There are miracles there, the devil wanders there. Vegetarian cuisine of the Slavs or what our ancestors ate

In the 10th-13th centuries, with the development of cities and consumption, the range of crops grown expanded. At these times, onions, cucumbers, dill, beets, plums, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, and garlic were popular. Since they were grown mainly by urban residents, the price of these products was quite high, so the mentioned vegetables, fruits and herbs appeared on the tables of narrow social strata.

The revolution in nutrition was made by sour rye bread, or rather, not so much the bread itself, but rather the fermentation technology, thanks to which the dough was loosened. Like all food innovations, sour bread for a long time remained a delight of the princely entourage. A similar situation was with kvass and jelly. However, later these products were tasted by all segments of the population and mastered the cooking technology.

The Baptism of Rus' and the subsequent expansion of contacts with the countries of the Christian world also influenced Russian cuisine. Spices, seasonings, and overseas fruit plants began to be added to food. The structure of nutrition also changed: during religious fasts, the share of meat and dairy products in the diet decreased, and plant foods and fish, accordingly, increased.

It is difficult to say how significant changes occurred at this time in the nutritional structure of the rural population, the very superficial Christianization of which dragged on for several centuries. However, the first specialized fishing villages began to appear in the immediate vicinity of the cities, and in the cities themselves in the second half of the 12th - first half of the 13th centuries. Professional fishing and fish trade are developing.

Since the 14th century, water mills began to be used. At the same time, the stove was changing: the ancient Russian one with a semicircular top gave way to a stove with a flat top. As a result, they began to bake not only the usual bread, but also sweets, such as gingerbread. The growing popularity of porridges is associated with the development of crop production. Among vegetables, they preferred those that could be stored for a long time. It becomes a habit to consume the fruits of cultivated plants and berries. For example, in Novgorod there were not only boyar apple orchards, but also small gardens in the courtyards of middle-income citizens. There is also a new way of processing products called canning.

Meat consumption decreased noticeably during this period compared to the 10th-13th centuries. Hunting is being replaced by livestock farming. There were two main ways to store meat: freezing and salting. The established practice of religious fasts made fishing one of the most important industries.

Since the 14th century, water mills began to be used

The greatest changes in Russian food culture occurred in the 16th-17th centuries. Apples, pears, plums, cherries, sweet cherries, raspberries, and strawberries were cultivated everywhere.

The situation with dairy products remained virtually unchanged: fresh and sour milk was consumed, cottage cheese, cheese, butter were produced, and sour cream appeared. From meat products They continued to eat beef, lamb, and pork; they began to eat more poultry meat and eggs. Only horns and hooves were not eaten. And everything that could be eaten in one form or another was carefully prepared. Technologies for processing fish are significantly improving: now it is salted, smoked, and boiled. Caviar and viziga are widely used; Fish is used to make fish oil, fish glue, everything is used, right down to the melted bladder and scales.

Lunch was recognized as the main meal of the day in Rus'

From the 16th century, the division into rural, monastic and royal cuisine began. The first was the least rich and varied, but had its own charm: lunch was recognized as the main meal of the day in Rus', so its organization was given special attention. During the holidays, about 20 dishes could be served, which were placed on the table in a strictly defined order: first cold snack, then soup, main course and pies for dessert.

The basis of the monks' diet was plant food: vegetables, herbs, fruits. The royal kitchen was famous for the abundance of the refectory table, which was sometimes bursting not only with a variety of Russian dishes, but also with exotic delicacies from overseas.

IN Ancient Rus' the range of dishes was not as wide as we are used to seeing it now on our table. Even those products that seemed to us to be originally Russian were not always so. This applies to our favorite cabbage rolls, buckwheat, cucumbers, potatoes, etc.

Russian cuisine diet

Initially, Russian cuisine was quite modest, even the usual salt was a luxury item, and no one really knew about sugar until the 18th century. But, despite this, the Slavs did not suffer from boring fresh dishes or lack of sweets. Instead, they were engaged in pickling vegetables, making malt, kvass and jelly in order to give one or another taste to food.

The most common product at that time was radish. Forming the basis of the diet, this root vegetable was prepared in completely different ways.

