What did they eat instead of bread in the old days. What did our ancestors eat in Rus'

Russian National cuisine has a very long history. It originated in the 9th century and since then has undergone many changes. The unique geographical location had a huge impact on the process of its formation. Thanks to the forests, many dishes prepared from the game that lived there appeared in it, the presence of fertile land allowed the cultivation of crops, and the presence of lakes contributed to the fact that fish appeared on the tables of the local population. In today's publication, it will not only tell what they ate in Rus', but also consider several recipes that have survived to this day.

Features of formation

Since Rus' has long been a multinational state, the local population was happy to learn from each other culinary wisdom. Therefore, each region of the country had its own unique recipes many of which have survived to this day. In addition, domestic housewives did not hesitate to learn from the experience of overseas chefs, thanks to which many new dishes appeared in the domestic cuisine.

So, the Greeks and Scythians taught the Russians to knead yeast dough, the Byzantines told about the existence of rice, buckwheat and many spices, and the Chinese talked about tea. Thanks to the Bulgarians local chefs learned about zucchini, eggplant and sweet peppers. And from the Western Slavs they borrowed recipes for dumplings, stuffed cabbage and borscht.

During the reign of Peter I in Rus', they began to massively grow potatoes. At about the same time, previously inaccessible stoves and special containers designed for cooking on open fire.

cereals

What they ate in Rus' before potatoes, experts managed to find out thanks to excavations carried out on the territory of ancient settlements. The texts found by scientists tell that the Slavs of that time used exclusively vegetable food. They were farmers and believed in the benefits of vegetarianism. Therefore, the basis of their diet was cereals like oats, barley, rye, wheat and millet. They were fried, soaked or ground into flour. Unleavened cakes were baked from the latter. Later, local housewives learned how to make bread and various pies. Since then no one knew about yeast, pastries were made from the so-called “sour” dough. He was wound up in a large vessel made of flour and river water, and then kept warm for several days.

For those who do not know what they ate in Rus' before potatoes, it will be interesting that the menu of our distant ancestors consisted of a large number of crumbly, steep cereals. In those distant times, they were cooked mainly from millet or whole peeled oats. It was steamed in ovens for a long time, and then flavored with creamy, hemp or linseed oil. Rice was then a rarity and cost a lot of money. Ready-made cereals They were used as independent dishes or as side dishes for meat or fish.

Vegetables, mushrooms and berries

For a long time vegetable food remained the main thing that those who were closely engaged in agriculture ate in Rus'. Legumes were the main source of protein for our distant ancestors. In addition, they grew turnips, radishes, garlic and peas on their plots. From the latter not only cooked soups and cereals, but also baked pancakes and pies. A little later, such vegetable crops like carrots, onions, cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes. Local housewives quickly learned to make them various dishes and even began to harvest them for the winter.

Also in Rus', various berries were actively collected. They weren't just eaten fresh, but also used as a base for jam. Since sugar was not available to housewives of that time, it was successfully replaced with more healthy natural honey.

The Russians did not disdain mushrooms. Milk mushrooms, mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus and whites were especially popular in that era. They were collected in the nearby forests, and then salted in huge barrels, pouring fragrant dill.

Meat and fish

They lived in peace with animals for a very long time, because agricultural products were the basis of what they ate in Rus' before the arrival of nomads. It was they who taught our distant ancestors to use meat food. But at that time it was not available to all segments of the population. Meat appeared on the tables of peasants and ordinary citizens only on major holidays. As a rule, it was beef, horse meat or pork. A lesser rarity was considered a bird or game. Large reindeer carcasses were stuffed with lard, and then roasted on a spit. Smaller prey like a hare was supplemented with vegetables and roots and languished in clay pots.

Over time, the Slavs mastered not only agriculture, but also fishing. Since then, they have had another option for what to eat. In Rus' there are a lot of rivers and lakes in which enough various fish. Caught prey was dried under sunbeams to save her for more long term.

