. This is trout that is first salted, left to ferment for several months, and then served with onions and sour cream. Norway was once a poor country where little could be grown. Since the winters in this country are long, we had to stock up on fish before the first snow and somehow store it. Pickled fish turned out to be a good way out.

Philippines: adobo

Adobo is the name given to a spice popular in many countries, but in the Philippines it is a dish consisting of pieces of chicken or pork stewed in a mixture soy sauce and vinegar, and seasoned with pepper, garlic and bay leaf.

Portugal: Francesinha

The name of this dish translates as “little French girl.” It is a sandwich of two square pieces of white bread, between which there is a piece of meat, a slice of ham stuffed with olives and blood sausage. The whole thing is covered with melted cheese and placed in a plate with tomato sauce. Francesinha is usually served with French fries and a glass of cold beer.

Romania: sarmale

Sarmale is the Romanian version of cabbage rolls or dolma. It is minced rice and meat, baked in small salted cabbage or grape leaves. It is considered a winter dish.

Russia: borscht

Russian users of the Quora website advised foreigners to definitely try a plate of borscht with Russian vodka.

Saudi Arabia: Kasbah

This is a rice dish with large quantity spices - cloves, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaf. Kasbah is usually served with meat and vegetables.

Scotland: smoked salmon

Served on wholemeal bread toast with butter or curd cheese spread. The Scots love to sprinkle lemon juice on their fish.

Slovakia: cheese dumplings

These are small potato dumplings, seasoned with soft cheese and bacon.

Slovenia: Kranj sausage

Small sausages made of pork, salt, pepper, water and garlic - and nothing more.

South Africa: biltong

This is a South African variety jerky. Most often, biltong is made from beef, but it is also excellent from other types of meat, such as ostrich. Thin strips of meat are marinated with different spices and salt and dry.

South Korea: Panchang

This traditional South Korean dish consists of a variety of appetizers and salads, served on small plates as an accompaniment to the main course and rice: kimchi ( pickled vegetables with hot red pepper), namul (fried vegetables, seasoned sesame oil, vinegar and garlic), jeon (Korean variation on the theme of pancakes), etc.

Spain: Jamon Iberico

To produce this ham, a special Iberian breed of pigs is raised and kept on a special acorn diet. The ham is covered with sea salt and then hung in well-ventilated cellars for a couple of years. The finished jamon is cut into thin slices and served with wine, crispbread and olives.

UAE: shawarma

Shawarma is one of the dishes available to any budget in the expensive United Arab Emirates. Perhaps the democratic nature of this dish made it one of the most popular in the country. Made from pita stuffed with pieces fried meat(usually a mixture of lamb, chicken, turkey or beef) with vegetables. Use tahini, hummus or hot sauce as a dressing.

Ukraine: dumplings

Ukrainians will happily treat foreigners to dumplings with potatoes, cottage cheese, cabbage or meat. They will be served fried lard with onions and sour cream.

USA: Hamburger

It's so simple and boring. Americans recommend taking a milkshake and fries with a hamburger.

Venezuela: pabellion criollo

The composition of this Venezuelan national dish included minced beef, rice, black beans and cheese. Typically, pabellion criollo is served with a fried egg and fried plantain.

Based on materials