Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in Eastern Europe

Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in Eastern Europe provides an analysis of traditional and ethnic foods from Eastern Europe, including selections from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The book addresses history of use, origin, composition and preparation, ingredient origin, nutritional aspects, and the effects on health for various foods and food products in each of these countries. In addition, it presents both local and international regulations, while also providing suggestions on how to harmonize these regulations to promote global availability of these foods.

• Analyzes nutritional and health claims relating to Eastern European foods
• Includes traditional and ethnic foods from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• Explores both scientific and anecdotal diet-based health claims
• Examines if foods meet regulatory requirements and how to remedy non-compliance
• Reviews the influence of historical eating habits on today’s diets

• Language: English
• Publisher: Academic Press
• Release date: Sep 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9780128117354

Book preview

Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in Eastern Europe

Editors

Diana Bogueva

Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute (CUSP), Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

Tetiana Golikova

National University of Food Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine

Mark Shamtsyan

Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Ida Jākobsone

University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

Maris Jakobsons

University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

Table of Contents

Cover image

Title page

Copyright

Contributors

Preface

Chapter 1. Eastern European food cultures and traditions

Introduction

Religious belief-shaped food practices

Food culture and traditions: historical overview

The typical foods of Eastern European cuisines

Conclusion

Chapter 2. Culinary traditions, food, and eating habits in Russia

General characteristics of Russian cuisine, and the influence of various factors on its formation

Characteristics of raw materials used in Russian cuisine

Characteristics of technological processing methods used in Russian cuisine

Features of food culture

Features of cooking of selected Russian dishes

Conclusion

Chapter 3. Traditional foods of tatars

Traditional food

Meat dishes

Organ meat dishes in Tatar cuisine

Dishes with fish

Milk food

Bakery food

Sweet baked foods

Chapter 4. Traditional foods of the North Caucasus region

Introduction

Traditional cuisine influences

Traditional meat-based foods of North Caucasus

Meat preservation

Kefir

Kefir technology

Microbiological specifics

Iyran

Content and technology of iyran

Cheeses

Smoked cheese kabardinskiy

Conclusion

Chapter 5. Food and Nutrition in Belarus

Introduction

Historical overview

Geography and the natural agricultural landscape

Food culture and traditions

Typical foods and food products

Present nutritional conditions (Official Internet portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus, 2018; Export of goods from the Republic of Belarus in January–June 2018, 2018)

Summary

Chapter 6. Culinary traditions and eating patterns of various Ukrainian regions

Introduction

Historical overview, culture, and old culinary traditions

Typical foods and food products (composition, nutrients, benefits, and adverse properties)

Conclusion

Chapter 7. Food, nutrition, and health in Lithuania and Estonia

Introduction and historical overview

Geography and landscape

Lithuanian cuisine, typical food, and food products

Estonian cuisine, typical food, and food products

Lithuania and Estonia current nutritional and health conditions

Conclusion

Chapter 8. Food, nutrition, and health in Latvia

Introduction

Historical overview

Geography and the natural agricultural landscape

Culture and traditions

Typical foods and food products

Food preservation, shelf-life, and environment

Present nutritional conditions with respect to deficiencies, remedies, and safety aspects

Summary

Chapter 9. Common nutrition and health issues in Eastern Europe

Eastern European (EE) traditional foods (TF): an introduction

Conclusion

Chapter 10. Environmental sustainability issues for Eastern European food production

Conclusion

Chapter 11. Flexibility of the EU package: lessons for Ukraine and other countries when harmonizing food legislation in view of the production of traditional food

Definition of traditional foods and traditional methods of food production in the EU and Ukraine

Harmonization of food legislation versus traditional food: cases from the European Union and Ukraine

Flexibility in the implementation of food legislation as a tool to continue the production of traditional food: the case of the EU

Conclusions

Chapter 12. Eastern European ethnic food preservation and future sustainable food production

Index

Copyright

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Contributors

Ilze Beitāne,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Riga, Latvia

Diana Bogueva,     Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute (CUSP), Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

Natalia Bondar,     National University of Food Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine

Nadiya Boyko

Ediens LLC, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Research Development and Educational Centre of Molecular Microbiology and Mucosal Immunology, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics and Pharmacology, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Andrey Bratsikhin,     North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russian Federation

