Festive and everyday dishes of Russian cuisine.

A characteristic national feature of the Russian person is hospitality. He is always happy to have guests and is ready to offer the best he has as a treat. So what can you see on the table of a Russian host?

The main product that is always present on the table is bread: black (rye) and white (wheat), which is made from sour dough. Used to be in great demand Rye bread. There were several explanations for this fact. Firstly, it was cheaper and more satisfying. Secondly, the use of black bread was determined by the fact that in this area the sowing of rye prevailed over the sowing of wheat. The bread was baked in an oven on a hearth, which determined the shape of the bread: a round lump of dough acquired a hemispherical shape as a result of baking. Such round bread was called a loaf.

Bread is also baked in oblong rectangular pans, creating the familiar “brick.”

The choice of dishes prepared from dough is extremely varied. Most Popular bread products for the holiday it's pies. They are prepared from sour dough by adding various fillings(vegetables, berries, meat, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, etc.).

A ritual dish - Easter - is also prepared from sour dough - tall, cylindrical bread.

Another dish prepared on sour dough, are pancakes. The well-known Russian pancake is more than 1000 years old. Initially, it was not thin, but was something between a pancake and a flatbread. There were pancakes different types(wheat, oatmeal, rye, buckwheat, barley, etc.) with a rich selection of fillings (meat, fish, vegetables, mushrooms, berries, cottage cheese, etc.). As now, they were served with butter, sour cream, jam, black and red caviar, and herring.

Thanks to its round shape the pancake symbolized the sun. Among the ancient Slavs, it was a ritual dish, and they prepared it in honor of the Sun God - Yarila, who was asked to drive away winter. This ancient pagan holiday (Maslenitsa) is celebrated in our time.

From unleavened dough They prepare flatbreads, sochni, pancakes, cheesecakes, gingerbreads.

Porridge - national Russian dish. It is prepared from cereals (barley, millet, buckwheat, etc.) with the addition of water or milk. In the old days, porridge was generally called a dish consisting of boiled chopped products (for example, fish porridge). Porridge was consumed not only on weekdays, but also on holidays, and they were also a ritual dish (for example, kutia). Interesting origin of the name pearl barley porridge, which is also called barley porridge. Its name comes from the Old Russian word “pearl”, which means “pearl”.

Basic ancient Russians national drinks- this is kvass, sbiten, mead, vodka, jelly, compote, fruit juice.

Kvass - weak alcoholic drink with a sour taste, prepared with yeast. This is an indispensable drink on a hot summer day, as it quenches thirst well and gives coolness. Kvass serves as the basis for many stews (soups).

A popular drink in the old days was sbiten. This is a hot, sweet-tasting drink made from honey and spices, which could be alcoholic (wine was added) or non-alcoholic. Unlike kvass, sbiten has a warming effect, so it was in particular demand in winter time. But gradually this hot drink was replaced by new ones - coffee and tea.

One of the oldest alcoholic drinks based on honey is mead, which warms, lifts your spirits and thanks to beneficial properties honey helps with colds.

Perhaps the most famous Russian alcoholic drink is vodka. It is made from grain, rye or wheat, water, malt and yeast.

The next popular Russian drink is jelly. Initially, jelly had a sour taste (as reflected in the name) and was prepared using decoctions of various grains and beans (oatmeal, rye, wheat, pea jelly). Currently, sweet jelly is predominant, prepared on potato starch with the addition of fruits and berries.

Compotes and fruit drinks are also prepared from fruits and berries with the addition of water.

Now the most popular vegetable on the table is potatoes. But before the appearance of potatoes in Russia, its place was taken by other vegetables: turnips, cabbage, beets, etc. They were consumed both raw and cooked (boiled, baked), and, as now, they were fermented and salted . These vegetables were also used for cooking various soups, for example, on turnip, cabbage soup, borscht. Initially there was no tradition of mixing vegetables, i.e. each type was eaten separately from each other, and salads were prepared from only one vegetable (for example, cucumber, beetroot).

First courses, soups, have always been and are still of great importance in the diet of the Russian people. They are divided into two types: cold and hot. The first group of soups is prepared on the basis of kvass. For example, tyurya (crackers with kvass), botvinya (kvass with boiled tops of vegetables, onions, cucumbers and fish), okroshka (kvass with chopped vegetables and meat). Such dishes are popular in the summer season.

The second group includes such well-known hot soups as cabbage soup, borscht, solyanka, rassolniki, and ukha.

