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 the representatives of society moved, they brought their own traditions to cooking, and at the place of residence they were actively interested in culinary tricks region and rapidly introduced them, thereby adapting them to their own ideas about healthy and tasty food. Thus, over time, in the territory of a vast country, their own addictions were formed.

Story

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

Traditional Russian dishes do not require exotic ingredients and specialized knowledge, however, their preparation requires a lot of experience. The main ingredients 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 aside.

The knowledge about yeast dough was borrowed from the Scythians and Greeks. China pleased our country with tea, and Bulgaria spoke about the methods of cooking pepper, zucchini and eggplant.

Many interesting Russian dishes were adopted from European cuisine XVI-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 a kind of culinary brands of the state.

Main Ingredients

It is not a secret for everyone that our state is mainly a northern country, the winter here is long and severe. Therefore, the dishes that are eaten must necessarily provide a lot of heat to help survive in such a climate.

The main components that made up Russian folk dishes are:

• Potato. Various dishes were prepared from it, fried, boiled and baked, they also made chops, potato pancakes, pancakes, soups.
• Bread. This product occupies a significant place in the diet of the average Russian. Such food is striking in its diversity: these are croutons, and crackers, just bread, bagels and great amount types that can be listed indefinitely.
• Eggs. Most often they are boiled or fried, and already on their basis a large number of various dishes are prepared.
• 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 and just spread it on bread.

Also, traditional Russian dishes were very often prepared from milk, cabbage, kefir and yogurt, 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

Rationality and simplicity are considered a feature of our cuisine. This can be attributed both to the technology of preparation and to the recipe. A huge number of first dishes were popular, but the main list of them is presented below:

• Shchi is one of the most popular first courses. A huge number of options for its preparation are known.
• Ukha was popular in all its varieties: burlatskaya, double, triple, team, fishing.
• Rassolnik was most often cooked Leningrad, homemade and Moscow with kidneys, chicken and goose giblets, fish and cereals, roots and mushrooms, corn, meatballs, lamb brisket.

Flour products also played an important role:

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

Cereal dishes were especially popular:

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

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

• fire cutlets;
• Stroganoff beef;
• veal "Orlov";
• bird in the capital;
• pork roll in Russian;
• offal stew;
• hazel grouse in sour cream;
• boiled scars.

Sweet foods were also widely represented:

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

Ritual and forgotten dishes

Basically, all the dishes of our cuisine have a ritual meaning, and some of them have been going back since pagan times. They were used on fixed days or on holidays. For example, pancakes, which were considered sacrificial bread among the Eastern Slavs, were eaten only at Maslenitsa or at a commemoration. And Easter cakes and Easter were prepared for the holy feast of Easter.

Kutya was served as a funeral meal. The same dish was boiled on various celebrations. And each time it had a new name, which was timed to coincide with the event. The "poor" was preparing before Christmas, the "rich" - before the New Year, and the "hungry" - before Epiphany.

Some old 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, a variety of gingerbread and jams. They also made cakes from berry porridge, previously dried in the oven, and “boys” - boiled pieces of beets and carrots - these were favorite Russian children's dishes. The list of such forgotten foods can be continued indefinitely, as the cuisine is very rich and varied.

Traditional Russian drinks include kvass, sbiten and berry fruit drinks. For example, the first from the list has been known to the Slavs for over 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 previous one, but still strongly intertwined with it. To date, many recipes have been lost, tastes have been forgotten, most products have become inaccessible, but Russian folk dishes should not be erased from memory.

The traditions of people are closely connected with food intake and developed under the influence of a wide variety of factors, among which all kinds of religious abstinences play the main role. Therefore, in the Russian lexicon, such words as “fasting” and “meat-eater” are very often found, these periods constantly alternated.

Such circumstances had a strong impact on Russian cuisine. There is a huge amount of dishes from cereals, mushrooms, fish, vegetables that have been seasoned vegetable fats. On holiday 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 snacks, namely mushrooms, sauerkraut, cucumbers, pickled apples. Salads appeared later, during the reign of Peter I.
Then they ate such Russian dishes as soups. It should be noted that in the national cuisine there is a rich set of first courses. First of all, these are cabbage soup, hodgepodge, borscht, fish soup and botvini. This was followed by porridge, which was popularly called the foremother of bread. On 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 cook such Russian hot dishes as kuleshi, borscht, beetroot, soup with dumplings. They are very firmly included in the menu, but still national dishes such as cabbage soup, okroshka, ear are still popular.