Beverages

A special place in the menu of the ancient Slavs was given to kvass. They not only replaced water or wine, but were also treated for indigestion. Also this amazing drink used as the basis for the preparation different dishes like botvinia or okroshka.

Kissel was no less popular with our ancestors. It was very thick and had not sweet, but sour taste. It was made from oat flour diluted with plenty of water. The resulting mixture was first fermented, and then boiled until a thick mass was obtained, poured over with honey and ate.

Beer was in great demand in Rus'. It was brewed from barley or oats, fermented with hops, and served in a special way. solemn holidays. Around the 17th century, the Slavs learned about the existence of tea. It was considered an overseas curiosity and was used in very rare cases. Usually it was successfully replaced by more useful ones. herbal preparations, brewed boiling water.

Beet kvass

This is one of ancient drinks, which was especially popular with the Slavs. It has excellent refreshing properties and perfectly quenches thirst. To prepare it you will need:

• 1 kg of beets.
• 3.5 liters of water.

Beets are peeled and rinsed. A fifth of the product processed in this way is cut into thin circles and placed on the bottom of the pan. The rest of the roots are immersed there as a whole. All this is poured with the required volume of water and boiled until tender. Then the contents of the pan are left warm, and after three days they are cleaned in a cold cellar. After 10-15 days beet kvass completely ready.

Pea mash

This dish is one of those that were eaten in the old days in Rus' in the most ordinary peasant families. It is made from very simple products and has a high nutritional value. To make this puree, you will need:

• 1 cup dry peas.
• 2 tbsp. l. oils.
• 3 cups of water.
• Salt (to taste).

The pre-sorted and washed peas are soaked for several hours, and then poured with salted water and boiled until soft. Fully finished product mashed and flavored with butter.

Pork kidneys in sour cream

Those who are interested in what they ate in ancient Rus' should pay attention to this rather unusual, but very tasty dish. It goes well with various cereals and will allow you to slightly diversify the usual menu. To prepare it you will need:

• 500 g fresh pig kidneys.
• 150 g thick non-acidic sour cream.
• 150 ml water (+ a little more for cooking)
• 1 st. l. flour.
• 1 st. l. oils.
• 1 head of onion.
• Any herbs and spices.

Kidneys previously cleaned from films are rinsed and soaked in cold water. Three hours later they are filled with a new liquid and sent to the fire. As soon as the water boils, the kidneys are removed from the pan, washed again, cut into small slices and put in the refrigerator. Not earlier than an hour later, they are laid out in a frying pan, in which there is already flour, butter and chopped onions. All this is seasoned with spices, poured with water and stewed until tender. Shortly before turning off the fire, the dish is supplemented with sour cream and sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Turnip chowder

This is one of the most popular dishes what our ancestors ate in Rus'. Even today it can be prepared for those who love simple food. For this you will need:

• 300 g turnip.
• 2 tbsp. l. oils.
• 2 tbsp. l. thick rustic sour cream.
• 4 potatoes.
• 1 head of onion.
• 1 st. l. flour.
• Water and any fresh herbs.

Pre-washed and peeled turnips are processed with a grater and placed in a deep saucepan. Add finely chopped onion and cold water. All this is sent to the fire and boiled until half cooked. Then potato slices are sent to the vegetables and wait for them to soften. At the final stage, the almost ready-made stew is supplemented with flour and butter, boiled for a short time and removed from the fire. It is served with finely chopped herbs and fresh sour cream.

The ancient Slavs, like many peoples of that time, believed that many diseases appeared from the use of carrion.
What did they eat ancient Slavs? The answer to this question was provided by excavations on the territory of ancient cities. From the Book of Veles, we learned thatSlavscame from the area of ​​Kullu, surrounded by the Himalayas. Now it is the territory of India. Ancient texts found by scientists testify thatfood of the ancient Slavswas exclusively plant origin. They believed in the benefits of vegetarianism, were engaged in agriculture.
Food of the ancient Slavsconsisted of cereals: millet, wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, oats.