Over time, dishes from other nations were borrowed, thereby Russian cuisine became richer. There is an opinion that dumplings came to us from the peoples of the Urals. Thanks to the influence French cuisine a tradition of combining products arose. So, salads and vinaigrettes appeared. From German cuisine Sandwiches came to us, and kebabs from the Caucasus. Ukrainian borsch also found a place on the Russian table.

The combination of original Russian dishes with borrowed ones makes the Russian table varied, and Russian cuisine one of the richest.

New Year- a special holiday, shrouded in miracles, magic and symbols. One of these symbols is New Year's table. IN different countries ah world people believe that special holiday food can bring happiness in the new year and these dishes are traditionally prepared. Let's see what food will be on the New Year's table in different countries.

England

Not a single traditional New Year's holiday in England is complete without plumpudding, which consists of lard, bread crumbs, flour, raisins, eggs and spices. Before serving, the pudding is poured with rum and set on fire, which makes the holiday even brighter. It is also traditional to serve stuffed turkey with vegetables and gooseberry sauce. Turkey with vegetables is considered a traditional dish and delights guests at any holiday.

America

The idea is also considered a traditional American dish, but unlike the English one, American turkey is prepared differently. Speaking at all in simple language, the turkey is stuffed with all the products that are “lying around” in the refrigerator. Usually these are cheese, garlic, prunes, apples, cabbage, beans, mushrooms, and spices.

Austria, Hungary

In these countries, serving poultry at the holiday table is a bad sign. Superstitious residents of these countries believe that if you serve a bird at the festive table, then happiness can fly away. Traditional Austrian cuisine is rich in its delights. So, you can serve schnitzel, strudel to the festive table, you can also prepare traditional fish salad in Austrian. In Hungary, it is customary to serve traditional bagels - poppy seed and nut rolls, which migrated from Jewish cuisine.

Denmark, Sweden

Cod is considered the main New Year's holiday dish for the Danes. This dish symbolizes happiness and wealth. Lutefiks, a fish dish made from dried cod, is always served on the Swedish holiday table.

Germany

Herring is considered an integral and symbolic dish of the German holiday table. It is believed that herring will definitely bring happiness in the coming year. Traditional and no less important dishes on the festive table are Sauerkraut - stewed sauerkraut with sausages, Eisbein - pork boiled knuckle and of course many types of German sausages. (each region has its own varieties).

Israel

It is important to note that in Israel the New Year is celebrated in September. The New Year's holiday table of Israeli residents has a number of its own rules. The main rule is that bitter, sour and salty dishes are kept away. The table is set with sweet dishes. Also on the table are usually honey, dates, pomegranates and apples. Halu - holiday baking- dipped in honey. This tradition is followed by many people. In this way, the Israelis “sweeten” the coming year. Boiled fish is also served on the festive table. baked apples, cabbage, beets.

Holland, France

On the Dutch holiday table you will definitely find deep-fried donuts and salted beans - one of the main national dishes- exactly for the New Year. In France, a traditional New Year's table is not complete without roasted chestnuts, oysters, beautifully decorated sandwiches with goose pate, cheeses and, of course, French wine.

Poland

In Poland, you can count exactly twelve dishes on the New Year's table. And not just meat! Mushroom soup or borscht, barley porridge with prunes, dumplings with butter, for dessert chocolate cake. Mandatory dish- fish. In many countries it is considered a symbol of family happiness and prosperity.

Czech Republic and Slovakia

A similar set of dishes is present on the New Year's tables of housewives in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. True, they prefer pearl barley porridge, and strudel is a must - puff roll with apples, the pride of every good housewife.

Romania, Australia, Bulgaria

Among the many traditional dishes presented on New Year's tables, you will definitely try a special pie. Its peculiarity is that one of the guests will definitely find a coin, or a nut, or a peppercorn in a piece of pie. The lucky owner of the find will start a family next year.

Japan

On December 30, the pre-holiday table must include mochi - small cakes made from boiled rice, which are made with fruit and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Long noodles must be present on the New Year's holiday table. The longer it is, the longer the life of the participants in the feast will be. Often present on tables seaweed, roasted chestnuts, peas, beans, boiled fish, these components are the key to happiness, success in business, health, and peace of mind.

Spain, Portugal, Cuba

In many countries - Spain, Portugal, Cuba - the grapevine has been considered a symbol of abundance and a happy family hearth since ancient times. Therefore, the inhabitants of these countries eat twelve grapes at midnight when the clock strikes, according to the number of strokes of the clock. With each grape they make a wish - twelve cherished wishes for each month of the year.

