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The Belarusian Cuisine steadily preserve national
traditions. Many original dishes go back to early times for example:
draniki, holodnik, zatirka, machanka. They are known far beyond the
borders of Belarus. Potatoes are especially popular with Belarusians In
Belarus potatoes are called «the second bread». Belarusians cook potato
babka, potato kliotskas, potato pancakes and ofher dishes. The most
widespread meat dishes are machanka, peasant roast, river, fish and forest
berries are widely used in the Belarusian cuisine. Such spices as garlic,
pepper, parsley are used moderately.
The Belarusian cuisine has a century - old, rich and interesting history.
Zing since Belarusians maintained close economic and cultural relations
with Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, Letts. And it is guite
predictable that the Belarusian cuisine influenced the cuisines of
neighbouring people and vice versa.
Art of cookery was always closely connected with the national mode of
life, culture and customs. Belarusians as well as other Slav people
practiced arable farming therefore they mainly used vegetable food: wild
herbs (nettle, orache, sorrel, field garlic, meadow onions), mushrooms and
berries. Rye, wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat, peas are ancient cultures on
the territory of Belarus used for cooking. The main methods of preserving
food in those times were drying, making sour and a little bit later
salting. Fish, mushrooms and fruits were being dried in stoves. In
everyday nourishment Belarusians used grains and vegetables which they
grew in the fields and kitchen-gardens. Brown rye bread took the first
place in the nourishment. Belarusians brought up respect and thrift for
bread from childhood. There are a lot of proverbs and sayings about bread,
for example "Bread is the head of everything." The Slavs' most ancient
article is a round loaf. It played an important role in ceremonies
especially at weddings. A round loaf was decorated with dough figures of
birds, animals and men at the top.
One of the main food products were vegetables. Our ancestors ate raw
carrots, cucumbers, onions, garlic, black radish, turnips. Belarusians
liked mushrooms - fresh, dried, salt, and forest berries: blackberries,
raspberries, cranberries, wild strawberries, cowberries, great bilberries.
Sauerkraut is a widespread dish typical of Belarus.
From the 18th century the main place in the nourishment was taken by
potatoes. They became everyday food for peasants. Potatoes were boiled as
a whole and cut, peeled and in jackets. It was baked and fried. They made
draniki from grated potatoes (potato pancakes ), "Babka" (potato cereal
with meat ), potato kliotskas (a kind of dumpling with meat ). As
Belarusians ate much potatoes they were called "Bulbashi" (potato-eaters).
There are more than 200 potato dishes therefore in Belarus potatoes are
called "the second bread".
From dairy products milk, curds, cheese, butter sour cream, whey were and
are in common usage.
Meat dishes weren't used very often. Belarusians ate pork, mutton, poultry.
The most famous meat dish is sausage made from raw pork.
The time of meals for peasants depended on the beginning and finishing the
work. For breakfast they boiled potatoes, baked pancakes, made an
omelette. Dinner was the second meal of the day. They usually had dinner
at noon and ate borshch with meat and fat and mushrooms for the first
course. For the second course they ate cereal, potato dishes. They
finished with kvass (mildly alcoholic drink made from fermented rye bread,
yeast or berries ), compote or sour milk. Going to work in the field
Belarusians took with them kvass, porridge, pancakes. For supper they
usually make a fresh dish: potatoes or stock. Belarusian food depended on
the season. In summer they ate mainly vegetables: cucumbers, green onions,
beans and kvass as well as dairy products. But when they worked hard in
the fields they ate meat, fat and peasant sausage. There were quite enough
bread, cereals and meat in autumn and winter. Spring was the most hungry
season. Church laws set Lent in spring. It was forbidden to eat meat and
milk products. People used Lenten food: plant, fish, mushrooms. "Zatirka"
was a traditional flour dish.
People ate the richest food at weddings. The meal always ended with a
round loaf which symbolized material welfare. There are many traditional
holidays in Belarus. And there are special dishes for every holiday. For
example, on Christmas Belarusians traditionally put hay on the table, then
a table-cloth and only after that they put the dishes. There must be not
fewer than twelve dishes on the table according to the number of apostles
taking part in the Last Supper with Jesus. All the dishes must be lenten.
The most widespread dishes are pearl-barley porridge with ground
poppy-seeds, lenten buns, white kissel made of oats flakes and red
cranberry kissel. There also must be mushroom dishes and fish dishes on
the table. On Christmas Eve bread is not cut with a knife but is broken
with hands. At
last the table is laid. When the first star appears in the sky the eldest
in the family reads the Gospels. By the way, dishes are not taken away
they are left on the table for dead relatives who are believed to come at
night to have a look at us, to treat themselves to dishes from a common
table, to bring us luck and happiness for the coming year. |
