The evolution of Slavic food: from the stove to the cultural imprint of table manners
Russian food culture is an important part of Russian national culture, and its development is deeply rooted in the historical destiny of the East Slavic nation.
By the end of the 18th century, when the first original professional culinary literature appeared in Russia, this dietary system began to build a systematic theoretical record, and it soon became widely popular.
However, Russian food has a real charm. Its charm lies not only in the completeness of the classics, but also in the regional differences in the vast land, and in the unified characteristics, and the two are dialectically unified.
Take fish soup as an example. For Mrs. Rostov, it would be unimaginable to cook fish soup without adding tomatoes. However, the residents along the Volga River are completely different. They will continue to praise fish soup without adding tomatoes.
People in the Ural region and people in Siberia are accustomed to entertaining guests with a kind of food called Choli snacks. However, people in the Kursk region have never heard of this kind of food.
This variety of regional food characteristics is similar to the situation of "rice in the south and food in the north" in Chinese food culture, and also like the pattern of "sweet in the east and sour in the west". They are all taste memories shaped by the geographical environment and historical evolution.
Even so, in the vast area that stretches from Lake Ilmen to the Black Sea, and from the Pripyat River to the Volga River, the Russians living here still maintain the consistency of their food culture.
This kind of unity, just like the philosophical foundation of the "harmony of five flavors" in Chinese cuisine, transcends regional boundaries and becomes the taste bond of national cultural identity.
Refined in Ruggedness: Culinary Aesthetics and Food Philosophy of Russian Food
The eating habits shown by the Russians place great emphasis on large portions and affordable prices, and they also pursue the characteristics of rich oil and rich taste. Generally speaking, the food processing and production show a style with a relatively extensive feel.
However, rough does not mean rough, but contains a unique set of cooking aesthetics.
This tradition of treating black bread as the main food is similar to the concept of "grains as nourishment" in Chinese diet. Brown bread is baked from buckwheat, oats, etc. It has a deep color and is easy to store. Even if it becomes hard and difficult to chew after being left for two days, it is precisely because of this that the non-deteriorating properties are guaranteed, demonstrating the food philosophy of "hiding" and "nurturing" in folk wisdom.
The Russian-style big pie shows another aspect of pasta culture.
This kind of cooking thinking that presents a situation of "wrapping everything" is really the same as dumplings and steamed buns in the Chinese food category. It has the same goal and the same purpose in different ways. Without exception, it is the crystallization of wisdom formed after the full utilization of ingredients through farming civilization.
The etiquette of red cabbage soup: from the combination of ingredients to the cultural coding of table rituals
When it comes to Russian food, beetroot soup is undoubtedly a very representative taste symbol.
This dish belongs to the category of seasoned soup, which is usually made with meat juice, while cold soup is made with govas or beet juice.
Interestingly, the verb used to express enjoying soup in Russian is "eat", not "drink". This is because the soup has a dense texture and cannot be consumed by drinking. It must be savored with the help of tableware.
This is different from Chinese banquets where soup is often served as the finishing touch. In the Russian dining process, soup is usually the first course, indicating the beginning of the meal ceremony.
Cooking beetroot soup is a delicate skill. Spray the beets with vinegar or lemon juice, then stir-fry them in a pot. Cut the onion slices, carrots, and coriander stalks into shreds, and stir-fry them with the fat and tomatoes. Then put the shredded cabbage into the boiling gravy, add the stewed beets, and continue to cook for a few minutes. If the color is not enough, you can also add a little beetroot to adjust the color.
This series of complicated processes finally results in a bowl of red cabbage soup that is both delicious and delicious.
A tribute to caviar: a taste inheritance from royal delicacies to table manners
There are more than twenty species of sturgeon in the world, but the eggs of only three species can be made into top-quality caviar. Among them, the highest-level sturgeon has an annual production of less than a hundred fish, and the fish must be over sixty years old before it can be harvested.
Such a strict standard has made it the most luxurious treat on the French table, and it has also become a delicacy that has entered the sight of fashion people and food lovers from royal delicacies.
In Russia's more formal dining etiquette, sharing meals is the basic norm.
It is rare to see a bowl in the tableware. Even when drinking soup, the soup is served on a plate, thus forming a unique "three plates and two cups" pattern.
When eating, the first dish is soup, followed by hot dishes. Most of the hot dishes are meat dishes, with beef and mutton as the main ingredients, and vegetables are rarely cooked. The last dish is dessert.
Throughout the entire process, bread and drinks have always been interspersed, just like the fundamental position that rice occupies in a Chinese banquet.
In the area of table manners, Russians adhere to the principle of not talking while eating and chewing food without making any noise. Especially when drinking soup, they are extremely taboo about making noise.
When eating, do not hold food horizontally. Be sure to bite along the edge of the cutlery. If you use a fork, the fork tips should be facing inward and placed in your mouth one after another.
The food that must be cut with a knife and fork is a large piece of food and cannot be torn apart by hand; however, bread is completely different. Large pieces of bread must be broken and eaten with hands and cannot be bitten directly with the mouth.
There is such a different way of handling the same ingredients in different forms, which exactly reflects the dual respect for nature and civilization, as well as roughness and refinement in food etiquette.
The liquid is as transparent as vodka, with almost no other flavor except the aroma of the wine. The taste is fierce and as exciting as flames. Its famous brand is like Bols vodka, and it is the presentation of Russia's heroic national character in liquid form.
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