Italy

In Italy, it is also customary to serve grapes, nuts, and lentils at the New Year's table as a symbol and guarantee of longevity, health and well-being.

Tibet

The people of Tibet have a cute New Year's custom. Housewives bake mountains of pies with a wide variety of fillings and present them to all friends and strangers. The more you give away, the richer you will be!

Belgium

In Belgium they eat veal sausage with truffles, boar meat, traditional cake, wine.

New Year is always an occasion for wonderful communication, love and kindness, and, of course, for wonderful treats. Many housewives try to come up with some new items and show imagination, but traditional New Year's dishes always remain unchanged over several decades or even centuries.

And it’s not just Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat. Every family has its own New Year's tradition of cooking this or that holiday dish in my own way. How to surprise guests and fans traditional cuisine or how to create new snacks and dishes based on them? Here are some traditional and non-traditional dishes for the New Year and Russia that can be prepared for the festive table.

Three simple dishes

Salad Olivier

It was difficult to celebrate the New Year in Soviet Russia without Olivier salad. This ancient dish has an accidental origin when, in his restaurant, French chef Lucien Olivier decided to mix leftover food on the table and season it with sour cream. This happened in the Hermitage restaurant in the mid-60s of the 19th century. There were various recipes for this dish (see photo), which were sometimes very expensive. In one old recipe hazel grouse meat, black caviar, crayfish tails, capers, fresh cucumbers and veal tongue. Pickles were also added to it ( Vegetable mix pickled vegetables). However, in Soviet time When it was allowed to celebrate the New Year, it was difficult to imagine the New Year's holiday table in Russia without this salad. True, cooked according to more simple recipe. Traditional salad"Olivier" has become cheaper and higher in calories, without black caviar, pickles, capers and cancer necks and almost all Russian long-term traditions include this salad in New Year's menu. By the way, we recommend it to you.

For a long time it was prepared on the basis canned peas, pickles, mayonnaise, eggs, boiled chicken or sausage, potatoes and other ingredients. Abroad, Olivier salad is called Russian salad, although it was invented by a Frenchman.

Everyone knows the traditional recipe with a photo of this salad. Here's how you can prepare it deliciously to serve. You need to take:

- medium-sized unsweetened tartlets;

- mayonnaise,

- sour cream;

— a jar of gherkins,

- 4 boiled potatoes;

- canned peas;

- a can of canned pineapples;

- a bunch of dill;

- 300 grams fried chicken fillet;

— crayfish necks according to the number of tartlets;

You need to cut the potatoes into cubes. Add peas and chopped gherkins. Then add the diced eggs and after that add the peas, diced pineapples and small pieces of chicken. Mix everything with sour cream and mayonnaise, then arrange into tartlets.

Prepare crayfish, boil in water with dill and salt. Peel, remove the number of necks according to the number of tartlets for preparing the dish, removing the intestine in the middle.

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of Olivier into the tartlets. Place a crayfish neck on top of each tartlet and squeeze out a little sour cream with a pastry syringe. After this, serve.

Such an appetizer will not only look festive on your table, but will also pleasantly delight and surprise your guests. You can also prepare Olivier with crayfish tails in champagne jelly. Even children can eat this dish.

To do this, you need to prepare a salad according to the classic recipe, add crayfish necks (they can be replaced king prawns). But first you need to make a sauce from gelatin, sugar and champagne. If desired, you can add a little white grapes pitted, cutting the berries into halves.

Champagne must be heated so that the alcohol completely or partially evaporates. Then dilute gelatin in a separate container, heat it up a little, dissolve sugar in it, pour into champagne and add grapes. Pour into molds, let harden slightly in the refrigerator, then put 1 crayfish neck (or shrimp) in the middle, 2-4 tablespoons of Olivier. After this, put the molds in the cold for 2-3 hours so that the jelly hardens. Then turn over and serve as cold snack. For beauty, the finished molds can be lightly sprinkled powdered sugar simulating snow.

This version of the salad will surprise many and appeal to fans. unusual dishes. And here is another pleasant dish that has become traditional on the Russian New Year's table.

Herring under a Fur Coat

There are many recipes for preparing this dish with photos, look at one of them. However, not a single feast or meal would be complete without it on the Russian New Year’s table. Here is one of the popular options for preparing this wonderful dish that everyone will enjoy.

To do it, you need to take:

— lightly salted herring;

- boiled beets 2 pieces;

- 2 boiled carrots;

- 2 boiled potatoes;

- 2 chicken eggs;

— 2 hard pickles;

- onion;

- mayonnaise;

— cream cheese;

- a bunch of dill;

First you need to process the herring, as in the photo, so that there are no bones.