Angelina Butko,     Belarusian State Technological University, Minsk, Belarus

Inga Ciproviča,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Riga, Latvia

Ivan Evdokimov,     North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russian Federation

Tetiana Golikova,     National University of Food Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine

Ida Jākobsone,     University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

Jevgēnija Jansone,     Riga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia

Maris Jakobsons,     University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

Daina Kārklin¸a,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Jelgava, Latvia

Elena Kiprushkina,     ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Liudmyla Kozlovska,     Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Dace Kl¸ava,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Jelgava, Latvia

Irina Kulikova,     North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russian Federation

Gita Krūmin¸a-Zemture,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Jelgava, Latvia

Daiga Kunkulberga,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Jelgava, Latvia

Maria Maksimenko,     Institute of Horticulture, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Samokhvalovichi, Minsk Region, Belarus

Sandra Muižniece-Brasava,     Latvia University of Agriculture, Jelgava, Latvia

Maria V. Kharina,     Department of Food Biotechnology, KNRTU, Kazan, Russia; Laboratory of Plant Glycobiology, Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, Kazan, Russia

Nina Myachikova,     Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod, Russia

Anastasia Nikitenko,     Belarusian State Technological University, Minsk, Belarus

Natalya Oboturova,     North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russian Federation

Kateryna Onul,     Expert in Food Safety Policies and Regulations, Kyiv, Ukraine

Anita Pastare,     Riga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia

Zhanna Pastovenska,     Self-Employed Expert in Food Safety, Kyiv, Ukraine

Roman Rukavchuk,     Research Development and Educational Centre of Molecular Microbiology and Mucosal Immunology, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Oksana Salavor,     National University of Food Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine

Mark Shamtsyan,     Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Tayisiya Simochko

Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Ediens LLC, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Astra Spalvēna,     RISEBA University of Business, Arts and Technology, Riga, Latvia

Maria A. Sysoeva,     Department of Food Biotechnology, KNRTU, Kazan, Russia

Elena V. Sysoeva,     Department of Food Biotechnology, KNRTU, Kazan, Russia

Valentina Timofeyeva,     Mogilev State University of Food, Mogilev, Belarus

Zinaida Yegorova,     Belarusian State Technological University, Minsk, Belarus

Sanita Zute,     Stende Research Centre, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics, Riga, Latvia

Preface

Following the release of the book Regulating Safety of Traditional and Ethnic Foods, published in 2016 (Prakash et al., 2016), the editors were asked about the reasons why they had not also covered nutrition and health aspects of such foods. Little is known about these aspects by the wider community, and today scientists, food technologists, and many others, including travelers to distant countries, are not only interested in knowing more about these aspects but also discover the secrets of nutrient-rich foods that have a long history of supporting health and wellness of the various countries around the world.

Nutrition is a globally active and far-reaching area of scientific research that begins with local geography, history, culture, resources, and genetics and going all the way to the development of food and beverage products and their nutritional benefits to individual consumers and communities. With the world having become one big village, interest in traditional and ethnic foods has been increasing, a have the claims about their nutritional value and health-promoting effects. Today, traditional foods often are produced in a way that deviates from the methods used in the distant past, when microbes were exploited unknowingly to make healthy and nutritious food products. In principle, there is a great deal of knowledge about traditional and ethnic foods, but it is scattered around the world and can sometimes be found only in homemade notes or even just the memories of individuals. However, they may have been published in an infinite number of journals, magazines, and books. This knowledge is often difficult to retrieve, if retrievable at all. Much of it may disappear if not captured sooner rather than later. The editors had the difficult task of identifying authors capable of doing what was needed—collecting and summarizing scattered traditional and ethnic food knowledge and information.

For a long time, food traditions were seen as based on beliefs without evidence of any the supposed or believed nutritional and health aspects. It was widely recommended to trust only information that had been carefully checked scientifically by modern methods, preferably in the Western world. The vast experience and knowledge of many populations, that often for very good reasons was adjusted to certain diets, has been largely ignored. Only recently has serious research started to discover more about the claims made and scientists have started to investigate these claims and beliefs based on the composition of the foods used and the methods in which they were traditionally prepared. Responding to requests, it was decided to attempt to capture information about traditional and ethnic foods from all the countries of the world. The intention was to cover information such as the history of eating habits and the reasons for these habits for all countries. That information is important to understand, for example, why some foods are only suitable for some people but not for others, as is the case with cows' milk. Large populations lack β-galactosidase and hence cannot digest bovine milk. Other aspects covered include common nutrition and health issues; the abundance or scarcity of certain types of food, also depending on the season and including preservation strategies; environmental sustainability issues; regulatory issues and proposals to harmonize regulations; ending with the future outlook.

