Christmas is one of the lightest and warmest holidays of the year. The day before the holiday is called Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve.

According to old traditions, believers do not eat until the first star appears in the sky, which symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. She once announced to the Magi about the birth of the Son of God.

When the star lights up in the festive night sky, then the traditional dish is served on the table - sychivo. Sochivo is a lean dish made from rice or wheat with the addition of honey, candied fruits, raisins and candied fruits. Therefore, this day has the same name - Christmas Eve.

In Kryvyi Rih, the dish is called kutya.

According to tradition, there should be 12 dishes on the table, according to the number of God's Apostles.

What kind of dishes are traditionally served on the Christmas table?

Among the 12 dishes, there are ultimately obligatory ones and there are those that allow for variations. But they all have tremendous symbolic significance.

Kutia is the main dish that starts the Christmas meal. It symbolizes prosperity and well-being in the house and is always made sweet - with honey, poppy seeds, dried fruits, candied fruits, sugar, so that the whole family has a sweet life the next day. Kutia is a grain, which means it is a symbol of eternal rebirth and faith in Christ.

Pies and pies must definitely stand on the Christmas table near the owner of the house. Pastries and dough dishes symbolize solar masculine energy.

Fish is the personification of feminine energy, water. It is customary to serve fish in several forms - fried, stewed, salted - especially if a woman dreams of a son or daughter. Fish is an ancient symbol of Christ, and therefore fish dishes on the table on January 6 must be mandatory.

Vareniki- a symbol of prosperity and paradise life. After all, the righteous are destined to go to heaven, where they will be like dumplings in butter. Dumplings can be with a variety of fillings: potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, poppy seeds, prunes, dried fruits.

Dishes from peas and beans are also very important on the table on Holy Supper. Legumes are believed to bring prosperity to your home. They symbolize God's eternal spring - rebirth after decline.

Cabbage rolls cooked with different fillings: rice, mushrooms, fresh cabbage, corn grits.

They also put first courses on the table on Holy Evening - borscht on beetroot kvass or cabbage... Both are made from simple herbal ingredients, and this simplicity creates harmony and satisfying food. So a person, daily working on himself, becomes cleaner and wiser.

Uzvar- a decoction of dried fruits - symbolizes living water that cleanses the soul and body. Made from home drying and fruits (rose hips, black chokeberry), it gives a really powerful boost of good mood and strengthens the immune system.

The housewives also prepare dishes with mushrooms and cabbage. Potato dishes are welcome - for example, potato pancakes. Round, golden, they symbolized the sun.

What should be on the festive table?

On Christmas Eve, our ancestors always put a bunch of fresh hay on the table, which resembles the manger in which Jesus was born. The table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth and lenten dishes were arranged.

Now a candle is placed in the center of the table, which symbolizes faith, and its fire - a person's belonging to the Divine light. The candle accompanies the believer from Baptism to death.

There should also be salt on the Christmas table, without which you cannot feel the full flavor of the dish. Likewise, a person cannot do real good without being in harmony with God. Salt indicates the inner essence of a person.

Garlic is considered an obligatory attribute of the festive table, and it is placed on the four corners of the table under the tablecloth to ward off evil spirits from the family and home. It is a symbol of cleansing from sin, a symbol of fertility and health.

When someone from the family is not at home, they put a bowl and a spoon for him.

If at this time a stranger came, he was also invited to the table. The guest of the Holy Supper, according to the beliefs of our ancestors, brought happiness to the house.

For many centuries Christmas has been one of the most important and revered religious holidays in Russia. According to a long tradition, it was celebrated in a close family circle. There is a certain order according to which it is supposed to set and serve the Christmas table.

Cover the table with a white starchy tablecloth. It is supposed to put a little straw under it - this is a symbol of the manger in which Jesus Christ was after his birth. Napkins on this holiday should also be white, better - fabric. Place garlic under the tablecloth from the four corners of the table - it is believed that it drives away evil spirits from your home and your family. You can pour a little grain under it - this rite promises abundance.