Cut into small pieces, place on the bottom of the cut loaf, from which you need to remove the pulp.

Then peel and cut the carrots. Pour boiling water over the onion, cut and lightly sprinkle with vinegar. Then boil the eggs hard and grate them. The yolk should be firm. Cut the potatoes, grate the beets. Place all products, except herring, in separate containers.

Then place a layer of onion, carrots, egg and cream cheese on top of the herring. Then add the cucumbers. Mix beets with mayonnaise and place in the last layer. Cover the dish with the second part of the loaf and refrigerate for an hour.

Before serving, cut as shown in the photo. This cooking option will appeal to lovers of unusual New Year's snacks.

What other dishes are traditionally New Year's in Russian cuisine? Here are some of the most popular products, which form part of the New Year's modern table.

Meat and non-meat products

In Soviet times, sausage was considered a real New Year's chic on the festive table. Both ordinary doctor’s or boiled, and cervelat, not to mention raw smoked, which is considered a real delicacy. Today you won’t surprise anyone with sausage, but various options By preparing baked meat you can please your guests as much as you like.

Typically, the Soviet-era Russian holiday table always included cooked meat. It was baked in the oven, in foil, in a frying pan and some kind of universal recipe There is no such thing as preparing a New Year's meat dish in Russian cuisine on New Year's Day. Since everyone is trying to surprise guests with cooking meat.

After the 90s, when many Christians New Year's Eve kept the fast, began to choose vegetarian salads or baked fish with various additions. However, there are few of them, and even those who fast on New Year's Eve allow themselves a little champagne and a piece of delicious turkey or.

A popular non-meat dish was a salad with crab sticks and sweet corn. It is made from sour cream, green onions, fresh cucumber, crab sticks and corn. This dish can also be found on the modern New Year's table.

Well, in modern cuisine, sushi with the addition of Russian spices, for example, boiled pork, pickles, red caviar and fish. A universal Russian New Year's dish in the Japanese style has not yet been created, but sushi has become a frequent guest at New Year's Eve in every home.

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Celebrating the New Year, without any doubt, can be called our most beloved and popular holiday. We love it so much that we celebrate it twice: first time according to the Gregorian calendar accepted today, and then according to the old Julian calendar, used until 1918. This holiday, the second in time, but not in importance, we can safely consider only our truly Russian New Year, because even the name of this holiday - Old New Year - cannot be translated into any foreign language. And is it worth it? Can we afford to have our own special, homely and at the same time cheerful and generous Russian New Year celebration?

No matter how strange it may seem, the New Year holidays did not take root in Russia right away. Even more than that, the New Year, so beloved by everyone today, constantly encountered various obstacles on its way to Russia. The reformer Emperor Peter I brought us this holiday from Europe, but it was not possible to make it Russian right away. Everything about this holiday was strange for the people: the new chronology from the Nativity of Christ instead of the usual chronology from the Creation of the world; and the meeting of the New Year, postponed from the abundant time of the beginning of autumn to the stingy middle of winter; and even the Emperor’s order to decorate houses with fir trees, pine trees, and juniper branches. After all, in Rus', joy and prosperity have always been identified with birch and oak, and spruce was a mourning tree. And it was not clear to the peasants and ordinary people what kind of holiday this was when they needed to decorate their house with funeral fir branches. And so it turned out that with the death of Pyotr Alekseevich, the celebration of the New Year established by Him immediately ceased.

New Year's celebrations returned during the reign of Catherine the Great. Well, no matter who, the Empress knew a lot about holidays, and she felt and loved the Russian soul. It was She who first installed in the Winter Palace New Year tree, and not just a Christmas tree, like Peter I, but a festive, elegant Christmas tree, decorated with sweets, fruits and garlands. This kind of beauty, of course, pleased the Russian people, and it is with the reign of Catherine the Great that we can begin counting down the celebration of the real Russian New Year. In those days, the secular New Year was celebrated more with balls and festivities than with rich feasts, but the beginning of traditions had been made. This may sound somewhat unexpected, but New Year's treats of those times were almost the same both in palaces and in peasant huts. Catherine the Great greatly respected sour cabbage soup - a fizzy leavened drink, which she called nothing less than Russian champagne, and the tables were laden with the simplest, typically Russian treats: pickles and pickles, baked pigs, fish dishes, pies - all the same things that were treated to on New Year's Eve and in the most simple houses. Except for the greenhouse ones Exotic fruits Yes, outlandish sweets distinguished the rich New Year's balls from the simple, but no less cheerful New Year's festivities of the townspeople and peasants. It is interesting that poultry dishes, so popular today, were not served at Russian New Year's tables in those days - it was believed that good luck could fly away in the coming year. This is how the first New Year traditions were established.