Soups can be divided into seven types:

1. Cold, which are prepared on the basis of kvass (okroshka, turi, botvinya).
2. Vegetable decoctions, they are made on the water.
3. Dairy, meat, mushroom and noodles.
4. Shchi, a favorite dish of all, belongs to this group.
5. High-calorie hodgepodges and pickles, prepared on the basis of meat broth, and have a slightly salty-sour taste.
6. A variety of fish broths fell into this subcategory.
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 varied. For example, it can 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 old dish of botvinya, which has lost its popularity due to the laboriousness of preparation and high cost. It included such varieties of fish as salmon, sturgeon and stellate sturgeon. A variety of recipes can require from a couple of hours to a day to prepare. But no matter how difficult the food is, such Russian dishes will bring great pleasure to a real gourmet. The list of soups is very diverse, like the country itself with its own nationalities.

Urination, salting, fermentation

by the most in a simple way for the preparation of blanks is urinating. They stocked up such Russian dishes from apples, lingonberries and cranberries, sloes, cloudberries, pears, cherries and mountain ash. On the territory of our country there was even a specially bred variety of apples, which was perfect for such preparations.

According to the recipes, such additives as kvass, molasses, brine and malt were distinguished. There are practically no special differences between salting, pickling and urinating, 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 engage in its production. By the end of the seventeenth century, the Stroganov factories alone produced more than 2 million poods a year. At this time, such Russian dishes arose, the names of which remain relevant to this day. The availability of salt made it possible to harvest cabbage, mushrooms, beets, turnips and cucumbers for the winter. This method has helped to reliably preserve and preserve your favorite products.

Fish and meat

Russia is a country where winter takes enough long time and food should be nutritious and satisfying. Therefore, the main Russian dishes have always included meat, and very diverse ones. Perfectly cooked beef, pork, lamb, veal and game. Basically, everything was baked whole or cut into large pieces. Dishes made on skewers, which were called "twisted", were very popular. Chopped meat was often added to cereals, and pancakes were also stuffed with it. Not a single table could do without fried ducks, hazel grouses, 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 striking in their variety and quantity. These products cost nothing to the peasants at all, since they caught the "ingredients" for them on their own in large quantities. And in the years of famine, such supplies formed the basis of the diet. But expensive views, like sturgeon and salmon, were served only on big holidays. Like meat, this product was stored for future use, it was salted, smoked and dried.

Below are a few recipes of primordially Russian dishes.

Rassolnik

It is one of the most popular dishes, the basis of which is pickles, and sometimes brine. This dish is not typical of other cuisines of the world, such as hodgepodge and okroshka. During 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 fairly spicy and thick soup, which was cooked on cucumber pickle 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 primordially Russian dishes use beef, offal and pork as a basis.

To prepare a well-known dish, you need to boil meat or offal for 50 minutes. Then send there Bay leaf and peppercorns, salt, carrots and onions. The last of the ingredients is peeled and cut crosswise, or it can simply be pierced with a knife. Everything is boiled for another 30 minutes, then the meat is removed and the broth is filtered. Next, a frying of carrots and onions is done, cucumbers are rubbed on a grater and also laid out there. The broth is brought to a boil, the meat is chopped into pieces and added to it, it is poured with rice and finely chopped potatoes. Everything is brought to readiness and dressed with vegetables, let it boil for 5 minutes, add greens and sour cream.

Aspic

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

Not everyone knows that several hundred years ago such popular dish prepared for the servants of the king. Initially, it was called studen. And they made it from the remnants of the master's table. Waste was chopped rather finely, then boiled in broth, and then cooled. The resulting dish was unsightly and questionable in taste.

With the passion of the country french cuisine many Russian dishes, whose names also came from there, have changed a little. The modern jelly, 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 chefs turned out to be more resourceful, therefore, through various simplifications and tricks, galantine and jelly were transformed into modern Russian jelly. The meat was replaced pig head and a 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, carrots, onions and your favorite spices are added. After the time is up, you will need to strain the broth, disassemble the meat and arrange it on plates, then pour it with the resulting liquid and send it to harden in the cold.

Today, not a single feast can do without this dish. Despite the fact that all Russian home-style dishes take a lot of time, the process of preparing this is not particularly difficult. The essence of aspic remains unchanged for a long time, only its basis is transformed.

