Yaroslavl’s
gastronomic brands
Russian
cuisine was always famous for its dishes. Every corner of the country had its
own “national” recipes, which were passed down through the generations. Special
dishes existed in the Yaroslavl region – the history of their development is
tied up with the geographical location of the region and with the special
relationship the locals had with their food.
Rostov
The
Great Rostov has long been famous for its beautiful and mysterious lake Nero. It’s
no chance that this town is considered the birthplace of Emelya and the magical
pike – the characters of one of the most well-known Russian fairytales. Since
long ago, the main dish of all the Rostovites was ukha. It was cooked out of
three types of fish: always pike, as well as minnows and small roaches. The main
feature of the Rostov ukha is its simple preparation: the onion is put into the
dish whole and not sliced, then dill and sunflower oil is added to the fish
broth. The ukha is served cold, while the pike (previously taken out of the
broth) has its bones removed and is then plated up.
Among
the drinks that have always been favored in the Great Rostov are mead and
chicory drink. The mead was made from
cherry, raspberry, and some recipes even used fir needles. While Rostovites
drank the chicory like coffee: they made a powder from the ground root and then
dissolved it in water. A natural energy drink and nothing artificial!
Vyatskoe
village, Danilovsky County
The
Vyatskoe village has been known long ago for its delicious cucumbers. It was
once called the cucumber capital of Russia. They grew in Vyatskoe is such
numbers that in the 18th century the price of a thousand cucumbers was equal to
a whole rouble. “The snappy Vyatskoe cucumbers” (crunchy, robust) were
delivered pickled even to the Tsar’s table, and were exported overseas as a
delicacy. In 1906, 8 million kilograms of pickled cucumbers (including the tare
weight) were brought from Vyatskoe for sale to Moscow, St Petersburg and even
Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark.
The
recipe for pickling cucumbers was quite simple: “wild” cucumbers (grown in the
fields without watering or other care) were collected in huge barrels, poured
over with salty brine, sealed, and lowered into the local river Ukhtomka in
late autumn. In spring, the barrels were lifted up as the cucumbers were ready.
The locals swear that the secret of the special Vyatskoe cucumbers is in the
unique spring water, which is used for pickling. On the 19th of August, during
the Feast of Transfiguration, the people of Vyatskoe still celebrate the Day of
the Cucumber, in honor of the main rural gastronomic brand.
Poshekhonye
Apart
from the world renowned Poshekhonye cheese and ukha, the citizens of
Poshekhonye also made their “brand” drink called “Dusheparka”. “Dusheparka” was
a weak alcoholic infusion, made from the juices of cowberry and cranberry
(gathered in the dense Poshekhyin forests), with the addition of honey. The
drink was always served warm, and according to the local people, it acted on
the body in a special, warming manner, bringing incredible tranquility.
Rybinsk
Rybinsk
owes its name to the supply of the famous sterlet, sturgeon and sheefish to the
Tsar’s table in the 16th-17th centuries, as well as zander, common bream and
pike, which were abundant in the Volga, Sheksna, Mologa and other small and
large rivers and creeks, which all came together in the Rybinsk region. In
1672, the fish tribute paid by local people consisted of thirty sturgeons,
twenty sheefish, ten large sterlets, twenty-five medium and fifty small ones.
The most expensive dish of Rybinsk restaurants was the “Royal Fish”. The fish was cut into pieces and roasted, and
then a mixture of sour cream, garlic, flour, cheese, onion and raisins was
poured over it. Because raisins were a delicacy in Rybinsk, only the most
well-to-do townsfolk could afford such a meal.
Apart
from the fish, the town has been famous for the past few centuries for its beer
production. The most well-known brewery in the Yaroslavl province was built in
1878 by the merchant Ivan Durdin, beyond the river Cheremukha. The brewery was
named “Bohemia”. There was quite a wide
range: the beers “Stolovoye”, “Bogemskoye”, “Pilzenskoye”. In 1910, the Rybinsk
brewery began producing the non-alcoholic drink “Sitro”.
Uglich
The
most famous gastronomic town brand before the revolution was the Uglich
sausage. Sausage became widespread in Russia thanks to Peter the Great. In
1709, the Tsar invited to Russia sausage making experts from Germany, so that
they would teach the Russian people how to make these “foreign” dishes. It just
so happened that almost all the students, who learned the German culinary
science, were citizens of Uglich. Having quickly mastered the manufacturing
details, the people of Uglich surpassed their teachers both with the recipes
and the production process.
Specialists
consider the father of almost all domestic sausages to be the cattle dealer
Rusinov, the inventor of “Uglitskiy”. In 1860, five sausage shops opened up in
Uglich itself. In 1866, out of the 74 sausage manufacturing plants in the
Russian capital, 50 belonged to specialists from Uglich. Soon after, sausage
began to be exported overseas.
There
is a theory that the famous saying “roll like a little sausage down Malaya
Spasskaya” comes from Uglich. For the house of merchant Postnov with his
sausage shop was located right on Spasskaya Street. It is said that even today
this famous sausage is made according to the old recipes – but nowadays in Moscow,
not in Uglich. The sausage costs a fortune and isn’t available in the normal
shops. It is said that one can only try it at presidential functions in the
Kremlin.
Tutaev
Incredibly
popular among the people of Yaroslavl are the Romanov (the town Tutaev was
previously called Romanovo-Borisoglebsk) bagels, the invention of the local
craftsmen, the bakers. The bagels were made out of choux pastry, in the shape
of an elongated ring, and were usually sold at fairs. The Romanov bagels were
made out of the best wheat flour and yet they cost a measly amount. Such was the bakers’ approach to business:
the cheaper the product, the more buyers there are. This marketing move
produced great results: the bagels were a favorite treat of the pheasant
children in the Yaroslavl province and parents bought them for their children
as presents.
Yaroslavl
During
festive days in Yaroslavl, a special meat broth was prepared in the houses of
affluent townspeople, which was served with flat bread. The “Yaroslavl broth” was
made out of three types of meat (beef, pork and lamb), with the addition of
finely chopped vegetables: potatoes, onions, carrots and tomatoes. It was
served hot, together with flat bread that was sprinkled with herbs.
Karabikha
The
small region of the Yaroslavl province is well-known to our citizens thanks to
the “Nekrasov cabbage soup”. The wife of the famous Russian writer Nikolai
Nekrasov cooked the cabbage soup and served it to their guests. The “Nekrasov
cabbage soup” was cooked without meat, with a mushroom broth as a base. The
mushrooms had to be white ones. The soup was served cold, with thick sour cream
added to it.
Another
dish that became widespread in Karabikha after a Yaroslavl manor was visited by
the culinary enthusiast Alexander Dumas is the buckwheat risotto. Buckwheat was
used for its preparation, as well as leeks, Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, butter
and white wine. Each ingredient was stewed in particular order and then placed
in small pots. The dish was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and was always
served hot. The buckwheat risotto was incredibly popular among the manor
guests. So the gastronomical results of Alexander Dumas’ visit were as
important to the residents of the Yaroslavl province as his literary results.