The real popularity of Russian New Year holidays came in the 19th century. Today, for some reason, it is believed that pre-revolutionary Russia widely celebrated only church holidays, for example, Christmas, and secular holidays, like New Year, were not widespread at that time. Sometimes there are even calls to abandon the celebration of the “pagan and alien” New Year altogether. Perhaps this confusion stems from the fact that according to the modern calendar, New Year's holidays fall during the Philippian fast. But really, that is why the Old New Year is so important for Russian people, which embraces with its joy and binds together all layers of our society, allowing deeply religious people to boldly celebrate the New Year together with secular friends, combining ancient and modern New Year traditions.

Already from the beginning of the 19th century, winter holidays in Russia began with the Nativity of Christ and continued until Epiphany. And in the series of cheerful balls and masquerades, abundant feasts and festivities, there was certainly a place for New Year’s Eve. Public Christmas trees were held in restaurants and general meetings, theaters gave New Year's performances, and after the performances New Year's masquerades and dances were held. At the same time, a tradition of New Year's gifts developed, albeit a little more modest than Christmas ones.

And of course, by this time the tradition of New Year's feasts had already developed. And in big cities, and in provincial towns, and even in the most remote villages, a hearty feast has become one of the most important attributes of the New Year. And it doesn’t matter how important it was to what strata of society the celebrants belonged to. Whether it was palace balls of aristocrats, luxurious celebrations of rich residents of both capitals, or home feasts of poor townspeople and peasants - everyone tried to celebrate the New Year as magnificently and cheerfully as possible, treating their friends to the most delicious dishes and wishing themselves and everyone around them prosperity in the coming year . Regardless of income, each family tried to fill the table with as many of the most variety of dishes, and it should be noted that the New Year's treat was much more varied and plentiful than even the Christmas treat. It was not in vain that the evening of December 31st was called generous! Even in the most ordinary families tried to bring to the table as much as possible meat dishes. There were baked piglets, jellied meats, jellies, and boiled pig heads, and stuffed lamb sides and stomachs. Peasant families always cooked rich kutya, which was fueled pork fat and crushed poppy seeds. From the bins and cellars they got the most delicious treats, specially stocked up for the New Year: pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut, salted and dried mushrooms, soaked apples and berries, berry marshmallows and jam - all the most delicious things were used to prepare New Year's dishes; all the most delicious things were set on the New Year's table. Russian rich cabbage soup and the most generous porridges with meat did not remain forgotten. As today, in those days it was believed that the more plentiful the New Year's meal, the more varied dishes were put on the table, the more nourishing and abundant the coming year would be.

New Year in Russian certainly included a special New Year's baking. Most often these were various animal figurines, elegant gingerbread ones - in wealthy houses, or simple ones, baked from butter or the simplest unleavened dough - in poorer houses. Such figurines were baked so that livestock would reproduce well in the new year. The peasants baked pancakes for the New Year's table so that the livestock would be smooth and well-fed, and variety of buns and rolls for a good harvest, and elegant loaves, decorated with dough spikelets and flowers, so that the wheat and rye will grow beautifully. And besides ritual baking, they didn’t forget about delicious pies from the very various fillings, and about pies, cheesecakes, fried and yarn pies, levashniks (sweet pies with levashki - dried apple or berry mass) and gingerbread. They prepared a lot, a lot of pies and pies for the New Year. So much to turn a simple dish into a whole New Year's ritual. The housewife put them in a pile on the table, the owner of the house hid behind this pile, and only then they called the children. The children, entering the upper room, shouted: “Where did our father go?” -Can't you see me? - the owner of the house answered cheerfully from behind a mountain of baked goods, - We don’t see! - the children rejoiced, - And God forbid that we don’t see you all year either. They said this meaning the hope that throughout the next year the table would be as crowded with food as on New Year’s Eve. And during the New Year's festivities, all these pies were presented to neighbors, friends and, of course, all the surrounding children.

Of course, we didn’t forget about drinks on New Year’s Eve. In peasant houses and families of poor townsfolk, they certainly prepared sbitni, warming on a cold winter night, and for children they prepared non-alcoholic sbitn from water, honey, dried berries and spices, but the adults got strong sbitni - with mead, wine, vodka. TO New Year's holidays Both liqueurs and tinctures were ripening. In the richer houses, champagne was already flowing, and a wide variety of wines, Madeira, port wines and vodka were served at the New Year's table.

