Belarusian national cuisine: the most popular dishes and recipes for their preparation

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Belarusian national cuisine is famous for its rich menu, which includes hearty and rather simple dishes. Despite the fact that it was formed on the basis of Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Polish culinary traditions, it has many unique soups, salads and other treats that have no analogues in any world cuisine. After reading today's article, you will learn some original recipes.

The most important nuances

It should be noted that the main features of the Belarusian national cuisine have a historical background. Initially, the western and eastern directions developed in this country. One of them was welcomed by Catholic nobles, and the other by Orthodox Belarusians. If meat dishes were present in abundance on the tables of the former, then fruits, vegetables and grains predominated in the menu of the latter.

There are more products in modern Belarusian cuisine than several centuries ago. However, it still retainedoriginality and simplicity. Locals practically do not use spices, believing that they distort the natural taste of food. The only exceptions are black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and coriander.

Belarusian cuisine, whose national dishes are known far beyond the borders of this state, has one more feature. Almost all products used are subjected to long-term heat treatment. The indigenous population prefers stewed and boiled food, more like porridge. Sometimes these cooking methods alternate with frying.

Most Popular Dishes

No Belarusian lunch is complete without the first one. The most popular liquid dishes include a cold drink. It is made from beets, kvass, onions and sour cream. Sometimes cucumbers and spices are added to it.

Another fairly popular dish is the so-called jour. It is prepared in several different ways. It can be lean, meat or dairy. A filtered solution of oatmeal is used as the basis for making jur.

The menu of the Belarusian national cuisine includes many second courses. They are made from fish, meat and vegetables. Very often, the so-called yuts appears on the tables of local residents. It is a pork or beef stomach stuffed with a mixture of cereals and meat. Another unusual dish is mokanka. It is made from flour, water, lard and meat scraps. Belarusians also love boiled or baked fish.

As for desserts, they are represented by pastries. Especially common hereprepare pancakes, pancakes, loaves and all kinds of pies. From drinks, Belarusians prefer kvass, fruit and berry compotes and alcoholic tinctures.

Fridge

Belarusian national cuisine is famous for its soups. One of the most popular first courses is holodnik. In the summer heat, it often appears on the tables of local residents. To prepare two servings of this soup you will need:

• Four hundred grams of boiled beets.
• Glass of sour cream.
• Two hundred grams of fresh cucumbers.
• A couple of hard-boiled eggs.
• One hundred grams of green onions.
• Beet or bread kvass.

To prepare a delicious and light cold dish, the above list must be supplemented with s alt, sugar, dill and lemon juice. The amount of these ingredients depends on the personal preference of the cook.

The fridge cooks very quickly. In this it is similar to many other Belarusian soups. The basis of this dish is kvass. But if necessary, it can be replaced with a strained broth, in which the beets were cooked.

Kvass is diluted with a small amount of boiled water. After that, cucumbers and beets cut into thin strips are added to it. Chopped greens, chopped onions, lemon juice, sugar and s alt are also sent there. The pot with the finished soup is placed in the refrigerator. Before serving, it is decorated with boiled egg circles and seasoned with sour cream.

Potato grandma

It should be noted that cooking nationalBelarusian cuisine usually does not take much time and effort. In order for your family to be able to try potato babka, you should check in advance whether you have all the necessary products in your arsenal. Your kitchen should have:

• Kilo of potatoes.
• Three onions.
• One fresh egg.
• A tablespoon of wheat flour.
• Large chicken fillet.

Belarusian cuisine, whose national dishes are particularly simple and nutritious, is quite diverse. But the local population tries to use a minimum of seasonings. Therefore, only olive oil, s alt, ground pepper, sour cream and fresh herbs will be used as additional ingredients for the preparation of potato babka.

Put two pre-peeled and chopped onions on a preheated pan and lightly fry them. When they acquire a golden hue, chicken fillet scrolled through a meat grinder is sent to them. The contents of the container are s alted, peppered, mixed well and continue to fry.