Sources of protein in food ancient Slavs were beans. Vegetables such as onions, garlic, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and poppy seeds were also eaten. Especially loved were turnips, cabbage, pumpkin
grown and fruit trees: apple, cherry and plum. The agriculture of our ancestors was slash-and-burn, as they lived in the middle of a dense forest. Slavs cut down the part of the forest that was most suitable for growing crops. Trees and remaining stumps were burned. The ash obtained in this way was an excellent fertilizer. After a few years, the field was depleted, and the farmers burned the forest again.
Besides agriculture,ancient Slavsmastered fishing. River and lake fish were dried in the sun, so they were stored longer. Despite the fact that our ancestors ate plant foods, they were also engaged in cattle breeding.Slavsbelieved that animals are intended for man and feed him. Mistresses made cottage cheese, sour cream, cheese, butter from milk. were ableancient Slavsand process wool. Animals were also used to transport human things. A special type of craft was beekeeping (“bort” - a hollow tree in which bees live, “forest hive”), with the help of which honey and wax were obtained.
Most popular drinkancient Slavswas honey fermented and diluted with water. There are also confirmations that in ancient times our ancestors made beer. The drink was brewed, as well as from barley, and from oats.

N.M. Karamzin writes about the food of the ancient Slavs in "History of the Russian State: ..." The Slavs ate millet, buckwheat and milk .. "When they learned to breed bees, a favorite honey drink appeared.
In Rus', traditionally, dishes were made of wood. And not every tree was suitable for its manufacture. The medicinal properties of wood were of great importance.
So, it was believed that dishes from linden had anti-inflammatory properties, from mountain ash - protected from beriberi. They ate with wooden spoons from wooden bowls, used wooden bowls, ladles and jugs. In addition, they wove dishes from birch bark - salt shakers, tueski for storing flour, cereals.
It is known that birch bark has many medicinal properties- from bactericidal to tonic. So the body of our ancestors gradually accumulated healing properties trees.

There were times when a Russian peasant could not treat himself to a salty or fresh tomato, boiled potatoes. ate bread, cereals, milk, oatmeal jelly, turnips. By the way, jelly is an ancient dish. Mentions of pea jelly are found in the annals of the Tale of Bygone Years. Kissels were supposed to be consumed on fast days with butter or milk.

Habitual dish among the Russians, cabbage soup with cabbage was counted for every day, which were sometimes dressed in addition with buckwheat or millet porridge.
A slice of steeply salted rye bread was used to refresh Rusich at work in the fields, on campaigns. Wheat was a rarity for the table of a simple peasant in middle lane Russia, where growing this cereal turned out to be difficult because of the weather conditions and the quality of the land.
TO festive table in ancient Rus', up to 30 types of pies were served: mushroom pickers, kurniki (with chicken meat), with berries and with poppy seeds, turnips, cabbage and chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Along with cabbage soup, ukha was also popular. But don't think it's just fish soup. Soup in Rus' was called any soup, not only with fish. The ear could be black or white, depending on the presence of seasonings in it. Black with cloves, and white with black pepper. Ukha without seasonings was nicknamed "naked".

Unlike Europe, Rus' did not know the deficit oriental spices. The route from the Varangians to the Greeks solved the problem of supplies of pepper, cinnamon, and other overseas spices. Mustard has been cultivated in Russian vegetable gardens since the 10th century. Life Ancient Rus' was unthinkable without spices - spicy and fragrant.
The peasants did not always have enough grain. Before the introduction of potatoes, turnip served as an auxiliary food crop for Russian peasants. It was prepared for the future in different types. The wealthy owner's barns were also filled with peas, beans, beets, and carrots. Chefs did not skimp on flavoring Russian dishes not only with pepper, but also with local spices - garlic, onions. Horseradish turned out to be the king of Russian seasonings. They didn’t spare him even for kvass.