In addition to exquisite dishes and drinks, new desserts and sweets appeared. At the same time, the Napoleon cake, beloved by many today, appeared, decorating the tables of rich citizens. And the newfangled dessert, ice cream, became an indispensable attribute of the New Year's table of aristocrats.

In general, the New Year's tables of wealthy citizens and the aristocracy differed from our modern New Year's menus only in their excessive abundance and impressive assortment of dishes. But most of the rich New Year's dishes of that time are available to us today. Ducks and geese baked with apples, caviar, noble fish, various gourmet salads and the appetizers of that time, which came to us from European cuisine, took root well in Russian cuisine, over time migrating from the tables of the old aristocracy to our New Year's holiday menus, often undergoing only minor changes related to products that became too difficult to obtain difficult or expensive. And they are simple, but so tasty and hearty dishes New Year's table is still available to absolutely everyone today. This means, like centuries ago, today every family can not only celebrate the Old New Year, but also celebrate it, respecting many ancient New Year traditions, and celebrate the real New Year in Russian on the night of January 13-14.

New Year is a celebration of traditions. This is a Christmas tree decorated by children, the usual Olivier basin, a glass of champagne during the chiming clock and long gatherings at the table. The format of the holiday has long been studied far and wide; the menu for the New Year's table is prepared with eyes closed. Whether this is good or bad is not the topic of today’s post, let’s just talk about how sometimes it is useful to deviate from the established routine and, surprising yourself, try something new and unusual.

Do you want to expand the geography of the New Year's feast this year and prepare dishes that are traditional for certain countries of the world? If you wish, you can even start celebrating the New Year with Japan, and end with the States, “checking in” along the way in China, Egypt, the Azores, Brazil and Peru. This does not mean at all that you need to compile the entire New Year’s menu in such a way as to include a wide variety of holiday dishes from all over the globe - you can limit yourself to two or three, but unusual and interesting ones.

So, let's figure out what you can prepare for the New Year so that it is non-standard and new?

Denmark – roast goose with dried fruits

Ingredients:

• 1 goose carcass weighing approximately 4 kg;
• 4 pears;
• 4 apples;
• 1 cup prunes;
• 1/2 cup dried apricots;
• 1/2 cup raisins;
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries;
• 1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary needles;
• 1/2 tsp. caraway;
• salt, pepper, garlic to taste;
• 1 glass of white wine.

We stuff the goose carcass (gutted, washed and dried) with minced meat prepared in advance: mix dried fruits, sliced ​​apples and pears, salt and add pepper, rosemary, cumin. We sew up the hole through which the filling was inserted or secure the edges properly with toothpicks.

Rub the skin of the goose thoroughly with a mixture of salt, pepper and garlic. Place in a baking dish, pour in wine, cover with foil and leave for 3-5 hours to marinate, then place the dish in an oven preheated to 200 degrees and bake for 2.5 hours, then remove the foil, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees and keep until When ready, the crust should be golden and the juice that comes out when cutting should be clear.

Italy – pork sausage cotecino with lentils

As in many others European countries, the New Year's table in Italy is classic and standard, however, there is one dish that is invariably prepared in many regions of this country and served as a symbol of prosperity - pork sausage Kotekino. Dinner is served at the usual time (and not at our usual 12 o'clock at night) and is always accompanied by lentils - to soften the fatty component of the meat delicacy.

By the way, if you think that we are talking about ordinary sausage, just with some strange name, you are sorely mistaken. This is not at all the product we are used to: kotekino is prepared from the lower part pork leg, which is freed from everything and remains only in the format of the outer skin. That's what they fill her with minced meat and those edible ones that are removed from the shank. After cooking, you get a very fatty jelly-like sausage, which is served with a side dish. To be fair, it is worth mentioning the fact that almost no one cooks kotekino at home; people have long simply gone to the nearest butcher shop and bought semi-finished products.

However, for the sake of color and the Italian spirit, it’s quite possible to try it just once. Let's immediately allow ourselves to simplify as much as possible and adapt the recipe to our own realities and possibilities, but at the same time we will try to set the New Year's table in Italian style.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. paprika;
• 1 tsp. dry dill;
• 1 kg chopped pork meat from the lower part of the leg;
• 500 g chopped lard;
• 3 large cloves of garlic;
• 5-7 juniper berries;
• 1 tbsp. l. black pepper beans;
• 100 ml dry red wine;
• salt to taste.

