Belarusian cuisine

This is a rich history, original and sometimes incredible tastes, and, of course, a huge amount of potatoes. Here it is present in almost every national dish. Boiled or fried, grated and strained or not strained, with meat, various home-made sausages, with all kinds of sauces and pickles, it forms the basis of Belarusian cuisine. And makes it recognizable in almost every corner of the globe.

History of Belarusian cuisine

Nobody knows How long Belarusian cuisine actually exists. It was found that it acquired independence in the 500th century, after which it began to develop its own way, while defending its culinary traditions. By the way, this did not prevent her from preserving the recipes by which the Belarusian housewives prepared their dishes XNUMX years ago.

However, according to the publications of Elena Mikulchik, an expert of Belarusian cuisine, the process of its origin began in pagan times. The best confirmation of this is the goodies that existed then and which have come down to us – gingerbread, kulaga, oatmeal jelly. Perhaps there were more of them, however, in view of the fact that culinary issues were not raised in the annals, there is no need to talk about this with certainty.

It is known that the Belarusian cuisine was formed by the Slavic tribes who lived on the territory of modern Belarus. Being engaged in animal husbandry, gathering, hunting, fishing, agriculture and beekeeping, they determined the main set of products, from which the menu of this people was subsequently formed. Since ancient times, it included cereals (rye, millet, flax, barley, peas, oats, hemp), vegetables, fruits, berries, mushrooms, some edible plants, legumes, meat of domestic and wild animals, lard, honey, fish, including and imported, sea.

Later, the formation of the Belarusian cuisine was influenced by the culinary traditions of the kitchens of neighbors and not only – Russian, Jewish, our country, Polish, Lithuanian, French, Italian, German, etc. But the most interesting thing is that the Belarusians adopted recipes for new dishes, and then adapted them to your kitchen.

It also had its own zest – something that distinguished it from the cuisines of other Slavic peoples. This is a complete absence of sweets and dairy dishes. On the territory of this country, they were successfully replaced by sweetened drinks, for example, berry and oatmeal jelly, and all kinds of pastries.

Territorial features of Belarusian cuisine

Initially, the eastern and western cuisines of Belarus developed independently of each other. One was greeted by Orthodox Belarusians, who were ordinary people, the other – by Poles and Lithuanians – nobles with Catholic faith. The former had a maximum of grain, vegetables and fruits on the tables, while the latter had an abundance of meat dishes.

From the beginning of the XNUMXth century, a new social stratum began to emerge on the territory of this country – the bourgeoisie. Former artisans and small officials with Jewish roots, they brought something of their own to the developing Belarusian cuisine.

All these changes have left their mark on her. Their result was the same dishes, which have since been prepared in different ways in different regions of the country.

Modern Belarusian cuisine

Surprisingly, the Belarusian cuisine has practically not changed during its existence. Today it has more products than a few hundred years ago, however, it remains just as simple, satisfying and distinctive. And perhaps natural. As before, they do not like spices here, believing that they spoil the natural taste of dishes. Although some still managed to get on the tables of Belarusian hostesses, namely: coriander, caraway seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper.

It also features characteristic features – mushrooms are boiled, stewed and dried here. In the latter case, mushroom powder is made from them, which is later added to vegetable and meat dishes. Belarusians do not like to fry fish, preferring to bake it whole or make minced meat out of it for cooking other dishes. In their cuisine, preference is given to dark varieties of flour – oatmeal, rye, etc. Often they are mixed with each other, due to which the dishes acquire an unsurpassed taste.

Basic cooking methods:

Among the whole variety of Belarusian national dishes, several stand out, which are the “calling card” of this country, namely:

Potato pancakes are essentially potato pancakes. They are prepared from grated potatoes, which are called “bulba” here and is rightfully considered the second bread. Judge for yourself: according to statistics, a resident of Belarus eats about 0,5 kg of potatoes every day, which is more than 160 kg per year. And all thanks to the fact that the cuisine of this country knows over 20 recipes for potato dishes, each of which has a unique taste.

Dumplings. Few people know that the usual dumplings, which are made from dough and added to soups, are a traditional dish of European cuisines. In Belarusian, they are prepared from potatoes and minced meat, formed into balls and boiled. This dish is served with sour cream.

Potato grandma is a dish made from grated potatoes and brisket baked in the oven.

Bigos is a dish made from sauerkraut and meat. Popular not only in Belarus, but also in Poland, Lithuania and other countries.

Machanka – it can be dairy and meat. The first is made from cottage cheese, milk and cream and is used as a kind of sauce for dipping potato pancakes, pancakes or boiled vegetables. The second is a variety of meat cuts, which are baked and served as an independent dish.

Kholodnik is a cold vegetable soup cooked with kefir.

Sorcerers are small dumplings, somewhat reminiscent of Belarusian dumplings.

Homemade sausages.

Knysh – a pie with cottage cheese, jam or cracklings.

Sauerkraut with carrots.

Kissel.

Krambambula is a tincture with spices and honey.

Zeppelins are potato dumplings with meat or mushrooms.

Smazhnya is a meat pie.

Handle.

Zubrovka – vodka tincture.

Oatmeal pancakes.