Meat dishes in Rus' were prepared both boiled, and steamed, and fried. There were many game and fish in the forests. So there was never a shortage of black grouse, hazel grouse, swans and herons. It is noted that until the 16th century, the consumption of meat food by the Russian people was much higher than in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, here Rus' kept pace with the European trend in the nutrition of the common people.
Of the drinks, all classes preferred berry fruit drinks, kvass, as well as strong hop honey. Vodka was made in a small amount, drunkenness until the 16th century was condemned by the church and the authorities. Transferring grain to vodka was considered a huge sin.
However, it is known. that at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, craftsmen made vodka on herbs, which the tsar ordered to grow in his apothecary garden. The sovereign sometimes consumed a cup or two of vodka on St. John's wort, juniper, anise, mint. Fryazhsky wines (from Italy) and wines from Germany, France, the tsar's treasury bought for official receptions in large quantities. They were delivered in barrels on racks.

The life of Ancient Rus' assumed a special order of eating food. In peasant houses, the head of the family led the meal, no one could start eating without his permission. best pieces were given to the main worker in the household - the peasant owner himself, who sat under the icons in the hut. The meal began with the creation of a prayer.
Localism dominated in boyar and tsarist feasts. The most respected nobleman at the royal feast sat at the right hand of the Sovereign. And he was the first to be offered a goblet of wine or honey. In the hall for feasts of all classes, the female gender was not allowed.
Interestingly, it was forbidden to come to a dinner party just like that, in passing. Those who violated such a ban could have paid with their lives - it is likely that they would have been hunted down by dogs or bears. Also rules good manners in the Russian feast, it was recommended not to scold the taste of food, to behave decorously and drink in moderation so as not to fall under the table drunk to the point of insensibility.

The writing of the Slavs was formed quite late, in connection with this, there is practically no evidence that they ate in Ancient Rus'. However, thanks to the discovery of a number of archaeological sources, it became known that Russian cuisine was distinguished by the constancy of ingredients in dishes and palatability. They note that there were always cereal porridges, rye and oatmeal bread on the table.

What did they eat in Rus' in ancient times?

Meat and flour products were the main components of the diet of the princes in the period Kievan Rus. In the southern part, bread made from wheat was preferred, but in the northern part, rye was popular. In times of famine, dry leaves, various herbs and crow's feet. IN holidays in monasteries rich bread was presented, which was baked with poppy seeds and honey. They were addicted to meat dishes, preferred pork, beef, lamb, chickens, pigeons, ducks and geese. During the period of campaigns, soldiers ate horse meat or the meat of wild animals, among which hares, deer, wild boars, sometimes bears, hazel grouses, and partridges can be distinguished.

After the adoption of Christianity, the church began to adhere to the old canons, which forbade the consumption of meat from wild animals, namely hares and bears, as they believed that they were “unclean”. According to the Old Testament, meat with blood was forbidden, as well as the use of birds that were killed in snares. However, the foundations built up over the years were not easy to get rid of. At times Muscovite Rus a gradual transition to the observance of church prescriptions was carried out.

What did they eat in Rus' before the appearance of potatoes? The church favorably treated the use of fish. Friday and Wednesday counted fast days, as well as three periods for spiritual purification and Great Lent. Naturally, fish was also consumed before the Baptism of Vladimir, as well as caviar, despite the fact that the first information about it appeared only in the twelfth century. The entire list of edible supplies was supplemented by dairy products, eggs and vegetables. In addition to animal oil, the diet included vegetable oil, which was extracted from flax seeds and hemp. Olive oil supplied from overseas.

Very little information has been preserved about what the cuisine was like at that time. Meat was often boiled or roasted on a spit, and vegetables were consumed raw or boiled. Some sources indicate that stew was also present in the diet. Pies have become the most original and delicious invention of distant ancestors, the tradition of making which has come down unchanged to our times. The most common dishes that people ate in Rus' in ancient times before the appearance of potatoes were oatmeal and millet porridge. In the household of the princes, the main cook (the elder of the cooks) controlled the staff of kitchen workers, so they were all trained. Considering that some of them had foreign roots, such as Hungarian or Turkish, it is not surprising that the recipes of Russian cuisine contained foreign elements.