Russian borsh

It is considered very popular and loved by all. 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. First, it is thoroughly washed and poured. cold water, and after that it is brought to a boil over medium heat, the foam is removed as it appears, and after that the broth is cooked for another 1.5 hours. Parsnips and beets are cut into thin strips, onions are cut into half rings, carrots and tomatoes are rubbed, and cabbage is thinly chopped. At the end of cooking, the broth must be salted. Then cabbage is sent to it, the mass is brought to a boil, and the whole potato is laid. We are waiting for everything to be half ready. In a small frying pan, onions, parsnips and carrots are fried a little, then everything is poured with tomatoes and carefully stewed.

In a separate container, it is necessary to steam the beets for 15 minutes so that they cook, and then transfer them to the roast. Next, the potatoes are removed from the broth and added to all the vegetables, after which they knead a little with a fork, as it should be soaked in the sauce. We simmer everything for another 10 minutes. Next, the ingredients are sent to the broth, and a few bay leaves and pepper are also thrown there. Boil for another 5 minutes, then sprinkle with herbs and crushed garlic. The prepared dish must be infused for 15 minutes. It can also be made without the addition of meat, then it is perfect for fasting, 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". Analogues of dumplings are found in most cuisines of the world.

The story tells that this product was very popular during the wanderings of Yermak. Since then, this dish has become the most favorite among the inhabitants of Siberia, and then the rest of the regions of wide Russia. This dish consists of unleavened dough, for which you need water, flour and eggs, and pork, beef or lamb are minced for the filling. Quite often, the filling is prepared 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 a stiff dough. For the filling, mix the minced meat with finely chopped onion, pepper and salt a little. Next, the dough is rolled out and with the help of a mold we squeeze out circles into which we put a little minced meat and pinch into triangles. Then boil water and boil until the dumplings float.

Russian cuisine is very old culinary tradition with a rich history. Features of Russian cuisine began to take shape back in the days of Kievan Rus when, under the influence of Byzantine culture, Western cooking traditions spread here. Even then in Rus' it became very popular Rye bread, which has become the main source of carbohydrates for a Russian person.

Further big influence Russian cuisine was influenced by the cuisines of the peoples of the Great Steppe. Tatars and other Central Asian peoples brought to Rus' the tradition of making dumplings, dumplings and pies, smoking meat and fish, and brewing tea. Since the 18th century, when Russia became increasingly oriented towards the West, Russian cuisine began to borrow various Western traditions: the preparation of chocolate and confectionery, the use of seasonings and spices.

During the time of Catherine II, refined Russian-French cuisine reached its peak, spreading among the aristocracy - dishes such as beef stroganoff, chicken Kiev, Oryol veal, charlotte. In the 19th century, potatoes began to be grown in Russia, which became one of the most popular food products among peasants. Potatoes were even called "second bread". Around the 19th century, fully formed modern features Russian cuisine.

Traditional in Russian cuisine fresh vegetables are used little, and the menu of cold snacks is not formed. The most popular cold salad is the Olivier salad, which, like many others, cult dishes, found popular love during the Soviet era. Another traditional cold dish is jellied meat. Popular smoked products from meat and fish.

A wide range of soups is one of the main distinguishing features Russian cuisine. In Rus', soups have always been very fond of - both cold and hot. Among cold soups, the most popular are okroshka and tyurya, among hot soups - cabbage soup ( cabbage soup), ear (fish), borscht (soups with beets), pickles (with pickles), hodgepodge. The flavor range of soups traditionally ends with the addition of sour cream. Meat in Russian cuisine is used very widely. The most popular meat dish in Soviet time cutlets became. Many hot dishes of Russian national cuisine are prepared from stuffed wheat dough- in particular, dumplings and dumplings. Traditional Russian pies made from yeast dough with fillings are known all over the world. Kulebyaka is considered a traditional Russian pie.

Without a doubt, Russian cuisine, recipes with photos of dishes of which you will find in this section, is famous all over the world for a wide variety of pancakes. However, pancakes are prepared not only in Russia, but throughout Eastern Europe. Traditional Russian pancakes are considered to be thick pancakes made from yeast dough and baked in the oven. Came to Russia from France thin pancakes It is customary to call pancakes, and small pancakes fried in fat are called pancakes.

As a rule, hot dishes of Russian cuisine are usually served with a side dish - boiled vegetables, cereals, potatoes. Often, sour cream, horseradish, mustard or gravy are served with hot dishes. Pickled and salted vegetables are the key element of many dishes: cucumbers, cabbage and mushrooms.