Pre-washed and peeled potatoes are processed with a coarse grater and combined with chopped onion. A raw egg, a tablespoon of flour and slightly cooled minced chicken are also added there. All this is s alted and mixed well until a homogeneous consistency.

The resulting mass is put into a multicooker bowl greased with vegetable oil, cover the appliance with a lid and activate the “Baking” mode. About fortyminutes, the finished grandmother is taken out, smeared with sour cream, sprinkled with chopped herbs and served.

Kulaga

Belarusian national cuisine has long been famous not only for first and second courses, but also for desserts. One of them is kulaga. This sweet treat is made with fresh berries. Therefore, before you start cooking, be sure to go to the store for the necessary products. In this case, your pantry should have:

• Four hundred grams of berries (rowan, raspberry, lingonberry, blueberry or viburnum).
• A couple tablespoons of flour.
• Seventy grams of natural honey.

A saucepan with sorted and washed berries is placed on the stove. When they boil, they add flour, dissolved in a small amount of water, and honey. Everything is mixed well and kept on minimum heat until a thick viscous mass is obtained, resembling jelly in appearance. Served with white bread, pancakes and milk.

Veraschaka

This dish can safely claim to be the calling card of the Belarusian national cuisine. It is prepared in several different ways. To make a real verashchaka, you will need:

• Half a kilo of pork with ribs.
• A pair of medium onions.
• A glass of bread kvass.
• Bay leaf, ground pepper and s alt.

The washed, chopped and seasoned pork is sent to a hot frying pan and fried on all sides. Chopped onions are sent to the same bowl. After that, the contents of the pan are transferred to a saucepan, poured with bread kvass and sent to the stove. After ten minutes, the verashchaka is removed from the fire and served.

Belarusian potato pancakes

To prepare this dish you will need a minimum set of products. And most of them are always present in every home. In this case, your kitchen should have:

• Kilo of potatoes.
• Pair of fresh chicken eggs.
• Large onion.
• Vegetable oil.
• S alt.

Washed and peeled vegetables are processed with a fine grater. The resulting mass is combined with raw eggs and s alt. Everything is well mixed, spread with a spoon on a hot frying pan, greased with sunflower oil, and fried on both sides. Ready potato pancakes are served with sour cream.

Belarusian sausages

This dish will be a real decoration of the festive table. Unlike store-bought sausages, there are no harmful additives in home-made analogues. Before approaching the stove, be sure to make sure you have all the necessary components. In this case, you should have at your disposal:

• Seven hundred grams of pork meat.
• Four cloves of garlic.
• One hundred grams of bacon.

Also, it is important that you have a natural shell and s alt on hand. Cumin and ground pepper will be used as spices.

Fat and pork meatcut into pieces or scroll through a large grate of a meat grinder. S alt and spices are added to the minced meat. Everything is well mixed. The finished mass is filled with a natural shell. This can be done using a special nozzle. The length of each sausage should not exceed 70 centimeters. The shell filled with minced meat is tied up on both sides, carefully pricked with a fork and immersed in boiling s alted water with a bay leaf. Twenty minutes later, the sausages are removed from the pan. If desired, they are fried in a pan.

Vitebsk porridge

Belarusian national cuisine is very diverse. It presents a huge number of original dishes prepared on the basis of cereals. One of the most popular treats is Vitebsk porridge. To weld it, you need to stock up in advance with all the required components. Your pantry should contain:

• Two hundred grams of rice.
• Three hundred milliliters of milk.
• Eight potatoes.
• A quarter of a stick of butter.
• S alt and ground pepper.

If desired, rice can be replaced with buckwheat or barley. Pre-washed and peeled potatoes are immersed in s alted water and boiled until tender. After that, milk is added to it and mashed. The resulting mass is s alted and peppered to taste, combined with pre-washed rice, laid out in a mold and sent to the oven. Vitebsk-style porridge is baked at one hundred and sixty degrees for forty minutes. This dish is served with fresh or stewed vegetables.