The next most important part of the products of the Slavs were flour products. They were made mainly from pea, wheat and rye flour. Flatbreads, pancakes, pancakes, pies were baked with a variety of fillings: meat, mushrooms, berries, and the dough for them was infused for several days from flour and well water, until natural yeast began to ferment.

Porridge and meat

In addition to flour products were the most various cereals, but oatmeal was considered the most honorable. I was in tandem with her wheat cereal, which had many variations depending on the grind. But our beloved buckwheat “arrived” to us from Byzantium and for a long time, together with rice (Sorochinskoye millet), they were delicacies. Porridges were usually seasoned with creamy or linseed oil, and they also liked to eat them with milk and various starters. In addition to these plant crops, the ancient Slavs used quinoa, various berries, mushrooms, and wild sorrel.

The choice of meat in Ancient Rus' was very wide. People ate beef, pork, chickens, geese and other all kinds of game, such as hazel grouse and partridge.

They also did not forget about fish, which was mainly from rivers (sturgeon, carp, bream); most often it was baked or boiled.

First courses in Rus'

Oddly enough, in Rus' there were no soups, borscht or cabbage soup at all. The only “predecessor” of our okroshka was “tyura”, made from kvass, pieces of onion and chopped bread.

Our people could not live without all kinds of “drink”. The most common drinks at that time were kvass, which resembled beer, and honey products, which were infused for years or brewed. They were a favorite among the Slavs and had a sweet and slightly intoxicating taste.

In general, ancient Russian cuisine for the most part consisted of simple and healthy products, but it was also not without borrowings. It was a collection of parts of the food cultures of those countries and peoples with which Ancient Rus' interacted.

Many specialists engaged in research into life in Old Rus', its features and culinary dishes, speak negatively against the forced introduction into Russian national cuisine the custom of drinking tea, instead of a hearty and delicious food. Because it’s unlikely that a simple tea party can replace a hearty lunch. Because the Russian people, due to their customs and Orthodox faith, constantly have to fast. And regular “tea drinking” is unlikely to bring special benefit body.

In addition, there is an opinion that in order for food to bring as much benefit to the body as possible, a person needs to eat what grows in the climatic zone of his residence. It would also not be amiss to add how the reforms of Peter the Great influenced the original Russian cuisine. Because Russian cuisine not only gained after this, but lost after many borrowings from Western European cuisine.

But, of course, this issue is controversial, so here we can cite the stories of some famous experts in the field of Russian culture. After an excursion into history, many readers will remain with their own opinion, but in general they will be enriched with data about the lost values ​​of our people, especially in the field of nutrition, especially since the science of cooking is aging.

For example, the writer Chivilikhin writes in his notes that in ancient times The Vyatichi, Drevlyans, Radimichi, Northerners and other proto-Russian peoples ate almost the same thing as we do now - meat, poultry and fish, vegetables, fruits and berries, eggs, cottage cheese and porridge. Then oil was added to this food, seasoned with anise, dill, and vinegar. Bread was consumed in the form of kovrig, rolls, loaves, and pies. They didn’t know tea and vodka then, but they brewed intoxicating mead, beer and kvass.

Of course, the writer Chivilikhin is right in some ways. They drank honey and it flowed down their mustaches. But at the same time, we should not forget that in our country the Christian Orthodox Church calls for keeping, if not strict, then almost semi-strict fasting all year round. And not all products from the above list could be eaten.
If we talk about native Russian cuisine, its first mentions date back to the 11th century. Later records can be found in various chronicles and lives. And it is here that a complete picture is given of what was included in the daily diet of a simple Russian peasant. And since the 15th century we can already talk about Russian cuisine, with established traditions and original dishes.

Let us remember such well-known sayings as: “Eat half-full and drink half-drunk - you will live a century to the fullest” or “Stea and porridge is our food...”.

That is, even church dogmas did not harm either the conscience or the Russian stomach. Therefore, it must be said that from ancient times Rus' was grain, fish, mushroom, berry...