Traditional Russian cuisine is characterized by specific drinks, many of which are already unpopular. Since the 12th century in Rus', the hot honey drink sbiten has been known, which practically no one prepares today. But kvass, which is traditionally made from black bread, is still popular, as well as fruit drinks (fruit or berry decoction) and kissel (a drink thickened with starch).

are very popular in Russia and alcoholic drinks. The oldest of them is mead. Russian national drink vodka is often considered, although discussions regarding the place of invention of vodka are still ongoing. After the development of Siberia, tea became one of the most popular drinks in Russia - they even began to use specific utensils for its preparation (for example, a samovar). Tea is drunk sweet, with sugar or jam. It was once customary to drink tea from a saucer rather than from a cup. Traditional Russian desserts are gingerbread and babki, which gained popularity in the 18th century, when Russian cuisine was greatly influenced by Western culinary traditions.

Russian kitchen in the view of many people is quite simple, you can’t call it exotic. However, we do not agree with this statement! This is for us, for the Slavs, it is ordinary and familiar. For many Europeans, for example, cuisine "in Russian" with all its traditions and customs seems exotic! Yes, however, if you turn to the history of ancient Russian cuisine, you will find a lot of evidence confirming, for example, the eating of swans. Of course, this ancient dish was a real delicacy and was not used in everyday life. But, nevertheless, from the position of a modern person living on the territory of Russia, this is also exotic!

If we continue to consider real Russian cuisine in a historical aspect, it is worth noting that the main way of cooking was baking, stewing, languishing in the oven. The dishes practically did not succumb to frying, which cannot be said about modern cuisine. Also common in folk Russian cuisine was the preparation of supplies for the winter. To do this, vegetables were pickled or succumbed to pickling and pickling. In addition, for the manufacture of food products, the processes of fermentation of milk were used, thereby obtaining cottage cheese and all kinds of fermented milk products. A variety of grains were widely used in ancient Russian cuisine, which was used for making cereals, baking bread and pies. Also, a certain feature of cooking was the widespread use of turnips, which were subsequently replaced by potatoes (approximately this happened in the second half of the 19th century, when the root crop gained unprecedented popularity among the population).

Speaking about both ancient and modern homemade Russian cuisine, one cannot fail to note the fact that the majority of the population adhered and adhere to Christianity. Thanks to this, the dishes served on the table are divided into lean and modest, that is, those that do not contain and contain meat.

In general, meat in classical Russian cuisine is used in the preparation of many types of dishes: first and second courses, salads, snacks, pastries. Give it to absolutely anyone cooking: it is fried, stewed, boiled, baked. The most popular meat is pork, beef is also used. In addition, a fairly popular diverse bird. In the first place is chicken meat, and duck meat, turkey goose are also used for cooking. The game is in modern culinary is used extremely rarely.

Fish in folk Russian cuisine is used as widely as meat. At the same time, it is impossible to single out any separate type of it, the most popular. Russia is a territorially large country with a variety of reservoirs, rivers, seas, and therefore the fishing industry is rich in varieties of both river and sea fish. Everyone cooks it accessible ways. The fish is boiled, stewed, fried, baked, dried, smoked, salted, dried.

A feature of Russian cuisine is an incredible number of all kinds of first courses. Conventionally, they can be divided into cold and hot. The first type includes okroshka, tyurya (these are grated vegetables, finely chopped greens and crackers that are poured with kvass), botvinya (a soup based on tops and kvass). Hot soups are more varied. They are prepared on the basis of vegetable, mushroom, meat, fish broths, adding variety of ingredients: vegetables, mushrooms, cereals, pieces of fish or meat. A special category is cabbage soup, pickle and hodgepodge, secret unique taste which is in an acidified base. Acidity is achieved by adding sauerkraut, pickles, capers, canned tomatoes, brine.

As for the second hot dishes, you will find a great variety of recipes for their preparation in Russian cuisine. They are represented by meat and fish dishes, various vegetables and mushrooms, and savory pastries. Variety is also observed on the side of side dishes, which can be made from cereals, pasta as well as vegetables. Sauces are also prepared for main courses, although in Russian cuisine this is not as developed as, for example, in French cuisine.

The drinks presented in the assortment of the Russian people deserve special attention. They are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The first type includes beer, sbiten, mead, mash, which were prepared almost throughout known history the existence of a Russian folk cuisine. At the same time, the fortress was not high, as a rule, no more than six turns. Because, by the way, ubiquitous Russian drunkenness is nothing more than a myth! Non-alcoholic drinks are represented by all kinds of fruit and berry compotes and fruit drinks, as well as various types of kvass.