What did they drink in ancient Rus'?

Already in those days, the Russian people did not refuse to drink. Also in " Tales of Bygone Years"The main reason why Vladimir abandoned Islam was sobriety. For a modern person, Russian booze is immediately associated with vodka, only in the days of Kievan Rus they did not manufacture alcohol. Among the drinks of the ancestors, one can single out kvass, a non-alcoholic or slightly intoxicating drink that was made from rye bread. Its prototype was beer.

Honey was very famous in the times of Kievan Rus, so both ordinary people and monks were engaged in its production. From the annals, it became known not only what people ate on the lands of Rus' in ancient times, but also what they washed it down with. Prince Vladimir asked to make three hundred cauldrons of honey on the eve of the opening of the church in Vasilevo. And in 1146, Izyaslav II found 500 barrels of honey and about 80 barrels of wine from his enemy Svyatoslav in the cellars. There were such varieties of honey: dry, sweet and with pepper. The ancestors did not disdain wine, which was imported from Greece, and the monasteries and princes imported it for the celebration of the liturgy.

Table setting was carried out according to certain rules. The princes used silver and gold utensils when they waged wars or invited foreign guests. Gold and silver spoons were in use, which can be confirmed in The Tale of Bygone Years. Forks were not used. Each cut meat or bread with his own knife. Bowls were usually used for drinks. Simple people used wooden, pewter utensils and goblets, wooden spoons.

Gastronomic passions originate Since those times, little has changed, and we can say with confidence that they ate in ancient Rus', and today in every family on the table.

Food of the ancient Slavs: video

The food of our commoner ancestors was quite simple. They used to eat bread, garlic, eggs, salt, drink kvass.

Russian cuisine for everyone obeyed custom, not art.

Despite the fact that the rich had a variety of dishes, they were rather monotonous. The wealthy even made a gastronomic calendar for whole year, taking into account church holidays, meat-eaters and fasts.

In addition, everyone cooked soup, porridge, oatmeal jelly. Soup with a piece of bacon or beef was a favorite dish at court.

Russians revered good bread, fresh and salted fish, eggs, vegetables from the garden (cabbage, cucumbers, turnips, onions, garlic). All food was divided into lean and modest, and depending on the products that were used to prepare a particular dish, all food could be divided into mealy, dairy, meat, fish, vegetable.

Bread.

Mostly spruce Rye bread. Although Russians learned rye much later than wheat. And she appeared on the soil by accident - like a weed. But this weed turned out to be surprisingly tenacious. While wheat perished from frost, rye withstood the test of cold and saved people from starvation. It is no coincidence that by the 11th-12th centuries the Russians ate mainly rye bread. Sometimes to rye flour barley was mixed in, but infrequently, since barley was rarely bred in Russia.

When there was not enough stock of rye and wheat, carrots, beets, potatoes, nettles, and quinoa were added to the bread. And sometimes the peasants were forced to cook salamata - fried wheat flour, brewed with boiling water.

Pure rye bread was called rich.

From seed flour baked pecked bread, or sieve.

From flour sifted through a sieve, baked sieve bread.

Wholemeal flour was used to make fluffy types of bread ("chaff").

Considered the best bread gritty - White bread from well processed wheat flour.

Wheat flour was used mainly for prosphora and rolls ( holiday food commoners).

Bread from unleavened dough made very rarely, mostly prepared from yeast, sour dough.

Due to the fact that our ancestors learned how to brew flour, they made bread that did not go stale for a long time.

It was difficult to make yeast on your own, so they put the dough on the "head" - the rest of the dough from the last baking.

Bread was usually baked for a whole week.

Bread round, high, lush, highly porous was called a loaf. Pies and buns without filling round and elliptical shape - loaves.

Kalachi enjoyed special love, they also baked saiki and pies.

Pies.