The initial idea had been to produce a single volume, similar to the book on the safety of foods, with the publisher estimating that approximately 250 pages would be sufficient for the extent of such a book. After discussing the coverage of all the culinary varieties and knowledge around the world, and the fact that there would be huge differences between countries and even within regions, the proposed size of the book was increased to 500 pages and then following more discussions, the size rapidly grew into the idea of a book series that would represent the nutrition and health secrets, and do justice to the all cultures around the world. Instead of a single book, the final plan was for the need to create 26 volumes of about 300 pages each, of which this one is about Eastern European countries, from the Baltic's Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and the North Caucasus Region and Tatarstan. When you dive into the pages, you will discover out for yourself what an incredible culinary diversity each nation has hidden away, and how many historically conditioned and other traditions make up food.

Huub Lelieveld

President Global Harmonization Initiative

Reference

1. Prakash V, Martin-Belloso O, Keener L, Astley S, Braun S, McMahon H, Lelieveld H. Regulating Safety of Traditional and Ethnic Foods . Waltham, USA; Oxford, UK: Academic Press/Elsevier; 2016: 978-0-12-800605-4.

Chapter 1: Eastern European food cultures and traditions

Mark Shamtsyan ¹ , Elena Kiprushkina ² , and Diana Bogueva ³       ¹ Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, St. Petersburg, Russia      ² ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia      ³ Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Perth, WA, Australia

Abstract

Eastern European national traditions are historically rooted, and form a set of customs, rites, habits, and skills practiced and passed down from generation to generation. These traditions, especially related to food, clearly distinguish some of the unique characteristics of the nations inhabiting the region and can, therefore, serve as an object of special pride and almost sacred veneration.

Keywords

Eastern European; Food; Traditions

Introduction

Religious belief-shaped food practices

Food culture and traditions: historical overview

The typical foods of Eastern European cuisines

Conclusion

References

Introduction

All countries and ethnic groups around the world think of themselves as distinctive and use their traditional food to show it. Eastern European countries are not exempt from this common belief. Their national cuisines are diverse and boast dishes that are regularly prepared by the local residents and enjoyed daily. Historical preconditions are a feature of any national cuisine. Most of the national dishes, in a particular locality, have prepared for several centuries until the present, and will continue to be prepared with the same love and culinary skill.

According to Zibart (2010), all Eastern European cuisines are closely connected with the political, social, and economic revival of the region as a former part of the Soviet block and following long periods of historical turmoil (Zibart, 2010). In addition, the Eastern European region illustrates its traditional food culture that reflects the geographical relief, climate, and the robustness of the crops and livestock produced there. The gastronomic habits and predilections of each of these nations have been gradually developed over many centuries and are an integral part of any national culture. Today, each nation has its own national culinary style, which is characterized by its own, different national dishes. There is also interpenetration and mutual influence of national cuisines. However, this does not distract from their originality, since each nation gives its special flavor to dishes, including those created by representatives of a different nationality. Each national cuisine is based on two key factors: the availability of product sources and the methods used for processing them. These two factors are inseparable. The set of initial products is determined by nature and material production, including agriculture, animal husbandry, and various crafts. This, in turn, means that the specific features of national cuisines are affected by the country's geographical position, climate, and economic conditions. However, a national culinary style is created by its national community of people, and the commonality of their inherent characteristics and taste perceptions. This does not mean that national cuisine is something closed, frozen once and for all and unchanging. Cooking is one of the least isolated parts of any national culture, and the creativity used to create delicious dishes is proof of that.

Religious belief-shaped food practices

Christianity and primarily Eastern Orthodoxy practiced in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia dominate the religious scene in Eastern Europe. Religion is a very personal matter for every nation in the region. The cultures and traditions of peoples associated with their food and national cuisine are also significantly dependent on their religious beliefs and the symbolism behind it. People make choice to eat or avoid certain foods based on their religious beliefs. Eastern Orthodoxy, similarly to many religions, provides guidance on the appropriateness or otherwise of the foods in order to demonstrate their faith.