And, of course, when talking about Russian home cooking, one cannot fail to mention desserts. They are represented by jelly, pancakes, as well as various pastries: pies, sweet pies, Easter cakes, rolls, etc. Cakes and pastries were not made in the old Russian cuisine, which cannot be said about modern cuisine, in which there are a great many recipes for making such desserts! Some of them were borrowed, and some were born in Russia, such as the Bird's Milk cake.

In addition to ordinary everyday dishes, there are festive dishes in Russian cuisine. Such, for example, are Easter cakes and boiled colored eggs, which are cooked for Easter, kutya (as a rule, it is rice, less often wheat, in milk with the addition of honey, nuts, dried fruits), which is cooked for Christmas and many others. This festive dishes related to the Christian faith. There are also ritual foods that have been preserved since pagan times, such as pancakes. They are prepared for Maslenitsa, seeing off the winter and meeting the spring. Although in the current modern conditions, pancakes from the attribute of the holiday were pumped into everyday life. Therefore, both adults and children are happy to use them throughout the year.

Summing up, we note that real Russian cuisine is a treasure for gourmets. The vast variety of dishes that she offers to attention is simply amazing. However, we would like to note that truly delicious Russian cuisine cannot be found on the menu of cafes and expensive restaurants. Tastier are those dishes that were cooked at home, with love and care!

In general, sandwiches and other fast food aside and let's go to master traditional recipes cooking delicious meals! It will be absolutely easy, because all of them are accompanied by detailed instructions and step-by-step photos.

National cuisine is a traditional set of dishes/techniques/features of serving a certain people. Russian cuisine has come a long way of development from wooden barrels and cast iron stoves latest technology and global recognition. This was facilitated by urbanization and a departure from the class-social structure of society. National cuisine is formed under the influence of a certain climate, economic/geographical/social conditions of the country. Traditional Russian food was formed from a craving for the earth, long winters, colossal physical labor and variety of products.

How Russian cuisine has changed over the past 100 years, which dishes, the specifics of serving and food ingredients characteristic of her?

Historical reference

There are several periods of formation of Russian cuisine. One of them falls on the XVI-XVII. As the historian Kostomarov wrote, at that time the diet of the Great Russian people was based solely on customs, and not on art, as would happen several centuries later. The food was as simple and non-diverse as possible, as required during fasting, and the Slavs strictly observed the fast. Dishes were prepared from basic ingredients: flour, meat, plant foods. After the 18th century and the emergence of a “window to Europe”, Russian cuisine was filled with escalopes, steaks, entrecote, tomatoes, omelettes and sausages.

The church had a tremendous influence on the eating habits of the population. A similar process can be traced in other Christian countries. More than half of the days of the calendar year were fast days. Fasting is a tradition with religious overtones. It provides for temporary abstinence from eating and drinking (both completely and restriction on certain foods) for spiritual and ascetic practices. It is because of such prohibitions that mushrooms, fish, grains, berries, herbs, vegetables.

According to the research of the historian Boltin, the peasants ate food 4 times a day. In the summer, during working hours, this figure rose to 5: breakfast (an alternative name is interception), afternoon tea, lunch, dinner, and dinner. Breakfast was in the early morning - 6:00, lunch - 12:00, afternoon tea - 15:00, dinner - 19:00, dinner - 23:00.

Features of the diet

In Russian cuisine there is a wide variety of products and dishes from them.

Bread and flour products

Bread was mostly eaten. Moreover, the very word "bread" meant exactly the product from rye, which was later replaced. In addition, the ancient Russian people used. Wheat flour was intended for kalachi, one of the favorite delicacies of the local population. It was noteworthy that they were never added to flour products, preferring natural plant flavors.

One of the most common dishes of that period is oatmeal. This is flour that has been crushed in a mortar or ground in a mill. The grain is pre-steamed, dried, lightly roasted and cleaned. Oatmeal was prepared mainly from oatmeal. from rye and wheat flour prepared pies with various fillings: meat, cottage cheese, fish, berries, mushrooms, eggs. The basis for the pie could also serve as noodles or some kind of porridge. The locals prepared rich loaves, pancakes, pancakes, cones / brushwood from dough, perepichs, nuts.