From generation to generation, our people ate porridge and grain dishes. “Porridge is our mother, and rye bread is our dear father!” Grain formed the basis of Russian cuisine. Each family was placed in large quantities rye, fresh and sour dough. It was used to make carols, juices, kneaded into noodles, and bread. And when wheat flour appeared in the 10th century, there was simply freedom here - rolls, pancakes, pies, loaves, pancakes...

In addition, various rye, oat and wheat jelly were cooked from grain crops. Who today can boast of knowing the recipe for oatmeal jelly?
A good addition to the table were various vegetables from the garden, for example, turnips. It was eaten in any form - even raw, even steamed, even baked. The same can be said about peas. Carrots were not yet grown at that time, but radishes, especially black ones, were widely used. Cabbage was used both in fresh, and in pickled.

Initially, the brew or bread was always fish. It was later that such dishes as zatirushki, chattelushki, borscht soup and botvinya appeared. And in the 19th century, such a thing as soup already appeared. But even without this, there was plenty to choose from at the table. In general, in Rus' a good eater was valued, because as a person eats, so is he at work.

To roughly imagine what we are talking about, we read Domostroy: “...at home and makes flour and all kinds of pies, and makes all kinds of pancakes, and sotsni, and trubitsy, and all kinds of porridge and pea noodles, and boiled peas, and Zobonets, and kundumtsy, and boiled and juice food: pies with pancakes and mushrooms, and with saffron milk caps, and with milk mushrooms, and with poppy seeds, and with porridge, and with turnips, and with cabbage, and with whatever God sent; or nuts in juice, and Korowais...” In addition, there was always lingonberry water and cherries in molasses, raspberry juice and other sweets on the table. Apples, pears, brewed kvass and molasses, prepared marshmallows and left-handers. We would like to take a look at such a meal at least once, and try it at least once!

The main secret of our kitchen was the Russian oven. It was there that all the prepared dishes were purchased unique taste and aroma. Cast iron pots with thick walls also contributed to this. After all, what is cooking in a Russian oven? This is not boiling or frying, but gradual simmering of brew or bread. When the dishes are heated evenly on all sides. And this primarily contributed to the preservation of all taste, nutritional and aromatic properties.

And bread in a Russian oven was distinguished by a crispy crust, even baking, and good rise of the dough. Is it possible to compare bread baked in a Russian oven with what we find on the shelves of our stores? After all, this can hardly be called Bread!

In general, the Russian stove was a kind of symbol of our country. Children were conceived on it, gave birth, slept, and were also treated. They ate on the stove and died on it. The whole life of a Russian person, the whole meaning revolved around the Russian stove.
Well, in the end, let’s face the truth: the common man in Rus' did not eat luxuriously; in the village they never ate their fill. But this is not because traditional Russian cuisine was poor, but because of how hard it was for a peasant to live in Rus'. Large family, many mouths - how to feed everyone? Therefore, it was not out of greed that they ate poorly, but because of poverty. The farmer had nothing, he saved on everything, saved the extra penny.

However, all the same, we can safely say that there is nothing better than real Russian food - simple, but satisfying, tasty and nutritious.

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Looking at the shelves of our supermarkets, which abound various products, it’s hard to imagine how our ancestors could easily do without many “goodies.” How did the Eastern Slavs eat in ancient times, who did not know potatoes, tomatoes, corn and sunflower oil? But what about a morning cup of coffee or such a familiar drink as tea? Yes, and this was also unknown to them.

It would seem that even such a “folk” dish as porridge also did not have exactly the look and taste that modern people are accustomed to. In the 9th century, our ancestors were unfamiliar with the taste of corn and semolina porridge. But there are different data on the appearance of buckwheat. It came to the table of the Slavs around the 7th century or even earlier. By the way, its name in Rus' is due to the fact that Greek monks were engaged in growing this cereal on the territory of Kievan Rus. But oatmeal, not "Hercules", but from whole grain cereal, has been well known since time immemorial, and was cooked in the oven, seasoned with butter or linseed or hemp oil. But sunflower oil appeared in the diet of our ancestors from the middle of the 19th century. Despite the fact that sunflower seeds were brought to Russia, like potatoes, in the times of Peter the Great, it was the Ukrainian serf Alexei Bokarev who first thought of getting oil from sunflower seeds in 1828. Until this time, sunflowers were used only as an ornamental plant. Rice, known for a long time (until the end of the 19th century) as “Saracenic millet,” was a great rarity.