At Christmas, 12 dishes must be present on the table, in memory of the twelve apostles - the disciples of the Savior. The traditional festive menu includes, for example, kutia (sochivo), pancakes, jelly, aspic, honey gingerbread. To make the task easier, prepare at least a few of them, and add to the required number, for example, salads or pickles. Roast must also be present on the table, most often it is a whole baked bird. As a side dish for this dish, take fried potatoes, cabbage or stewed apples (the last two options can also be used as minced meat). The goose can also be stuffed with orange slices. One of the options for the main Christmas dish is whole fish (pike perch, catfish, sturgeon). It can be baked in the oven under mushrooms and onions, pouring sour cream sauce.

Place kutya in the center of the table - it is with her that the breaking of the fast begins after the strict Christmas fast. To cook this dish, take a glass of wheat, nuts, raisins, poppy seeds and honey (to taste). Boil the grains, steam the poppy seeds and mash or mince them. Mix all ingredients together. Serve cold kutya.

An indispensable attribute of the Christmas table is a large variety of baked goods. Try to bake traditional "carols", it is not difficult at all. For Christmas carols, knead a dough of flour and water (milk) in a 2: 1 ratio, lightly salting it. Divide the dough into balls and let sit for 20 minutes. After that, roll out the cakes, put the filling inside, pinch the edges so that you get small open cheesecakes or baskets. For the filling, you can take berries, cottage cheese, potatoes, mushrooms. Bake Christmas carols at 200 degrees.

Cook uzvar - a traditional Christmas drink, a decoction of dried fruits. You can also make sbiten, a hot drink made from water, spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves) and honey. All ingredients are boiled for half an hour, then a little cognac can be added to the hot sbiten.

Decorate the table with tall candles in glass candlesticks or compositions of coniferous branches, to which you can add viburnum clusters and spikelets.

A bit of history:

The Nativity of Christ symbolizes the possibility of salvation that opens up for people with the arrival (birth) of Jesus Christ in the world, and is one of the great holidays of Christianity. The word "Christmas" comes from the Old English "Cristes maesse" (Eng. Mass of Christ - Mass of Christ). Catholics celebrate the holiday on December 25, and the Orthodox on January 7 in the new style.

For the Christmas holiday, believers prepare themselves with a forty-day fast, which is called the Christmas fast. The eve of the holiday, which is called Christmas Eve, is celebrated with a particularly strict fast. On this day, according to the church charter, after the appearance of the first evening star (the personification of the appearance of the star of Bethlehem), they eat soy - wheat grains, previously soaked with water.

Both in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy, during the Christmas sermon, the idea is especially emphasized that with the birth of Jesus Christ an opportunity opens up for every believer to achieve the salvation of the soul and, through the fulfillment of Christ's teaching, to receive eternal life and heavenly bliss. The beautiful and solemn holiday of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated in different countries not in the same way, but bears the imprint of the customs and traditions of a particular people. So, for example, in Catholicism, the Nativity of Christ is celebrated magnificently and solemnly with three services: at midnight, at dawn and in the afternoon. In Catholic churches, a manger with a figurine of the Infant Christ is installed so that believers can worship the image of the newborn Jesus Christ. A nativity scene (that is, the cave where Jesus Christ was born) with figures of the Holy Family is also being built in Orthodox churches.

In Russia Christmas

began to be celebrated in the 10th century. It has long been a quiet and peaceful holiday. Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - was celebrated modestly both in the palaces of Russian emperors and in the huts of peasants. But the next day, the fun and revelry began - Christmastide. They went home with songs, arranged round dances and dances, dressed up as bears, pigs and various evil spirits, frightened children and girls and wondered. And, of course, they paid tribute to the "green serpent". For greater persuasiveness, scary masks were made from various materials. In the villages Christmastide was celebrated all together, moving from hut to hut. Peter 1 used to make fun of Christmas games. In the royal chambers, everyone dressed up, sang songs, wondered. The sovereign himself with his numerous retinue toured the houses of noble nobles and boyars. At the same time, everyone had to have fun zealously - those who had a "sour face" were beaten with batogs.

Elizaveta Petrovna celebrated Christmastide according to old Russian customs. The courtiers were supposed to appear at the court in costumes, but without masks. The Empress herself dressed up, most often in a man's dress. And the Empress was very fond of singing Christmas songs with the girls.

