{"id":341,"date":"2009-06-26T06:17:15","date_gmt":"2009-06-26T10:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=341"},"modified":"2009-06-26T06:17:15","modified_gmt":"2009-06-26T10:17:15","slug":"russian-food-%c2%ab%d0%a1%d0%bb%d0%b0%d0%b2%d0%b0-%d0%b3%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%87%d0%ba%d0%b5%c2%bb-glory-to-buckwheat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/russian-food-%c2%ab%d0%a1%d0%bb%d0%b0%d0%b2%d0%b0-%d0%b3%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%87%d0%ba%d0%b5%c2%bb-glory-to-buckwheat\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Food: \u00ab\u0421\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430 \u0433\u0440\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0435!\u00bb [Glory to Buckwheat!]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Introducing an essential part of Russian cuisine: \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>! \u00ab\u0413\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is actually the \u2018nickname’ (\u00ab<\/strong><\/em>\u0443\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0448\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e-\u043b\u0430\u0441\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0442<\/em><\/strong>\u00bb <\/em><\/strong>– don’t you just love the Russian language for applying diminutive even to such things as grains?) whereas the real name for buckwheat<\/a> is \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435\u0447\u0438<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u00bb<\/a><\/strong>. In the stores you can also find it in boxes marked \u00ab\u043a\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0430<\/span> \u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u0435\u0432\u0430\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [buckwheat] as pictured above.<\/em><\/p>\n

Your first \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> experience is more often than not an unpleasant one. If you’ve never tasted \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> before in your life – and I hadn’t until September 2004 in Saint Petersburg – you’re bound not to like it the first time you try it. (There are also a slight number of people who fall in love with \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> at ‘first bite’<\/em> so to speak, let’s not forget about them but let’s also not focus too much on that tiny group of individuals.) After your first unpleasant experience with \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> there are two possible ways in which your relationship with it will progress. Scenario 1<\/span>: you’ll smell it somewhere (it’s doesn’t matter if it is \u00ab\u0432 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [in a dining hall] or \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0445\u043d\u0435 \u0443 \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0437\u0435<\/span>\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [in your Russian friends’ kitchen]) and suddenly feel an instant urge – despite better judgment since you didn’t like it the first time you had it – to try it once again. You try it again and then your love for \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> is a firm fact of reality. Scenario 2:<\/span> you’ll tell the story of your first encounter with \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> to someone and explain to them in detail how you just don’t get what the big fuss is about. The other person – be it a kind \u00ab\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u0443\u0448\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> selling \u00ab\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u043c\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [sunflower seeds] on the street in downtown Krasnodar or a fellow ‘expat’<\/em> while dining at an expensive French restaurant on Red Square – will then take time out of their busy day to inform you of how good for your body \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb <\/strong>is, how healthy you’ll become after eating \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> on a regular basis, and that you’re very silly for not liking it straight away once it will only do you good and you should be thankful for being introduced to it in the first place. \u00ab\u0413\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is not only great because it is tightly connected with our favorite country Russia – Russia, for example, is the world’s largest producer of \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> since 2005 (when they beat China to it!) – in many ways, both cultural and historical and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> even kind of smells like Russia (at least to my nose); \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> also lowers cholesterol, helps clean the body from heavy metal ions and protects against cardiovascular illnesses. And here’s another reason why \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is worth paying a tribute to today: because it takes a long time for the body to absorb and thus that means you’ll feel full for a really long time after eating \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> and feeling full is a great thing, don’t you agree?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now the question that arises is: how to cook \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>? Well, there are lots of lots of ways to do it! The easiest way – and perhaps only available in Russia – is to buy the kind of \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> that comes pre-packed into small plastic bags of 100 grams ready made to cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.<\/em><\/p>\n

The magical thing about \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is that you can cook it for every meal of the day: \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043a\u00bb <\/strong>[for breakfast], \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0431\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [for lunch] and \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [for dinner]. With \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> you can never go wrong no matter what time of the day it is! For example, for breakfast you can make \u00ab\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> from \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> by boiling it and then eating it with \u00ab\u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [milk], perhaps adding a splash of \u00ab\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0435\u00bb <\/strong>[jam] or some \u00ab\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0446\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [cinnamon]. Or you could skip all of the above and have a real rough Russian country style breakfast with just adding \u00ab\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [butter\/oil] and \u00ab\u0441\u043e\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [salt] and downing it with some \u00ab\u0447\u0430\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [tea] – and save the \u00ab\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> for your tea and you’ll have yourself a true classic meal to start the day! Having \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u0435\u0432\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> for breakfast is not only the ‘patriotic choice’<\/em> but also the healthy choice; plus it will keep you going strong and feeling full all the way until lunch!<\/p>\n

