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Topic 75 of 77: Russian food

Fri, Sep 20, 2002 (06:53) | Paul Terry Walhus (terry)
Russian Food

Russian food is the focus of this topic featuring blini, borscht, pickled
salad and braised reindeer. Blitzen, is that you?
9 responses total. 

 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 1 of 9: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Fri, Sep 20, 2002 (06:58) * 1 lines
The Food Channel has a program on Russian food at 9 pm EST tonight.

 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 2 of 9: Autumn   (autumn) * Fri, Sep 20, 2002 (16:36) * 4 lines

Don't believe I've ever had that particular type of cuisine! Is there such thing as
Russian vegetarian??


 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 3 of 9: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Sep 22, 2002 (07:57) * 100 lines
It's amazing what google turns up some tiems.

History of the Russian Vegetarian Societies

The article below is compiled from information provided by the Eurasian Vegetarian
Society in Moscow:

On the 1st of December 1901 in Saint-Petersburg the first vegetarian society in
Russia was set up. [The society sent a letter of support to the first meeting of IVU
in Dresden, Germany in 1908.]

Vegetarianism appeared in Russia in 14th century. The famous Russian saints – Sergiy
Radonezhskiy, Seraphim Sarovskiy, Epiphaniy the Wise - in their sermons persuaded
the orthodoxies that the true belief in God was incompatible with eating of meat and
called them to follow Lenten mode of life. The majority of Russians observed the
fasts (over 200 days per year) and kept to Lenten fare. The representatives of many
religious communities were passionate adherents of the vegetarianism. In the late
19th and early 20th century Lev Tolstoy, the famous Russian writer and philosopher
made a great contribution in the development of the vegeta>rian concept and its
introduction in the common life. He believed that vegetaria>>>>>>nism was very
useful from the moral, ethical, medical and economic point of view.

At the beginning of the 20th century about ten societies were established in Russia:
in Saint-Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Saratov, Poltava, Odessa, Minsk and in other
cities. Moscow vegetarian society was founded in 1909. L.N. Tolstoy became its
honorary member. The Moscow vegetarian society was a very active one: a dinning-hall
was set up, lectures were delivered, articles dedicated to vegetarian problems were
published, a Society Almanac was issued.

Due to vegetarian societies dinning-halls were established in 24 Russian cities – 6
in Moscow, 7 – in Kiev, 5 – in Saint Petersburg. Hospitals with vegetarian nutrition
were founded, vegetarian newspapers and magazines etc. were published as well.


In April 1913 in Moscow there took place the 1st All-Russia Vegetarian
Congress. Vegetarianism was widely spread in the country. Among vegetarians were the
writers Bunin and Leskov, the composer Skryabin, the painter Levitan, the scientist
Rerikh, the academician Nesmeyanov and other famous people. The famous Russian
wrestler Ivan Poddubny also followed the vegetarian diet.

The revolution of 1917 stopped the development of vegetarianism in Russia. The
Soviet State authorities considered vegetarianism as a pseudoscientific theory that
reflected the bourgeois ideology and therefore harmed to Soviet people. In 1929 the
last vegetarian society in Moscow was closed. The communist leaders scorned the
principle idea of the vegetarianism – non-violence, spirit of independence, love to
all the living and freedom of thinking. The leaders of the vegetarian societies were
persecuted, many of them arrested and sentenced.

The Big Soviet Encyclopedia (1961) commented: "Vegetarianism is based on false
hypothesis and ideas and has no followers in the Soviet Union!" The word
"vegetarian" was taken away from the dictionaries of the Russian language.

The revival of vegetarianism was in post-war period when the interest in
oriental systems of health, particularly in yoga increased. This time is
marked by successful medical work of professor Uriy Sergeevich Nikolaev, who treated
psychic diseases by means of diet with further adoption of vegetarian food. Later
U.S. Nicolaev managed to establish the department of medical fasting for somatic
patients in Moscow State hospital 1968.

Uriy Sergeevich Nikolaev was a son of the passionate adherent of Lev Nicolaevich
Tolstoy’s teaching – Sergey Nicolaev, who’s wife took part in foundation of Moscow
dinning-halls, all his children were vegetarians from childhood as well as some of
his grandchildren. Uriy Sergeevich Nikolaev interested himself in natural
philosophy, oriental methods of health, was in correspondence with several foreign
doctors-naturopaths and gathered around himself a large amount of Muscovites and
people from other cities those who were interested in natural ways of health. In
Moscow’s cultural centers lectures concerning natural methods of health, especially
– vegetarianism were held; volunteers translated and reprinted free of charge books
of foreign authors: P. Bregg, G. Shelton, A. Cheis, M. Gerson, K. >>Geffery. So by
the time of the first vegetarian society in post-soviet Russia, in 1989, there were
a lot of people seeking to shape vegetarian movement.