Catherine the Great respected folk fun and entertainment and often took part in them. In the Hermitage they played blind man's buff, forfeits, cat and mouse, sang songs.

For Christians all over the world, the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ has a warm, touching character, and is a beautiful family holiday, permeated with an atmosphere of universal harmony and love. On this day, peace, friendship, peace and joy reign in the house. People celebrate the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ with a festive mood. As a rule, the whole family gathers at the Christmas table. On Christmas Eve (in Ukraine it is called Holy Evening), they sat down at the table after the appearance of the first star in the sky. In honor of the Star of Bethlehem, the top of the New Year tree began to be decorated with a star after the custom of celebrating the New Year with Christmas trees came to Russia from Germany under Peter I.

The main ritual dish among the Orthodox is kutia, which is prepared on Christmas Eve. To prepare this dish, you can use boiled grains of cereals - wheat, barley or rice. In more complex recipes, walnuts, raisins and mashed poppy seeds are added to the mass.

True Orthodox Christians observe certain food restrictions on holidays - from November 28 to January 6, the 40-day Nativity Fast continues. On these days on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, you should not eat meat and dairy foods, eggs, fish and vegetable oil. After December 19 (St. Nicholas) fish is only allowed on Saturday and Sunday. The last days of fasting from January 2 to January 6 are the most stringent, only simple plant foods are allowed, and then only in the evening. Strict fasting is, of course, also observed on Christmas Eve, when you can eat only with the appearance of the first star and only with sympathy (kutyu).

Orthodox Christians are not the only Christians in Russia. Protestants, including Anglicans, eat poultry dishes such as turkey, duck or goose at Christmas and do not fast. Seventh-day Adventists (Sabbath-keeping Protestants) are mostly vegetarians and do not consume pork, alcohol, coffee or tea. Catholics, on the contrary, observe fasting and do not eat meat, but prepare their own version of kutya, fish dishes and salads, and festive pudding is also characteristic of the Anglican table. Forgetting about the scholastic disputes between French Catholics and Protestants, both of them on the night of December 25 feast on oysters and the traditional "foie gras" - goose liver.

What to serve for Christmas?

Brief Instruction:

There should be a white starchy tablecloth on the table and some straw - this is a symbol of the manger in which Jesus Christ was after his birth. Napkins should be cloth and also white. Garlic should be present on the table from four corners, and a little grain - according to belief, this is for abundance, and garlic drives away evil.

The number of dishes should be 12, according to the number of apostles, disciples of Christ.

The traditional festive menu includes kutia, pancakes, jelly, aspic, honey gingerbread as well as salads or pickles. Roast on the table is a must! Poultry is most often cooked as hot water, and potatoes fried in slices for garnish. Potatoes can be supplemented with cabbage or stewed apples, fashionable in the form of minced meat. If you use goose as a roast, you can stuff it with orange slices. Fish, too, should not be avoided, it can be baked in the oven with mushrooms and onions. Pike perch, catfish, sturgeon will go as fish. Do not forget to pour the fish (you need a whole oven) with sour cream sauce.

Kutia should be in the center of the table. this is the first dish that can be eaten after the strict Christmas fast. Making kutya is simple: take a glass of wheat, nuts, raisins, poppy seeds and honey (to taste). Boil the grains, steam the poppy seeds and mash or mince them. Mix everything together. Refrigerate and serve cold kutya.

There must be a large variety of baked goods on the Christmas table. For example, traditional "carols", it is easy to prepare them: - knead the dough from flour and water (milk) in a ratio of 2: 1, lightly salting it. Divide the dough into balls and let sit for 20 minutes. After that, roll out the cakes, put the filling inside, pinch the edges so that you get small open cheesecakes or baskets. For the filling, you can take berries, cottage cheese, potatoes, mushrooms. Bake Christmas carols at 200 degrees.

Prepare the traditional Christmas drink uzvar - a decoction of dried fruits (like compote). Or sbiten - a hot drink made from water, spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves) and honey. All ingredients are boiled for half an hour, then a little cognac can be added to the hot sbiten.

The table needs to be decorated with tall candles, or compositions of coniferous twigs, to which you can add viburnum clusters and spikelets.