The ancient Slavs knew nothing of modern fruits except apples. Peaches, pears, plums, apricots, cherries and other crops began to appear in different times after the 10th century.

Carrots, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkin, onions and, of course, potatoes are not “indigenous” plants in the fields and vegetable gardens of Kievan Rus; they were all imported and cultivated at different times. But peas and turnips were one of the main products of the diet. To diversify the taste, housewives used various seasonings: dill, horseradish, garlic, parsley, and later - bay leaf, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, saffron and others. Berries, nuts and wild herbs and roots were actively used for cooking, among them: mint, oregano, quinoa, wild onion, chamomile, juniper, hogweed (not to be confused with Sosnovsky's hogweed).

Drinks they could offer guests berry fruit drinks, kvass, jelly, natural juices and sbitni.

Bearberry was made from oats and barley, and sometimes from peas. The cereal was poured into a bag, then it was placed in a natural reservoir for a day. After this, the grain was scattered in a sieve to dry. Then they poured it onto a baking sheet and left it overnight in a cooling oven. The dry and browned grain was ground and sifted: everything that remained in the sieve was crushed. The procedure was repeated several times until everything turned into flour. Such flour acquired the ability to swell well, quickly thickened and became more nutritious - it turned into oatmeal. Some dishes: kulaga - oatmeal mixed with water and seasoned with salt; and they mixed oatmeal with cottage cheese and milk when preparing dezhen.

Another traditional dish was “tyurya” - bread crumbled into kvass, water or milk. Mashed vegetables and herbs were added to the prison. Dessert option for children - with milk and honey.

Baking occupied a special place in Ancient Rus'. Pies and bread tasted different from our modern ones. It should be noted that the pies were baked either from unleavened dough, which we use to make dumplings and dumplings, or from sour. Sour dough mixed with water from natural reservoirs, and under the influence of “ wild yeast“, in a warm place and in a tub, it began to “sour,” that is, to ferment. Each time the fermented dough was kneaded, a little leaven (a piece of dough) was left in order to knead the next portion. The pies were filled with fish, mushrooms, berries, nuts, various vegetables, and cottage cheese. The pies were large and small, open and closed, round and square; they were fried, baked and even stewed.

Rye in Rus' began to be used in flour products in the 11th-12th centuries. Before this, wild rye was perceived as a weed that was found in wheat crops and was simply ignored.

There is meat in Rus', no matter how vegetarians and raw foodists convince you otherwise. They only ate in moderation due to the fact that people fasted honestly and selflessly. Fasts were strictly observed at that time. The meat was baked, stewed, fried on a spit (“spinned meat”).

The historical mention of such a product as “sausage” in Rus' begins around the 12th century: in a birch bark letter, among the provisions sent to a certain deacon, the product “kalb” is mentioned. The composition of sausages of those times was varied. Actually, the contents were “packed” into it to suit your taste. And only Peter I, who tasted German sausages, ordered specialists from Germany to teach him how to cook sausages for the palace kitchen.

Dessert at the feast was served under the name “zaedki”, since the word “dessert” itself appeared in Rus' only in the 18th century. The snacks included berries and vegetables boiled in honey, marshmallows, and nuts.

In 1638, boyar Vasily Starkov brought gifts from Altyn Khan to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. The boyar was surprised when he discovered bundles of dried leaves among the Mongolian atlases and furs, and he refused to take the grass, but the Mongolian ruler insisted on his own. This is how we first had tea. In the same 17th century, coffee was first brought to Russia. Coffee before, as now, was considered an expensive drink, because it had to be delivered from afar and was a monopoly.

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Potatoes appeared in Russia only during the time of Peter I and for a long time gained their popularity among the population. What did Russians eat before the 18th century? What did they prefer and what dishes did they have on the table on weekdays and holidays?

