Belarusian Cookery

Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions which have undergone a long historical evolution. But the main methods of traditional Belarusian cuisine are carefully kept by the people.

Common in Belarusian cuisine were dishes from potato which is called among people “the second bread”. The Belarusians bring fame to their beloved potato in their verses, songs, dances. There are special potato cafes in the republic where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included into many salads, it is served together with mushrooms, meat; different pirozhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians are traditional draniki, thick pancakes, prepared from shredded potatoes. A wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes.

A lot of place in the diet of the Belarusians belongs to meat and meat products, especially to the pork and salted pork fat. One of the people’s proverbs say: “There is no fish tastier than tench, as well as there is no meat better than pork”. The salted pork fat is used slightly smoked and seasoned with onions and garlic. Pyachisto is one of the traditional holiday dishes. This is boiled, stewed or roasted sucking pig, fowl or large chunks of pork or beef. Dishes prepared from meat are usually served together with potatoes or vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, black radish, peas, etc. It is characteristic that many vegetable and meat dishes are prepared in special stoneware pots.

Among dishes from fish the Belarusians prefer yushka, galki and also baked or boiled river-fish without special seasonings. In general, what concerns the most common seasonings such as onions, garlic, parsley, dill, caraway seeds, pepper, they are used very moderately in Belarusian cookery.

The choice Belarusian food are fresh, dried, salted and pickled mushrooms, and also berries such as bilberry, wild strawberries, red whortleberries, raspberries, cranberries and some others.

Of flour dishes the most popular is zatirka. Pieces of specially prepared dough are boiled in water and then poured over with milk or garnished with salted pork fat.

The Belarusians prefer to use whole milk which affected some methods of making yoghurt and the so called klinkovy cottage cheese. In Belarusian cuisine milk is widely used for mixing in vegetable and flour dishes.

Medukha, berezovik, kvass, beer are traditional Belarusian drinks.

Exercise 1. Explain the following words and expressions:

to undergo

shredded potatoes

suck(l)ing pig

chunks of meat

to serve

fowl

seasonings

to be used moderately

whole milk

garnish

Exercise 2. What’s the difference between:

a) diet

cookery

cuisine

b) to season

to garnish

с) pickled and

salted mushrooms