Vegetables and grains

The vast majority of the population were peasants. The bulk of their diet consisted of vegetables and grains, foods that could be grown on their own plot of land. Pickles, cereals were prepared from these ingredients, bakery products, soups. The most popular soups are hodgepodge, kalya, fish soup, botvinya, okroshka, borscht, pickle. Later, with the advent of potato, the locals got the hang of cooking sweet kissels, which are still popular in Russian territories.

The main vegetable for the Russian people was. The situation changed only from the second half of the 19th century, when potatoes became widespread.

Vegetables were eaten not only raw, but also subjected to various types heat treatment. Plant foods were boiled, baked, steamed, fermented, salted or pickled. There were also no problems with cereals due to the climate and fertile soils. A colossal amount of grain grows in Russian territories, and several varieties of cereals can be separated from each type of grain - from whole to crushed.

Dairy and dairy products

As a seasoning, we used a set of spices that was not foreign or familiar to us. At that time, the common people did not have access to such goods. Acted as the main spice. Her creamy taste set off cereals, salads, soups, pastries and any other dishes. He was also held in high esteem. They ate it in pure form, added fruits, cooked cheesecakes.

Fish dishes

Fish was most often steamed, stewed, baked, boiled, fried, stuffed with various fillings (mainly mushrooms or porridge). The fish has created a huge scope for creativity. It was also salted, dried, fermented, dried, cooked in flesh or aspic, added to the ear, pickle or hodgepodge. Caviar was considered a rare and valuable delicacy. Fresh granular sturgeon caviar was especially revered. It was boiled in vinegar with poppy milk or salted.

Meat dishes

Meat was rarely eaten until the 17th century. Despite the fact that there are no religious prohibitions on eating meat, the locals preferred to eat grains and fish. Animals served as household helpers, not food, but over time the situation changed slightly.

Meat was to be limited only on days of fasting and special religious holidays.

In Russian cuisine, the following types of meat were used:

• Domestic bird;
• all kinds of game ( wild duck// / wild boar / elk).

The meat was divided into game and slaughter. Wild game is meat obtained by hunting, and slaughter is meat obtained from livestock/poultry. The product was served boiled or baked. It was considered common practice to add meat to first courses. Shredded meat was especially popular - cutlets, cue balls, sausages, fire cutlets, Stroganoff beef, Orlov. But most often they cooked boiled pork - a large piece of pork baked whole in the oven.

Dessert

Most famous desserts: kalachi, gingerbread, honey and jam. Baked or other baked berries/fruits are considered traditional for Russian cuisine. The Slavs boiled vegetables (mainly and) in honey in a water bath, and not open fire so as not to burn the product and damage its structure. Ready vegetables became transparent and acquired an elastic consistency. The dish is very similar to modern unsweetened candied fruits.

As a dessert, they ate crushed berries dried in the oven in the form of cakes (the prototype modern marshmallow). Cakes were made from, and other seasonal berries. Marshmallow jammed drinks and even used in folk medicine as a cure for colds or a lack of vitamins.

Beverages

Among soft drinks popular and . It is these drinks that can be attributed to the national ones. By the 15th century, more than 500 varieties of kvass, hundreds of varieties of fruit drinks and honey liquids were being prepared in Rus'. TO alcoholic products Russians did not have much love, which refutes the myth about the drinking past of the people. The booze was prepared only for the holidays, and its strength was minimal. Most often they brewed kvass and honey vodka. The strength of alcohol varied from 1 to 6% vol.

ritual dishes

This is a special category of food, which is closely intertwined with religious beliefs and traditions. Dishes have a ritual meaning and are consumed only on a special occasion - a holiday or ritual. ritual dishes Russian cuisine:

1. Kurnik. Served for a wedding. The dish is called the king of pies, festive or royal pie. It consists of several layers of dough and various fillings-, lamb, beef, nuts, potatoes, porridge and other things. For the wedding, the kurnik was decorated with dough figures and various decorative elements.
2. Kutya. Served at Christmas/Koliada. This is a memorial Slavic dish. Consists of wheat/barley or rice porridge, watered with honey and . Nuts, jam and milk are also added to the porridge.
3. Pancakes. Served at Maslenitsa, until the 19th century they were considered memorial dish. A traditional Russian dessert that has not lost its popularity to this day. The product is made from liquid dough, which is poured into a hot pan and fried on both sides. Pancakes are served as independent dish or wrap various sweet/savory fillings in them.
4. Kulich/Easter/Paska. Served for Easter. Cylindrical holiday bread, which is still baked for the main church holiday.
5. Fried eggs. Served on Trinity. In modern Russian cuisine, scrambled eggs have become a commonplace breakfast. Previously, the dish was served only for the feast of the triune deity.
6. Oatmeal jelly or cold. Served on generous evening, Ivan Kupala and memorial days. This traditional drink with a dense consistency, more like jelly or loose marmalade. It was prepared by fermenting oatmeal.