In 1989 at the time of perestroika in the USSR on initiative of Y.S. Nikolaev,
Doctor of medicine, T.N. Pavlova (Center of ethical attitudes towards animals) and
Irina. L. Medkova (Vegetarian Medical Center) at the Ecological Fund of the Soviet
Union there was established a vegetarian society. The Vegetarian Society is headed
by Tanya .N. Pavlova.

In 2001 the Eurasian Vegetarian Society was founded - an independent
international non-profit and non-religious association for propaganda of the healthy
life style . The activity of the Society's members is aimed at supporting and
developing the principles of the vegetarianism. President of the Society is N. A.
Kalanov. One of the main objectives is the creation and consolidation of vegetarian
societies on the territory of Russia and CIS. In order to fulfill this task the
representatives of the Society work in 25 cities of Russia, in the Ukraine, Moldova,
Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia. The Society supported the establishment of
vegetarian organizations in Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk. The members participated in
the anti-corrida action in Moscow. They promote vegetarianism in the central
publications, on radio and TV. The Society launched a TV-show "I don't eat meat"
that was watched by 60 million viewers in Russia and CIS. Vegetarianism has been
also promoted at the exhibitions-festivals in Moscow

“Pressa-2001”, “New Era”, "Soya food", "SNACKEXPO" and "Food technology". The
Society supports the "Vegetarian" magazine and three web sites and has organized the
first vegetarian library. Eurasian Vegetarian Society is a member of the
International and the European Vegetarian Unions.

http://www.ivu.org/history/societies/russia.html


 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 4 of 9: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Sep 22, 2002 (08:04) * 42 lines

Vegetarianism in Russia in 1995

from EVU News Issues 3+4, 1995

Vegetarian movement in Russia developed in the two main directions in 1995:
promoting vegetarian issues and carrying out research.

The Medical Centre of the Vegetarian Society in Russia directed by Irina Medkova,
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Vice-President of the Society, is enlarging the scope of
its work.

The Society not only published a new book on vegetarianism and organized a third
edition of its book "All About Vegetarianism" but also managed to send a message
about the work of the Society of vegetarianism: medical, ethical - through radio and
television. Mrs. Medkova spoke twice over the radio and was shown in a big TV
programme (45 minutes) "Tema", which is watched practically by all. Mrs. Medkova
touched all the aspects and was herself a living proof of vegetarian good health.

The Society also issued leaflets pointing out the moral side of giving up eating
flesh.

A good advance was made in research being carried out by the Medical Centre of the
Vegetarian society. The Society works out rations based on scientific data, which
included all the necessary food ingredients: minerals, vitamins etc.

The Medical Centre conducted a very interesting experiment in one of Moscow's
hospitals on the outskirts of the city: 20 patients with cardio-vascular
disturbances were treated by giving them only vegetarian food, cooked according to
the menus prepared by the Medical Centre. Another group of patients at the hospital
was treated in a conventional way - by drugs.

The results were astounding - for the people who did not believe in vegetarianism:
all the patients recovered and their blood tests were normal after the treatment
(less than a month) and the patients got very enthusiastic about vegetarian rations
at the end of the treatment, although at the beginning they were horrified by the
prospect of living on salads.

Tatyana Pavlova, President, Vegetarian Society in Russia

http://www.european-vegetarian.org/evu/english/news/news95/russia.html


 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 5 of 9: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Sep 22, 2002 (08:05) * 29 lines

Russian Vegetarian Borscht

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
3 medium size carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small parsnip, cut into thin 2-inch strips
3 medium size beets, cut into thin 2-inch strips
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sugar
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 small cabbage, cut into 2-inch chunks
3 medium size potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup tomato puree
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup Balsamic or red wine vinegar
Sour cream for accompaniment
In a Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium heat and saute onion, carrots, parsnip and beets until onion is translucent.
Stir in the garlic, bay leaf and sugar and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth, cabbage, potatoes and tomato puree, salt and pepper.
Simmer, covered until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight.
To serve: Ladle cold soup into bowls and place a dollop of sour cream on top.
Serves 6.

Cook's Note: This soup is also delicious served warm.


 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 6 of 9: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Sep 22, 2002 (08:12) * 29 lines

This is a very ardent and useful web site on Vegetarian Russia.

http://www.unclepasha.com/veg/linsk2.htm

Some links:


 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 7 of 9: Autumn   (autumn) * Sun, Sep 22, 2002 (15:53) * 1 lines
Wow!!! What an amazing body of information! Vegetarians persecuted?? Truth is stranger than fiction, indeed. Have you had that borscht personally, Terry?

 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 8 of 9: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Sep 22, 2002 (19:44) * 1 lines
I haven't, but I plan on trying it soon.

 Topic 75 of 77 [food]: Russian food
 Response 9 of 9: Marcia  (MarciaH) * Thu, Mar 20, 2003 (23:35) * 1 lines
The peasants could not afford meat so they boild potatoes and cabbages and other root veggies to survive. Meat was for the wealthy and/or sneaky!
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