Religion is an important factor that makes the Eastern European cuisine distinct and identifiable. It influences the lives of believers and has altered the nutritional traditions of individual nations. This influence can be traced to the history of nutrition of the eastern Slavs before and after the introduction of the Orthodox Church. Orthodox posts led to the emergence of many vegetable products, meat, and fish dishes that replaced horsemeat.

When the foundations of national cuisines began to emerge, dating back to the traditions of the scarce peasant table, there were significant changes in the diets of the peoples inhabiting Europe and in particular Eastern Europe. Despite Eastern Orthodox Christianity imposing different dietary guidelines and religious observances, the improvements to the agricultural systems led to the emergence of new high-yielding crops, securing the necessary nutritional needs of those nations. The development of animal husbandry has created also the necessary conditions for increasing meat consumption.

The spread of Christianity throughout Europe increased the importance of fish to the European diet, especially for Catholics, as fish was considered a suitable replacement for red and other meats during days of fasting (Roberts, 2007; Kurlansky, 1997). These Catholic traditions are practiced in Lithuania and Estonia, where fish became a popular option when fasting.

The religious beliefs of the Eastern European population also created the character of the food consumed on declared feast and fast days, which were strictly observed (Goldstain, 1999, p. 49). Despite this, two paradoxes characterized the traditional Eastern European, and in particular the Russian, cuisine. One was inevitably directly linked with Christian traditions, which is the abundance of wild game and fowl, including deer, hare, elk, duck, quail, turkey, swans, and chickens (Goldstain, 1999, p. 48), which conflicted with the Christian Orthodox traditions of 250 days of fasting (Zibart, 2010). As there were so many fasting days, when animal-based products like meat, milk, and eggs were prohibited, the remaining days were transformed into feasts (Goldstain, 1999, p. 49).

The other paradox in line with the fasting traditions, is the love for grains and starches, including potatoes, dumplings, noodles, and kasha (Zibart, 2010). Plant-origin products such as hemp, mustard, nut-based oils, rose water, almonds, or poppy seeds milk were used instead of animal-origin products (Goldstain, 1999, p. 50). One traditional grain-based type of sweet bread is called Paskha or Kulich (Bunina, 2019). This typical high-rising sweet bread made in Ukraine and Russia invests a lot of religious symbolism. It is baked in the shape of a tall cylinder and decorated with icing on top. It is often blessed together with other foods for consumption on Easter Sunday as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ and to mark the end of the long fasting period (Halmo, 1988, p. 43). In Russia Paskha is prepared differently, in a special form resembling a truncated pyramid, using curd cheese, butter, sour cream, and raisins, and symbolizes the Tomb of Christ (Bunina, 2019). Other Eastern European nations also prepare special dishes as part of their religious celebrations, including Lithuanian biscuits Kūčiukai and North Caucasian sweet Easter bread Choereg that is popular especially in Armenia. To guide people around the religious-related fasting rules and to give them some cooking ideas, in the 1800s cooking books began to be published (Goldstain, 1999, p. 50).

Food culture and traditions: historical overview

Eastern European nations were sharing limited ingredients variations. The peasant diet was based exclusively on cereals and bread. The typical menus of the time included wheat, rye, and barley (Goldstain, 1999, p. 47). A variety of wheat called spelt was cultivated in the hilly areas of Eastern Europe, and there were a number of varieties of millet in the southern regions. The diet was enriched by growing vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, and cabbage (Pokhlebkin, 1984). In Russia, the most common food for the poor was porridge or kasha made primarily from course millet, barley, oats, rye, and buckwheat (Krantz, 2011; Zibart, 2010). However, buckwheat kasha was also popular among the nobility (Goldstain, 1999, p. 47). In all Eastern European countries and particularly in the Baltic countries, Ukraine, and Russia kasha is staple part of the diet. It is not only a source of sustenance, used for stuffing and side dishes (Zibart, 2010), but it is believed to have healing properties also. It is still regularly prepared for children and sick people as a powerful remedy (Krantz, 2011).

