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Mordovian cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Mordovians, who now live in Mordovia and surrounding areas. It consists of a variety of dishes, based on geographical, cultural and climate features of the region, with fish traditionally featured heavily. [1]
Fish
Volga Finns settled on the riversides, in places convenient for fishing. [2] Traditionally Mordvians pay a great attention to the support of nature. [2] Fish dishes varied by the type of cooking; fish was eaten raw, frozen, dried, salty, and boiled. [2] Fish liver, fish eggs, milt, cod-liver oil were used as cooking ingredients. [2]
Meat
Meat and poultry was stewed, baked and boiled. [1] There were no fried meat dishes in Finno-Ugric cuisine, only roasted dishes which also were borrowed from Tatar cuisine in the 19th century. [2] Beef, mutton and pork were preserved in several ways. [2] [3] The most ancient preservation method was drying. [2] [3] Pre-boiled meat was dried in an oven or under the sun. [2] [3] Fat from broth was collected and used for cooking. Meat was also frozen for preservation. [2] [3]
In ancient times, horsemeat was used for food, but later it was used only in rituals (molyam) associated with horse worship. [2]
Herbs and vegetables
Many farms grew cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, carrots, beans, beets, turnips, radishes, and pumpkins. [2] In summer and autumn, a great deal of fruit were eaten fresh. [2] Pickled cucumbers were used for preparing dishes.[ citation needed] Beets and pumpkins were eaten steamed as a dessert. [2] Shschi (cabbage soup) was a traditional soup consisting of cabbage and potatoes cooked in chicken broth with onions and carrots added at the end. [4] Herbs such as watercress, horseradish, onion, cow parsnip, horsetail, nettle, and wild goutweed were used for preparing dishes instead of spices. [2]
Mushrooms
Mushrooms were one of the main ingredients in traditional dishes. They were boiled, salted, fried, soured and dried. [2]
Grains
Grains had a special place in Mordovian cuisine. [1] Finno-Ugric peoples mostly used wheat, barley, spelt and rye (black cereal). [1] [2] Ritual meals in Mordovia were associated with agricultural period, family and public holidays. [2] For example, millet porridge was not only a delicious meal on weddings. christenings, funerals, but also there was a special ritual baba's porridge (female porridge) made at the last day of a bride at home. [2]
Bliny (pancakes)
Bliny ( pancakes) [5] were a favorite dish of Mordovians. [1] [2] They were called pachat and were made from rye, wheat, millet and pea flour. [2] Traditionally Mordovians liked the pancakes to be rather thick and added boiled potatoes into the dough. [2] Such pancakes were served with milk and honey. [2]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Мордовская кухня". finugor.ru (in Russian).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Мордовская кухня > Зубова Поляна (Республика Мордовия)". www.zubova-poliana.ru (in Russian).
- ^ a b c d "ПОЮВЕЛЕ САЙТ СЕЛА ПАЁВО". paevo.ucoz.ru (in Russian). June 16, 2012.
- ^ "Рецепты блюд мордовской кухни (Mordovian Recipes) -- Supercook" (in Russian). June 16, 2012.
- ^ Mordovian Pancakes (in Russian), (as of June 16, 2012)