For lunch or dinner you can boil or fry \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> and serve it in a way that the Russians call \u00ab\u0433\u0430\u0440\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u00bb<\/strong> [garnish; trimmings] with whatever comes to mind – \u00ab\u043c\u044f<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [meat], \u00ab\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u0446\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [chicken], \u00ab\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0431\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [fish] or \u00ab\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u043e\u0449\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [vegetables]. It really does go well with just about anything. The important thing when dealing with \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is to keep an open mind and remember: \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430 – \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0437\u043d\u043e, \u043d\u043e \u0438 \u0434\u0451<\/span>\u0448\u0435\u0432\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [buckwheat is not just healthy but also cheap]. Here in the Urals people are much simpler than in the European part of Russia – it’s not only my personal opinion, they say so themselves – and rather easy-going when it comes to food. For a person living in the Urals fried \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is best served up plain \u00ab\u0441 \u043c\u0430\u0439\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0437\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> [with mayonnaise]. Do you wonder why? Yekaterinburg is largest consumer of mayonnaise per person in the world – once again, not my personal opinion but stated as a historical fact in the Guinness Book of World Records. To make your meal taste \u2018more Russian’ the easy trick is to add \u00ab\u0443\u043a\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u00bb<\/strong> [dill] or \u00ab\u043f\u0435\u0442\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [parsley]. Something that is really tasty is to fry onions with mushrooms, then add these two spices – use both for increased sense of the Motherland – and serve it together with \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>, of course!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here’s another serving suggestion – my favorite, as a matter of fact. Cook \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> and fry up some \u00ab\u0440\u0430\u0433\u0443<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [ragout; vegetable stew] – serve together with a few \u00ab\u043c\u0430\u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u043e\u0433\u0443\u0440\u0446\u044b<\/span>\u00bb <\/strong>[pickled cucumbers]. You can also add a splash of the best ketchup I’ve ever tasted – \u00ab\u043a\u0435\u0442\u0447\u0443<\/span>\u043f \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0441 \u0443\u043a\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> [Russian ketchup with dill]. Probably it’s only available in Russia! Anyway, it is a miracle and amazingly tasty!<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m a really huge fan of Russian cuisine. And I think that many of you who read this blog are just like me when it comes to Russian food – that you also get weak in the knees when thinking of \u00ab\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043d\u044b<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong>, know your exact favorite kind of \u00ab\u043e\u0433\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0447\u0438\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [pickles – now that’s diminutive of cucumber<\/em> for you!] and tell a homemade \u00ab\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0432\u044c\u0435<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [traditional Russian New Year’s salat] from a store-bought one. That’s why I think we should have a couple of more posts about Russian food this summer. Don’t you agree? Well, writing this post has made me really hungry. I’m actually going to go cook me some \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb <\/strong>for lunch right now…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Introducing an essential part of Russian cuisine: \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb! \u00ab\u0413\u0440\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb is actually the \u2018nickname’ (\u00ab\u0443\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0448\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e-\u043b\u0430\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0430\u043d\u0442\u00bb – don’t you just love the Russian language for applying diminutive even to such things as grains?) whereas the real name for buckwheat is \u00ab\u0433\u0440\u0435\u0447\u0438\u0445\u0430\u00bb. In the stores you can also find it in boxes marked \u00ab\u043a\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0430 \u0433\u0440\u0435\u0447\u043d\u0435\u0432\u0430\u044f\u00bb [buckwheat] as…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,995,913],"tags":[1002,1017,1078,385636,1496,1497,1680],"class_list":["post-341","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-soviet-union","category-traditions","tag-a-taste-of-russia","tag-buckwheat","tag-fun-with-russian-products","tag-russian-food","tag-1496","tag-1497","tag-1680"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13377,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions\/13377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}