Monday, October 11, 2010

For the Love of Food (rough draft)

Russia is mainly a northern counrty with long-lasting cold winter, which lasts aproximately seven to eight months out of the year. Because of that the main components of Russian cuisine are the ones with a lot of carbohydrates and fats, rather than proteins. Some of the top ingridients of a Russian meal are potatoes, bread, meat and butter. Russian cuisine is also rich with ingridients such as mushrooms, berries and various grains. In Russia there are a lot of woods and forests, especialy in the north which accounts for the abundance of berries and various kinds of mushrooms. Gifts of the forest for the Russian table.

Throughout centuries Russian cuisine has evolved into what it is today, rich in history and character. In the nineth century the Vikings introduced herring and preserving techniques. In the thirteenth century Mongol-Tatar brought with them the samovar (a tea-making and serving vessel), various spices and other culinary techniques for meat and dairy. In the eighteenth century Russian cuisine was influenced by western European cuisine, at first German, then Dutch and French. In the time of Peter the Great fashionable cookers became common in Russia, as well as saucepans, straining spoons and other essential kitchen utensils were introduced.

In spite of all the changes that were brought in by foreign chefs and cultures, the basics of Russian cuisine remained untouched. The most distinctive national features, such as lavish amounts of food on the table, diversity of starters, adherence to bread, assortment of fish and mushroom dishes and extensive choices of sweets, were conserved for centuries...........

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