Features of kitchen utensils

Most Russian dishes are cooked in the oven. food products they are placed in cast irons or pots; for meat and game, more voluminous forms are used (for example, ducklings). Also, a round frying pan was easily placed in the Russian oven, both with and without a handle. To install kitchen utensils in the oven, a teapot or pan was used. Chapelnik is a large hook with an emphasis on a wooden handle. It is with this hook that the frying pan is captured, placed inside the oven, after which the teapot is carefully disconnected. To install cast irons and pots, a tong was used. A gardener was used to get a finished loaf of bread out of the oven. This is an oblong metal or wooden utensil in the shape of a shovel. Standard utensils - bowls and spoons made of wood. From the 18th century to traditional Russian kitchen utensils began to reckon samovars for making tea.

Modern Russian cuisine

Modern Russian cuisine has reached a radically new level. Chefs are trying to combine authentic Russian ingredients with new techniques, unimaginable sauces and spectacular innings. There are establishments in a truly national spirit, where they cook in the oven, boil and bake on the fire, and the dishes are delivered by waiters in traditional costumes. More neutral loft establishments are also popular, where the whole Russian spirit is concentrated in the menu. The main emphasis is on best products from different parts of Russia: from the Volga and Murmansk to Altai honey and black Caucasian walnut.

Young chefs love to play with modern Russian cuisine in such a way that it would not be embarrassing to present it at the world level. Originally Russian products are usually set off with spices of Asian or European motifs. Chefs say that cabbage soup and dumplings are good, but it's time to go further, create a concept and rely on recognition. Now Russian cuisine is represented by pasta, bird cherry flour gingerbread, birch sap desserts, organic farm products and a variety of plant ingredients.

The menu of the Russian McDonald's has positions stylized as a national food culture. In "beef a la rus" they use rye bun instead of the usual wheat.

Russian chefs are divided into 2 camps: some support traditions, others modernize them. This is a great option for the consumer. He can always digress from his favorite borscht and mead with exotic sauce or walnut dumplings.

Delicious and easy to prepare salad "Seagull" - a classic Soviet cuisine! Despite the simplicity and a small amount of ingredients, a salad with cheese, eggs and peas has enough original taste. A wonderful simple salad for a holiday and on a weekday!

eggs, hard cheese, canned green peas, onion, green onion, mayonnaise, salt

Lazy cottage cheese dumplings prepared according to this recipe are very tasty, soft and airy, like white clouds. And yes, it's pretty easy to prepare. Serve lazy dumplings possible in savory version- with cracklings and cheese. Very tasty, satisfying and original!

Do you want to transform the usual cottage cheese casserole with semolina to healthy dessert played with new colors? Follow this wonderful recipe- add slices of kiwi and banana to the curd mass! The sweetness of the cottage cheese mass and the sourness of kiwi are perfectly combined with each other, and bananas give the cottage cheese casserole an appetizing exotic flavor.

cottage cheese, banana, kiwi, kefir, eggs, sugar, semolina, baking powder, powdered sugar

We will prepare thin pancakes in milk from two types of dough - white and with cocoa. To give pancakes an original appearance let's make them not just monochrome, but polka dots! Pancakes with polka dots look elegant and even funny. With or without filling, but these pancakes will definitely not go unnoticed! Great recipe for Shrovetide!

eggs, salt, sugar, flour, milk, cocoa powder, sunflower oil, cottage cheese, condensed milk

Delicious and unique pie chopped dough with chocolate-orange filling, which magically separates into two layers during baking.

flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, orange, lemon, chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, powdered sugar

Potatoes stewed with mushrooms in a slow cooker - simple and satisfying homemade dish for family dinner. It will take you a minimum of time to cook potatoes according to this recipe, since your kitchen assistant, the slow cooker, will take on the main work!

potatoes, fresh mushrooms, onion, sunflower oil, water, salt, ground black pepper, parsley

Pancake cake with cream of sour cream and condensed milk - an elegant and very tasty treat from regular pancakes! Such a pancake cake will successfully fit into any holiday menu, but it will be especially relevant on Shrovetide week. Be sure to pamper yourself and loved ones on occasion with this wonderful, delicate and easy-to-prepare pancake cake!