New Year and Christmas in different countries

In Italy, especially large-scale general cleanings are carried out before Christmas. On the festive night itself, city life is quiet and calm, and it is impossible to find a working shop, restaurant, disco, or bank. Public transport also practically does not work. Over the past few years, the percentage of Italian believers has dropped dramatically. Today there are only 20 percent of them. Therefore, not everyone goes to church. But the gala dinner turns out to be worthy of attention: pork legs, sausages, baked fish and "sea fruits" (various shellfish mixed with traditional spaghetti), cake with candied fruits and raisins.

It is a very merry Christmas in Spain. The central streets of Madrid, Barcelona and other cities on December 25 are packed to overflowing with people. The population dresses up in national costumes, begins to dance and sing at the top of their lungs. Serene fun is accompanied by widespread illumination, Christmas trees at every corner, wandering Santa Clauses, magicians and jugglers. Before the beginning of the Christmas mass, it is customary to gather at the central entrance to the temple and dance hand in hand. The church, in spite of everything, is attended by almost everyone, but usually they come there for a short time. They spend most of their time in the company of friends and relatives at the festive table of their favorite restaurant, with a lot of wine and champagne.

In good old Prague, Christmas trees are decorated with special care on the evening of the 24th. This time of day is called generous. First, for a good mood, they give each other gifts and only then have dinner with the whole family. On the table is the obligatory carp baked with caraway seeds. They certainly buy him while still alive, give him some time to swim in the bathroom, and then kill him in cold blood and put him in the oven. From 20 December onwards, tubs of well-fed and unsuspecting fish can be found on every corner of Prague. After supper, they wonder. The most common way is with apples. The fruit is cut across, and if the inside turns out the correct asterisk from the seeds, then the coming year will be happy. In addition, it is customary to send lighted candles in walnut shells through the water. If the candle does not sink, then happiness will come for sure and very quickly.

In Germany, Christmas is the most important holiday. New Year is celebrated much more modestly. Recently, instead of the former mythological characters (the shaggy, scary old man Knecht Ruprecht or the baby Christ), the Christmas grandfather, similar in appearance to our Santa Claus, now gives gifts to children. The grandfather lays out the gifts in socks, which he hangs on the door handles (on the back). The German Christmas dinner is roast goose and pie with nuts, marzipan and raisins.

A few days before Christmas, evening concerts begin in all French cathedrals. The main Christmas service takes place, of course, at Notre Dame de Paris. Christmas trees shining with lights are in huge quantities not only in apartments and on the streets, but also in the entrances of houses. A traditional (including Christmas) delicacy - goose liver - is harvested on a massive scale. On New Year's Day, a massive celebration takes place on the Champs Elysees. On New Year's Eve, it is as bright as day - from a multitude of multi-colored lamps hanging on the trees. Do not be alarmed when completely unfamiliar citizens pour you champagne and climb to kiss, this is a local tradition.

In the UK you will be greeted with Christmas carols, church mass and typical English pudding and turkey. On Christmas Eve, crowds gather in Trafalgar Square, England's main Christmas tree, where charities play hymns for adults and children, and Boxing Day is celebrated across England on December 28.

Christmas in Switzerland begins with the Church Christmas Mass, which takes place in all towns and villages. Religious Christmas carols continue at home around the holiday tree. By the way, it is customary for every family to make toys, bells and bows for the Christmas tree by themselves (no purchased decorations). In general, the Swiss begin to prepare for Christmas a month before the holiday itself: they put a wreath of branches and flowers on a special table and put a candle in it every Sunday. The appearance of the fourth candle means the onset of Christmas. And on any festive table - traditional salmon and cooked roast according to a special recipe.

Christmas is the perfect family holiday that allows you to gather all your loved ones at the table. The Orthodox holiday begins to be celebrated as early as January 6th. It is Christmas Eve that is an integral part of sacred rites. It is important to approach it responsibly and follow some rules.

Serving

First you need to set the table. According to custom, you need to ensure that the table is covered with a white tablecloth. Although other variations are now acceptable. Our ancestors put straw under the tablecloth, which symbolized the stable in which Jesus was born.

In the center of the table, you can make a fir composition. It can be decorated with cones, balls and bows. Some use a Christmas wreath instead.