Pour wine into a blender bowl, add juniper and garlic. Grind. Place the meat and lard in the same bowl, add salt, and don’t forget about whole pepper, paprika, dill. Grind again in pulsating mode. We fill the prepared thick casings for homemade sausages with the resulting mass (or, if you wish, peeled skins from pork feet), carefully tie with thread.

Boil the sausages in large quantities salted water for about 30 minutes. Serve with lentils, vegetables, any sauce of your choice.

Japan – soba with crab meat

Ingredients:

• 200 g buckwheat noodles;
• 2-3 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 100 g broccoli;
• 1 carrot;
• white part of leek;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 2-3 champignons;
• 2 tbsp. l. sesame oil;
• 2-3 tsp. soy sauce;
• 1 tsp. honey;
• 2-3 tsp. rice vinegar;
• crab meat.

Place a pan of water, add salt and boil the soba. Place the finished noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold water.

At the same time, heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan, fry the finely chopped garlic, then add leek slices. When the onion becomes soft, add mushrooms, grated carrots and broccoli, disassembled into florets. Fry over medium heat, after a couple of minutes add soy sauce(be careful, it’s salty!), honey, rice vinegar, Sesame oil. At the end, add crab meat cut into pieces (you can additionally take shrimp, mussels and others for greater persuasiveness) sea ​​reptiles). Fry a little more, taste for salt and serve.

USA – classic stuffed turkey

Let's start with the fact that residents of the United States, like many other Protestant countries, do not particularly recognize the New Year, but if they celebrate, they try not to do much magic over it. festive table. A couple of salads and stuffed turkey- this is quite enough to feel the spirit of the New Year, but not to turn the holiday into a grandiose event.

However, with turkey everything is not so simple. This traditional dish is prepared in each family in its own way; there is no universal recipe, of course, just as, for example, there is no single version of Olivier salad or oven-baked chicken. Every housewife contributes to the American heritage, well... basic recipe it will look something like this.

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey carcass weighing approximately 5 kg;
• 1 large carrot;
• 1 small celery root;
• 3-4 apples;
• 1 tbsp. l. mustard beans;
• 1/3 cup dry white wine;
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh sage;
• zest of 2 oranges;
• juice of 1 orange;
• 50 g softened butter;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Mix salt, pepper, sage, zest and softened butter, grease the turkey under the skin and inside. Cover cling film and put it in the refrigerator for 5-10 hours.

Before putting the bird in the oven, cut the carrots and celery into cubes and mix with apple slices. Add olive oil, mustard, wine and Orange juice, be sure to add salt and pepper. We hide the resulting minced meat in the turkey, do not pour out the remaining liquid, sew up the hole or fasten it with toothpicks.

Place the turkey in the pan and pour over the remaining sauce from the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 2 hours, then remove the foil, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees and, periodically pouring the juice over the bird, bake until done - at least another 1.5 hours.

Step-by-step recipe from the Magic Food collection:

Holland – salted beans with bacon

New Year in Holland means a lot of laughter, fun, fireworks, noise, champagne, donuts sugar icing. These are “gifts in cellars” (searching for surprises using clues), traditional “slem” (a drink based on hot milk with spices), gingerbread and waffles. And also salted beans, generously seasoned with bacon and garlic. Finding the required pre-salted component in our stores is unrealistic, so we will make this dish in a light version - with regular dry beans.

Ingredients:

• 500 g beans;
• 500 g white beans;
• 1 kg of potatoes;
• 300 g lard;
• 700 g smoked cold cuts;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 1/2 celery root;
• 3-4 cloves of garlic;
• salt, pepper, spices to taste.

Soak beans and beans in the evening in plenty of water. In the morning, rinse, add fresh water and, adding salt, cook until tender (of course, separately - the beans, as a rule, become soft earlier). Aim for approximately 1.5 hours.

Cook lard in 3 liters of water, adding unpeeled onion and peeled carrots and celery. After 40 minutes, strain the resulting broth and pour it into the pan with the beans. Add peeled and diced potatoes. We put it on top cold cuts large pieces, salt, add pepper (you can add bay leaf, dry parsley, granulated onion and garlic). Cook for about 25 minutes.

When the potatoes are ready, remove the meat, puree the contents of the pan, squeezing out the garlic, then mix with the beans and place on plates. Serve with sliced ​​meat on top.

