Belarus Traditional cuisine

Contrary to popular belief that, say, the Belarusian cuisine - it is only the potatoes and vegetables, local gastronomy is one of the most diverse traditions of the continent. Here merged Slavic, Baltic, and Jewish, and partly German culinary tradition, but in times of socialism on the Belarusian land came recipes of all the peoples of the USSR. This traditional folk cuisine eastern regions (Vitebsk and Mogilev) are still markedly different from the western areas of the kitchen (Grodno, etc.) or Polesie. The main difference between the Belarusian dishes from other Slavic traditions lies in the processing of products, often by themselves relatively simple. Typically, products are quite complicated and lengthy process, often different types of processing (frying, boiling, stewing, etc.) alternate and combined with each other. A characteristic feature of Belarusian cuisine can also be considered a strong cooking food during the prolonged cooking or longing, which gives many dishes form a thick porridge.

The most frequently used in Belarusian cuisine different types of flour, including, besides grains, oats, buckwheat or peas, which are often mixed together. This is usually knead the dough without yeast (although recently it was dominated by yeast methods), and add to it all sorts of ingredients. Traditional dishes are thin pancakes "perepecha", "pancake" or "potato pancakes" made of flour and potatoes, meat pies "Dzyady specific Belarusian pancakes of several types of flour, pea pancakes, dumplings with various fillings, and unique dumplings" jackdaw "in knead the dough directly into the various ingredients (cottage cheese, minced meat, vegetable purees, etc.), "Solodukha" (a kind of dish from repeatedly heated and cooled dough), as well as all sorts of flour basis for complex dishes.

Of the vegetables most characteristic of potatoes, peas and other legumes, cabbage, carrots, and various fungi, the latter is only stew, cook or make them mushroom powder. Vegetable dishes are a great many, and many of them, despite the very Slavic basis, so peculiar that it is absolutely not similar to any other dish. Noteworthy soup "Jour" (meatless, dairy or meat) on the basis of oatmeal broth, which imparts dish similar to soup, cold soup "Hladnik" or "friedge" famous potatoes "Dracena", "zrazy", "kartoflyanki", "Kopytko "(" kapytki ")," komoviki "," sorcerers "," tushanka and tsybriki. Traditional local dishes are also bulbyanaya eggs, "gulbishnik" (baked with various ingredients mashed potatoes), "Botvinnik" soup "cabbage", "watering" (soup of cereals and vegetables), stuffed mushrooms, eggs, "Morkva ( soup of carrots), "gryzhanka" (soup of turnip), "garbuzok (pumpkin soup), cabbage soup with mushrooms and buckwheat, carrot or potato grandmother, and even fried in honey radish.

Until the beginning of XX century Belarusian meat on the table was a little bit, basically it was used in the various festive meals, as well as the preparation of salinity and preserves. However, in our days here are preparing many dishes of pork, bacon, mutton, beef and poultry, especially geese and chickens, as well as all sorts of offal (vantrobki "). Noteworthy excellent homemade sausage, black pudding (blood preference for wild boar) and vyandlina (slabokopchenaya ham or brisket), sausage meat, bacon and porridge "ØēðîÆ or stravnik" famous "pyachisto" of large pieces of meat, baked , fried or stewed with vegetables and fruits, salted and smoked pork meat and lard (individual dishes), stewed with vegetables and spices meat "Bigos", "tushanka" (stew), "vantrobyanka" (a dish from a liver), smazhenoe "(baked in a long time with lots of fat and poultry meat or game)," machanka "(fried meat, together with bones and sausages in a meat sauce)," prizhanna "- a peculiar assortment of various meat products (often served in a special way, which called Vereshchaka ")" Dracena "and" crows "with meat, all kinds of thick borscht, soup with flour products, or simply fried in a deep pan meat. Often, instead of fat used for frying bacon, sour cream, melted butter or vegetable oil, and always add onions and greens.

Extensive river and lake network of the country supplying the local table a lot of fish and crayfish. Local fish dishes are very simple, basically it is just boiled, fried or baked fish, various kinds of soup (soup), ground fish, reaching into many products made of dough, but in some parts of the fish is dried or incorporated into complex dishes.

A characteristic feature of Belarusian cuisine, which distinguishes it from related Slavic, is nearly complete lack of dairy foods on the table. But this does not mean that there do not use milk - just milk components have never served in pure form, but are used as integral ingredients of more complex dishes. The various components of dairy - yogurt, cottage cheese, whey, butter, cheese and sour cream are used as a binding "zabelok", "close" and "volog (supplements) to many dishes, from milk and whey are doing all kinds of soups with noodles and vegetables, and various cereals and desserts. Apart stands "mokanka" - quite independent dish of cottage cheese, sour cream, milk and buttermilk used as a cold snack or as a topping for pancakes.

Also, here are a few sweets. The role of dessert beverages is usually carried out in the first place kvass, including fruit, as well as "Solodukha (malt dough), Kulaga (a kind of jelly from the berries, flour, sugar and honey), baked apples, and fresh berries and fruits . Deserves special attention "Dzyady - a large round cake with a stuffing of apple jam, raisins and dates.

Because soft drinks are the most popular ancient local drinks, such as kvass all types, including birch (berka) and maple (klyanovik) juice, as well as all sorts of kissels, coffee and tea (including herbal). In the large quantities produced and the local alcohol products, mainly - vodka. Quality of its in most cases the average, but the best varieties of local alcohol exported to many countries around the world. In most stores you can find a wide range of imported alcoholic products.