It is customary to choose napkins to match the tablecloth. If desired, they can be folded in the shape of angels or decorated with appropriate figures. You can put candles on the table, it is better to choose simple white options at Christmas.

The service is also important. It is better if it is designed in a certain color scheme and style. If nothing like this is available, then white plates and dishes are ideal.

We put on the table

Of course, table decoration is an important moment, but Christmas, or rather Christmas Eve, should boast a certain set of dishes. The hostess needs to prepare at least 12 treats. This number symbolizes all the disciples of Jesus Christ.

Of course, food may vary from region to region. There are families in which they traditionally adhere to specific treats. In this case, kutia, aspic, fish, roast, dumplings and much more may appear on the table.

It should be said that 12 dishes include drinks, sweets, and even bread. Each family decides for themselves what to put on the table. Moreover, she can stick to the same treats every year, or she can change the menu from year to year, keeping only a couple of traditional favorite dishes.

It is believed that everything can be on the table except alcoholic beverages. An uzvar is best suited for replacement. It is also traditionally believed that holy evening is the first and last meal.

Of course, many rituals have long been forgotten or adapted in a modern way. The main thing is to remember that Christmas is a family holiday, thanks to which the whole family can gather at one table, take stock of the past year and make plans for the future.

On Christmas night, from 6 to 7 January, the festive Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On the very day of the holiday of Christmas, believers break their fast (they eat not lean, but quick food). The twelve consecutive days after Christmas are called holy days, or Christmastide. This is probably why, according to legend, there should be 12 dishes on the Christmas table. Some of them passed on the morning of January 7 from Christmas Eve - these are kutia and vzvar. The rest, modest, dishes were waiting in the wings.

Christmas Eve: the first star

The holiday begins on the evening of January 6 - Christmas Eve begins. According to church rules and folk tradition, they do not eat on this day until the first star appears in the sky - in remembrance of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the place of the Nativity of Christ.

They also say that Christmas is not celebrated alone - it is a family holiday. It was customary to gather either at the parents' place, or with the whole large family at the eldest in the family. Prior to the first star, the hostess had to prepare several lenten obligatory Christmas dishes. The main items on this menu were kutia, or sochivo, and vzvar (uzvar).

Sochivo, or kutia

An indispensable dish, without which neither Christmas nor Easter was celebrated in pre-revolutionary Russia. Christmas Eve - from sochiv, or kuteinik - from kutya, as the day before Christmas was called. And all of it passed in anticipation of the miracle of birth. It was believed that the richer and tastier the juicy, the more productive the next year will be.

The products from which kutia were prepared were endowed with special significance: grain was considered a symbol of resurrection to life, honey - a symbol of health and a prosperous (sweet) life, and poppy seeds promised prosperity in the family.

Pre-revolutionary everyday life writer A.A. Corinthian wrote: “In the evening, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, Russians who invariably adhere to old pious customs do not break the fast: according to the Church Charter, it is allowed to eat only sympathetically at this time. running from November 15 (28) until the merry joyful Christmastide ".

However, wheat was not always the basis of kutia. In the southern regions of Russia, rice was more often cooked. However, nuts, honey and dried fruits remained unchanged part of the recipe.

Traditional recipe sochiva

• wheat grains - one glass,
• poppy - 100 g
• peeled walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews - 100 g,
• honey - 3 tablespoons,
• dried fruits.

Crush the grains in a wooden mortar, adding a little warm water so that the wheat shell comes off. Then the kernel must be separated from the husk by sifting and washing. Cook crumbly lean porridge in water, adding 2-3 glasses of water to the cereal.

Grind poppy seeds until poppy milk is obtained, add honey to it, mix and put in wheat porridge. At the very end, add crushed nuts and dried fruits steamed with boiling water.

Rice soy

• rice - 1 glass
• raisins - 50 g
• prunes - 50 g
• dried apricots - 50 g,
• almonds or walnuts - 50 g,
• honey - three tablespoons

Rinse the rice, add cold water and bring to a boil. Throw in a colander and rinse again with cold water. Then pour 1.5 cups of cold water and cook until tender without removing the lid. Steam dried fruits in hot water (15–20 minutes).