An alternative recipe is lobio with ham or chorizo ​​(served in restaurants Georgian cuisine):

Bulgaria – sour cabbage stewed with meat

In this country, both Christmas and New Year are celebrated, widely and richly, although quite simply. Most dishes are with everyday table, the choice is wide and depends on the preferences of each individual family. However, almost everyone cooks sauerkraut stewed with meat!

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of sauerkraut;
• 2 onions;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 tbsp. l. lard;
• 400 g lean pork;
• 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
• salt, pepper to taste;
• 2 bay leaves.

Melt lard in a deep frying pan, add chopped small cubes pork, fry until golden brown crust. At the end, add the onion cut into half rings. Stirring, fry for another 2-3 minutes, at the end add grated carrots and sauerkraut (if the cabbage is very sour, first rinse it under running water). Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, Bay leaf. Pour in half a glass of broth or water, cover with a lid and simmer for about half an hour.

Serve with a side dish of potatoes or on its own.

Alternative recipe - Polish bigos:

UK – traditional roast beef

The British are great lovers of traditions, and celebrating the New Year in their format is simply following a number of traditions. Banishing the old year with fire is done, throwing away something unnecessary is done, decorating the Christmas tree is done, making sweet pudding for dessert is done. Among other things on the holiday preparation list, there is the obligatory British roast beef - like most recipes in English cuisine, a simple, uncomplicated thing, but at the same time very, very tasty.

Ingredients:

• piece beef tenderloin With " marble pattern» weighing approximately 1.5 kg;
• salt, a mixture of peppers, a little olive oil.

Turn on the oven to preheat to 250 degrees.

We clean fresh (not frozen or defrosted, this is the main condition!) meat from excess films, thoroughly rub it with a mixture of peppers and vegetable oil and fry on all sides in a well-heated frying pan until beautifully golden brown. After this, salt the roast beef and place it on a baking sheet. If desired, you can put 3-4 sprigs of rosemary or juniper berries under a piece of meat.

Bake at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes if you like roast beef rare, or 20 minutes if you prefer meat without blood.

After the meat is ready, do not rush to cut it into portions: real roast beef should “simmer”, “breathe” for at least 10-15 minutes - this way the juices will be evenly distributed inside the meat, and the dish will be as tasty as possible.

Estonia – blood sausages

New Year in Estonia, a post-Soviet space, is similar to the holiday to which we are accustomed. Of course, there are also things that are unique to this territory - for example, the belief about meeting a chimney sweep on the street, which leads to happiness, but overall the format is very, very familiar. So much so that it is sometimes difficult to say where the roots of the tradition come from. Well, let's say blood sausages– are they originally Estonian or not?

Ingredients:

• 3 liters of blood;
• 1.5 kg of lard;
• approximately 6 m of cleaned prepared intestines;
• head of garlic;
• 4 large onions;
• red pepper, black pepper, ground cumin, salt to taste;
• 50 ml cognac;
• 1.5 kg of boiled buckwheat.

Fry finely chopped lard in a deep frying pan. As soon as the fat has rendered well, add the diced onion and turn off the heat.

Mix with buckwheat, add spices, garlic, add blood, salt, mix thoroughly. We fill the intestines with the resulting mass, tying them every 10 cm and forming small sausages.

Place in rings on a greased baking sheet, prick each sausage in several places, and then bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Try Ukrainian ones too pork sausages:

Cuba – chicken with rice and bananas

As in many related countries (Portugal, Spain), on New Year's Eve in Cuba it is customary to eat 12 grapes with each stroke of the clock - to fulfill wishes. But they usually have dinner there until midnight, they don’t delay the feast - they feast on chicken baked in the oven with fragrant rice. By the way, with bananas!

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken carcass weighing 1.5-2 kg;
• 2 cups rice;
• 3 unripe bananas;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 onion;
• 4-5 cloves of garlic;
• a bunch of parsley;
• salt, pepper, olive oil.

In a frying pan in vegetable oil, fry the garlic cut into slices; as soon as it begins to brown, transfer it to a baking dish. Quickly fry the sliced ​​bananas in oil over medium heat. Put it in the form. We do the same manipulations with carrots (slices) and onions (petals). Pour rice over the fried fruits and vegetables, add salt and parsley.

Wash the chicken carcass, dry it and cut into portions. Fry until light golden brown olive oil. Place in a baking dish on top of the rice. Add water so that the rice is covered by 1 cm with liquid, and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Having gone through the culinary New Year's traditions different countries, you (absolutely!) received great gastronomic joy, culinary knowledge and, we hope, a charge of inspiration. May the New Year's table this time bring your family something new, unusual and original, and may the upcoming reporting period bring a lot of happiness, smiles and warmth.