pancakes, sour cream, condensed milk, sprinkles

Delicious, tender, almost openwork pancakes on kefir. They bake quickly. Dough for pancakes is prepared in a custard way.

kefir, boiling water, flour, eggs, sugar, salt, soda, vegetable oil

Beautifully decorated, intriguing puff salad "Lover" with beets, carrots and cheese. This beetroot salad has both sweetness and spiciness. Layered salad"Lover" will become unusual dish on your holiday table on Valentine's Day. It is better to prepare such a salad on the eve of February 14, so that it has time to soak.

beets, carrots, hard cheese, prunes, walnuts, mayonnaise, salt, sugar, garlic, olives

Don't know where to put the pasta left over from the previous meal, or want to diversify the range of pasta dishes? cook pasta casserole with bacon and cheese! Such a pasta casserole will be a godsend for those who love a tasty and satisfying meal, but cannot spend much time in the kitchen!

pasta, onion, bacon, hard cheese, garlic, cream, sunflower oil, salt, ground black pepper

The recipe is very delicious soup with chicken and egg dumplings! For some reason, children often like soup with dumplings more than soup with pasta or other flour products, although both there and there - the dough. Chicken soup with dumplings it is easy to prepare, it turns out rich. This is a great first course any time of the year!

chicken legs, potatoes, onions, carrots, eggs, flour, sunflower oil, parsley, bay leaf, salt, ground black pepper, water

We all know that the liver is useful product, which must be included in the diet of both adults and children. Today we will cook pancakes from turkey liver in sauce. At first glance, ordinary liver pancakes but no - the creamy onion sauce works wonders. It is due to him that pancakes are very soft, juicy and incredibly tasty. I recommend to everyone!

liver, eggs, onion, flour, breadcrumbs, sunflower oil, salt, ground black pepper, onion, flour, water, cream, sunflower oil, salt...

Pork kidneys belong to the offal of the second grade. And all because of the specific smell and taste that are inherent in the kidneys. But you can get rid of all this! Today we will cook kidneys stewed in sour cream with vegetables. And at the same time, we will find out what measures need to be taken in order to properly process and prepare the kidneys.

pork kidneys, onions, carrots, garlic, sunflower oil, sour cream, soda, salt, ground black pepper

Recipe homemade cake on kefir, the dough for which is prepared on the basis of corn flour, with the addition of raisins and orange peel. Cornmeal cake turns out to be very tasty, has a golden crust, a soft fragrant crumb and a beautiful sunny color. getting ready corn cake easily. It is equally good with both hot and cold drinks.

butter, sugar, eggs, corn flour, wheat flour, soda, kefir, orange peel, raisins, powdered sugar, sugar glaze

Thin pancakes from potato dough with herbs will surprise anyone! The dough is easy to prepare. It is mixed with mashed potatoes and milk. No soda or yeast is added. are good potato pancakes both hot and cold. With sour cream, just delicious!

potatoes, milk, eggs, garlic, sugar, salt, sunflower oil, flour, herbs, water

Pancake cake with cherries and sour cream - a great treat for Maslenitsa! Going to this pancake cake on the principle of the "Monastic hut" cake, which means that its cut turns out to be spectacular, beautiful and appetizing!

pancakes, sour cream, cherry, powdered sugar, chocolate

If you want to please your loved ones with delicious homemade food, cook duck in the oven. This recipe for roast duck with rice and sauerkraut you will definitely like it, because it requires a minimum of your efforts to prepare it. Thanks to roasting the duck in a cauldron, the meat is very soft and tender. The whole family will be happy!

duck meat, sauerkraut, rice, vegetable oil, black peppercorns, bay leaf, salt, ground black pepper

delicious recipe pickle on fresh broth from chicken hearts. Rassolnik with chicken hearts and beans turns out to be very satisfying and fragrant. The taste of this Kuban pickle is fresh and rich. Be sure to cook it sometime for lunch.

chicken heart, canned beans, pickled cucumbers, tomato juice, cucumber pickle, onion, potatoes, carrots, garlic, parsley, salt...

Classic Mimosa salad recipe with canned fish probably familiar to everyone. But as an experiment, you can cook this salad with herring. Thanks to salted fish, the taste of Mimosa salad becomes more saturated. The salad is quite budgetary, which allows it to be prepared both on weekdays and on the festive table.

herring fillet, melted cheese, potatoes, carrots, eggs, onion, mayonnaise, ground black pepper, salt