Chop prunes and dried apricots. Crush the almonds. If all the water has not boiled away, it should be drained, the rice should be cooled. Add dried fruits, honey and nuts to the rice.

Brew

The second must-have dish on the Christmas table. A broth was prepared from dried fruits, but honey was added instead of sugar. The most popular was an apple brew with the addition of dry or soaked cranberries, lingonberries or raspberries.

In the south of Russia, a smoked pear was necessarily added to the drink. Mint, oregano, currant leaves, thyme and other aromatic herbs are often added. It is not necessary to boil the broth: it is enough to pour boiling water over the fruit and leave to infuse. A thermos is perfect for these purposes. It is often diluted with broth and eaten in the form of a liquid sweet porridge.

Lenten pancakes

Christmas Eve evening was not complete without lenten dishes. But if kutia and broth were obligatory, then pancakes, vinaigrette, cabbage rolls, fish pies, vegetable stews or porridge remained welcome guests on the last day of fasting. Pancakes were common among this menu. They perfectly complemented boiled fish or caviar, jam or honey. They only made them without milk and butter. For example, potato broth or mineral water.

The vinaigrette

Lean or herring vinaigrette was served very often on Christmas Eve. The recipe is simple, but the dish turns out to be tasty and inexpensive, which made it possible to cook it in poor families. And in the houses of the wealthy, sturgeon or white fish could be added to the Christmas vinaigrette.

Christmas: Breaking the fast

When the night is over and after the service the family returns to the house, the long-awaited holiday of Christmas begins. Fasting is left behind, and meat dishes, pies with milk and butter, fatty fish and sumptuous desserts appear on the table.

It was believed that a baked goose (or other bird) and pork dishes should be an indispensable attribute of a Christmas meal. Of course, on the pre-Christmas days, millions of geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens were brought to the country's bazaars.

"Christmas in Moscow was felt for a long time - a merry, business bustle. Just started talking in Filippovki, on November 14, for Christmas fast, and at the freight stations, especially in Rogozhskaya, geese cackle day and night -" goose trains "to Germany: earlier it was, before the glacier-wagons, live cargo. Do not believe - hundreds of trains! The goose went through Moscow - from Kozlov, Tambov, Kursk, Saratov, Samara ... I don’t remember Poltava region, Poland, Lithuania, Volhynia: there are other ways from there. And the duck , and chicken, and turkey, and grouse ... capercaillie and hazel grouse, bacon-brisket, and ... - what a soul requires for Christmas "- wrote Ivan Shmelev.

Christmas goose with sauerkraut

• small goose,
• cabbage - 800 g,
• bulbs - 4 pcs.,
• cumin - 0.5 tablespoons,
• salt,
• oil.

If the carcass is frozen, let the goose lie in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then wash the goose, rub outside and inside with salt and caraway seeds. If possible, you can boil the goose in red wine - whole, about 40 minutes. The wine will give the bird its softness.

Stew the sauerkraut with butter and onions in a saucepan, covered. Stuff the goose with this cabbage and fry on a baking sheet, pouring a little broth on it and pouring it over the goose. Then goose fat will melt - you will water it.

Pig on the table

Pork was also a traditional product on the Christmas table. According to legend, when Jesus was born, in the manger, all the animals joyfully greeted the divine baby - except for the pig. She grunted annoyingly and interfered with the baby's sleep. That is why, as a punishment, the pig became an indispensable dish on the Christmas table.

Even during fasting, they began to take to the capitals, to central fairs, whole carts of pork - there were huge carcasses, and barrels of corned beef, and suckling pigs. "It's bad or bad, but two or three pork carcasses are necessary, yes, black piglets, roast with porridge, about three dozen, and white ones, for aspic, moloshnichkov, two dozen, so that there will be enough for conspiracies" - wrote Ivan Shmelev in "The Lord's Summer".

Many dishes were prepared from pork, but in every prosperous house the table was decorated with a suckling pig with porridge or cold with horseradish.

Cold pig with horseradish

The recipe from Ekaterina Avdeeva's book "The Handbook of a Russian Experienced Housewife" is simple: boil a piglet entirely in salt water with fragrant herbs - thyme, dill - and onions. Then cut into pieces and pour with horseradish and sour cream. Serve cold.