Cereal products

Judging by archaeological finds, kitchen ceramics and the remains of various organic substances in them, starting from the 9th century, sour, rye black bread was already prepared in Rus'. And all the oldest flour products in Russian settlements until the 15th century were created exclusively on the basis of sour rye dough, under the influence of fungal cultures. These were jelly - rye, oat and pea, as well as porridges, which were cooked again from soured, soaked grain - buckwheat, oats, spelt, barley.

Depending on the ratio of grain and water, the porridges were hard or semi-liquid; there was another option and it was called “smear”. Starting from the 11th century, porridge in Rus' acquired the significance of a mass ritual dish with which any event began and ended; weddings, funerals, christenings, church construction and in general any Christian holidays that were celebrated by the entire community, village or princely court.

One of the famous monuments of Russian literature of the 16th century, “Domostroy,” in addition to instructions on all areas of the life of a Russian person and family, brought to the present a list of the most popular dishes of that time. And they again turned out to be products made from rye and wheat flour, as well as their variants all possible combinations. Even then, housewives fried pancakes, shangi, crumpets, rolled bagels and bagels, and also baked kalachi - now the national Russian white bread.

TO holiday dishes carried pies - dough products with the most various fillings. It could be offal or meat poultry, game, fish, mushrooms, fruits or berries.

Vegetables

From its very origins, central Rus' has always been a sedentary, peasant region and its population willingly cultivated the land. In addition to grain crops, the Russians, at least from the 11th century, grew turnips, cabbage, horseradish, onions and carrots. In any case, these vegetables are mentioned on the pages of the same “Domostroi” and then they were recommended to be baked in an oven, boiled in water, in the form of stews, cabbage soup, put as a filling in pies, and also simply eaten raw on the road or during field trips. works

These vegetables, as well as grain jelly and porridge, were the main dishes of the common man until the 19th century. After all, all Russians were Orthodox Christians, and out of 365 days of one year, 200 were during fasting, when eating meat, fish, milk and eggs was not allowed. And even in the early weeks, people of the lower class did not eat animal products. It was customary to eat this only on Sundays and holidays. But vegetables, fresh, salted, dried, baked, and dried, as well as mushrooms, constituted the main diet of Russians.

Partridges

Everyone in Rus' ate meat products, but not always and often these were not domestic animals. Due to constant military conflicts and civil strife, dishes made from beef, pork and lamb were very rare and expensive. In any case, some scrolls from the 11th to 13th centuries say that craftsmen and icon painters hired by communities to build churches asked for coins or other valuables equivalent to the cost of one ram for a day of their work.

Art and construction artels were not so rare in Rus', but their work was valued above average - like the cost of a domestic sheep. The most expensive meat For a long time, beef was considered; veal was completely prohibited until the 18th century. At princely feasts, warriors often ate swans or chickens. But fried partridges and pigeons were sold from stalls at all Russian fairs on Sundays, and such an appetizer was considered the cheapest.

For a long time, in Russian taverns it was easier to taste wild boar meat than domestic pig; elk, deer and bear tenderloins were also found. At home, an ordinary peasant family feasted on hare meat much more often on holidays than, for example, chicken or goat meat. Horse meat was rarely eaten, but much more often than Russian people consume it now. After all, there were horses in every wealthy household. But the periods when a peasant family lived well were much shorter than those when the same people had to starve.

Quinoa

In times of crop failures, hostilities, raids, when enemies forcibly confiscated from peasant families food supplies, livestock, and houses were destroyed in fires, the Russians who miraculously escaped were forced to somehow survive. If disasters and hunger overtook the peasants in winter, then this promised unequivocal death. But in the summer middle lane Quinoa still grows in Russia. In order to somehow alleviate hunger, people ate the stems of this plant; its seeds were used to bake surrogate bread and make kvass.

Quinoa does contain fat, some protein, starch and fiber. But the bread it produced was bitter and crumbly. It was difficult to digest and caused severe irritation of the digestive tract, and often vomiting. Quinoa kvass drove people completely crazy; after it, and on an empty stomach, hallucinations often occurred, ending in a severe hangover.

However, quinoa performed the main function - it saved the peasants from hunger, made it possible to survive a terrible time, so that they could then restore the economy and, finally, start their normal life anew.