They were very famous in Rus' - spun and hearth. In fast days, they were stuffed with meat, and even with several types of meat at the same time; on Shrovetide baked pies with cottage cheese and eggs in milk, butter, with fish and eggs; in lean fish days- pies with fish.

IN fast days instead of butter and lard, lean (vegetable) butter was added to the dough and pies were served with molasses, sugar and honey.

Porridge.

Although in ancient Rus' any dishes made from ground products were called porridge, food made from cereals is traditionally considered porridge.

Kasha had ritual significance. In addition to the usual, everyday porridge and festive, there was a ritual - kutya. It was brewed from whole grains of wheat, barley, spelt, and later from rice. Raisins, honey, poppy seeds were added to kutia. As a rule, kutya was prepared under New Year, at Christmas and at wakes.

It was known in antiquity a large number of varieties of porridge. Sochivo - porridge made from crushed grain - was cooked on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve. Kulesh - liquid wheat porridge- cooked in the south of Rus' often with potatoes, seasoned with onions fried with lard or in vegetable oil. Barley porridge- from barley - they were very fond of in the Urals and Siberia. "Thick" porridge was prepared from pearl barley. Zavarukha is a special kind of porridge, which was brewed with boiling water.

vegetable dishes. Vegetables used to be revered more as spicy seasoning to food rather than independent dish. This is obviously due to the fact that the favorite food of the Russian people were onions and garlic. very respected in Rus' "crushed" onion with salt, which was eaten with bread and kvass for breakfast.

Turnip is a native Russian vegetable. Chroniclers mention it along with rye. Before the appearance of the potato, it was the main vegetable on the table. One of the most common dishes was turnip stew - repnitsa and turnip lads.

Cabbage also took root well on the table of our ancestors. Stocks were made from it for the winter - everywhere in the fall it was chopped. They fermented not only chopped cabbage, but also whole heads of cabbage.

The taste of potatoes - the second bread - was recognized in Rus' late - in the 18th century. But these "earth apples" very quickly conquered the table of the Russian people, displacing turnips unreasonably.

Willy-nilly, people became staunch vegetarians during fasts. They ate sauerkraut, beets with vegetable oil and vinegar, pies with peas, onions, mushrooms, various dishes from peas, horseradish, radish.

Herbal Dishes. Nettle soup, quinoa cutlets were prepared not only when hunger was pressing. In the past, a mixture of thistle leaves, sorrel, onion. Ate and duckweed, adding butter and hell. And for cabbage soup, hogweed, wild sorrel, hare cabbage, oxalis, and other wild plants were suitable.

Bay leaf, ginger, cinnamon used to be replaced by calamus.

Angelica, St. John's wort, mint, lovage, lemon balm, saffron were used as seasonings.

Teas insisted from Ivan-tea, oregano, lime blossom, mint, lingonberry leaves.

Quick meals.

As a meat-eater, Russian people allowed themselves to taste meat food, fish dishes, cottage cheese, and milk. However, little is known about traditional fast Russian dishes. Moreover, there were some prohibitions on mixing products. Therefore, you will not find minced meat, rolls, pates, cutlets in the original Russian cuisine.

Fish was considered a semi-lenten dish. It was not allowed to eat it only on special days strict fast. However, for herring and roach, even these days an exception was made. But on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, fish dishes formed the basis of the menu.

Milk played a significant role. However, in poor families, only the smallest children were allowed to drink milk, and adults ate it with bread.

Oil.

After the adoption of Christianity, it was customary for Russians to divide all types of edible oils into modest (animal) and lean (vegetable). Vegetable oil was especially appreciated by the people, since it could be eaten both on fast and on fasting days. In the northern regions, they preferred linen, in the southern regions - hemp. But such oils as walnut, poppy, mustard, sesame, pumpkin were also known. Sunflower oil became widespread only in the 19th century.

Vegetable oil was widely used in Russian cuisine. Various dishes (cereals, snacks, soups) were seasoned with it, cakes were dipped in it. Usually eaten without prior heat treatment.