Pork belly stuffed with cabbage and apples

In the old days, porridge with pork legs was served, but you can make pork belly with cabbage and apples for buckwheat porridge. It will turn out very juicy.

• pork belly - 800 g,
• cabbage - 400 g,
• apples - 5 pcs.,
• butter - 1 tablespoon,
• onion - 1 pc.,
• salt and pepper.

Chop fresh cabbage, salt and squeeze. Add finely chopped sour apples, oil to the cabbage, mix. Wash the pork brisket, chop the bones in several places, cut a large hole between the bones and the meat with a knife.

Put prepared minced meat there, sew up, place in a pan or baking sheet, sprinkle with finely chopped onions, add 3 tablespoons of water and fry in an oven preheated to 200 ° C until tender. Serve with crumbly buckwheat porridge.

Pig and rooster aspic

Rinse the shank and legs of the piglet well and chop it into pieces. Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water so that it covers the meat a few centimeters, boil and remove the foam. After an hour, add the rooster.

Boil the jellied meat over very low heat for 6–8 hours so that the water boils off to half the volume. 20 minutes before the end of cooking, add bay leaf, peppercorns and salt to taste to the broth. Remove the meat from the broth, separate from the bones and cut into pieces. Strain the broth. Pour chopped garlic on the bottom of the dish, put the meat, pour in the broth, mix gently with a spoon and refrigerate until it solidifies.

Rye fish pie

For the test:

• rye flour - 1 glass,
• wheat flour - 1 glass,
• milk - 1 glass,
• dry yeast - 1 tsp.,
• sugar - 2 tsp.,
• salt - 1 tsp.,
• vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l.

For filling:

• pike perch fillet - 500 g,
• peeled mussels - 200 g,
• onion - 1 pc.,
• carrots - 1 pc.,
• pickled cucumber pickle - 500 ml,
• vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons,
• dill - 1 bunch,
• salt and white pepper to taste.

Knead the dough, for which 1 tsp. dry yeast pour 5 tsp. warm water, let stand for 10-15 minutes to swell. Sift wheat and rye flour, pour in vegetable oil, milk at room temperature, add sugar and salt, add yeast, knead.

Leave the dough to rise in a warm place. The dough should come up twice and knead twice. We divide it into 2 parts.

For the filling in cucumber brine, cook mussels and fish, put them in a colander. Peel and finely chop the onions and carrots. Fry vegetables with fish and mussels in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper. Turn it off and add the chopped dill. Form a cake in a baking sheet, spread the top with egg yolk and bake for 50 minutes at 170 ° C.

Gingerbread

• butter - 100 g + another piece for lubrication,
• dark unrefined cane sugar - 100 g,
• flour with baking powder - 175 g,
• ground ginger - 4 tsp,
• light molasses - 175 g,
• ginger wine - 3 tablespoons,
• eggs of any size, can be broken - 2 pcs.,
• finely grated fresh ginger the size of a hazelnut
• finely chopped canned ginger - 150 g,
• icing sugar - 75 g,
• ginger root for decoration - 1 pc.

Preheat oven to 160 ° C, grease a 23 cm baking dish. Whisk the butter and sugar with a pinch of salt until the mixture is fluffy. Sift flour and ground ginger together.

Pour in the molasses (for convenience, use a pre-oiled spoon and a silicone kitchen spatula), 1 tbsp. wine and mix everything. Beat in eggs one at a time, then gradually add flour.

Mix everything with fresh and canned ginger. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Smooth the surface and bake for about 50-60 minutes, until the dough sticks to the surface of the wooden skewer dipped in the middle of the pie. Leave the cake to cool in the mold. After the cake has cooled completely, make the frosting by mixing the powdered sugar and remaining ginger wine and drizzle over the surface of the cake. Cut the ginger root into thin slices and decorate the cake.

Custard soufflé in Russian

• any berries - 500 g,
• water - ½ glass,
• sugar - 2 glasses
• egg whites - 5 pcs.

Puree the berries, add water and cook. Add sugar (about the same as the mashed potatoes). Beat the whites into a stiff foam. Add to puree. Put the mashed potatoes in baking tins, put in an oven heated to 170 degrees for 30 minutes.