In the 17th century, the Russian czar Peter the Great, best known for his extensive reforms aiming to establish Russia as a great nation, brought into Russia an unprecedented culinary binge with European-trained chefs, a practice that became routine for the Russian aristocracy (Zibart, 2010; MacVeigh, 2009, p. 218). Importing exotic foods from abroad enabled the Russian aristocratic courts to have elaborate feasts (Goldstain, 1999, p. 47).

Eastern European food preparation followed some special techniques. The typical method of cooking was boiling or baking of a whole or large cuts of meats such as legs or roasts, poultry, and whole or sliced vegetables (Zibart, 2010). Traditionally, before the Peter the Great’s Europeanization of Russia the majority of meals were slow cooked on large internal wood-burning stoves which were an oven built into the wall in one room, extended as a bed platform, and serving also as a room heater, where meat and vegetables were braised, boiled, or baked (Zibart, 2010), while also providing heating for the entire house (MacVeigh, 2009, p. 218; Zibart, 2010).

The influence of French tastes on Russian cuisine increased interest in food, and its fine preparation and the preparation techniques (Goldstain, 1999, p. 48). Top stove cooking and egg-dough pastry were introduced. These were later transformed into endless varieties of pirogi, pirozhki, and kulebiaki that became signature dishes for Eastern European cuisine (Zibart, 2010). Many other meals with typical Eastern European ingredients gained new refinements and French or Belgian names, including the famous Olivier salad (the Russian salad), beef stroganoff, veal orloff, etc. (Goldstain, 1999, p. 48).

At the end of the 17th century, with a relative increase in wealth and overall improvement in living conditions, peasant were able to eat not only cereals and bread, but also had added diversity in their diet including stews, eggs, and poultry meat (geese, capons, chickens). A variety of soft and hard cheeses were made from (cow or sheep) milk, sometimes with the addition of herbs. Peasants added different seasonings to their dishes, regardless of whether they cooked meat, fish, or cereals. For the most part, these were local Eastern European vegetables and herbs, including parsley, thyme, mint, mustard, garlic, etc. Soups and cereals were often prepared from oats and hemp seeds, various vegetables, and legumes (beans, turnips, cabbage, peas) or wild fruit (acorns, chestnuts). Eastern European cuisine has been forged by the natural resources of the region. Fish and seafood were plentiful from the many inland lakes, ponds, and rivers, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, where some fish processing facilities were found (Hojte, 2005). A cover pot with net or ice drilling were common fishing methods used in Russia (Gabriel et al., 2005, p. 316). Other methods included line fishing, netting, and trawling. Fish of many species were smoked, salted, or cured, particularly herring and cod in the northern part of Eastern Europe (Roberts, 2007).Proximity to the sea and similar naturally harsh, cool, and often rainy climate conditions were the main factors that left their mark on the cuisines of the Baltic countries. Fish, (herring, Baltic herring, smelt, burbot, and pike perch) are the prevalent fish of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian cuisines. In addition, the presence of full-flowing rivers and large lakes have made rye and barley the main food raw materials for the Baltic peoples’ diets.

Vegetables (cabbages, peas, and hemp) were grown in a garden adjacent to the house. Berries, mushrooms, nuts, and fruits were wild harvested from the forest or garden. The most common fruits were apples, pears, blueberries, lingonberries, mountain ash, hawthorn, medlar, thorns, and mulberry. In general, Eastern Europeans, especially peasants, ate almost everything that grew around them. This list is complemented by small game, obtained, as a rule, illegally, and pork. In the past, the pig symbolized abundance and fertility. Usually it was fattened till December and then slaughtered shortly before Christmas, and then for a long time it would be consumed in different products. This diet was typical of the wealthy peasants, however, for the majority of peasants, these products were just a festive addition to bread, cereals, and pancakes.

In addition to pork, in some Eastern European nations other types of meat were regarded as nurturing. Horse meat in traditional Tatar cuisine was a very important source of proteins. Islam forbids eating pork, and so the main types of meat for Muslim Tatars are lamb, beef, and horse meat. Unlike pork, lamb, and beef, the eating of horsemeat in Islam is not clearly regulated, therefore, different Muslim peoples have different attitudes to its consumption. Horse meat is eaten not only by the Tatars, but also by many other peoples who were originally nomadic and lived in the steppe. The horse gave them everything—food, clothing, harness, and house (yurts were covered with the skins of horses)—and was the source of life in every sense. Horse meat was eaten boiled, salted, and cured (IBP, 2013, p. 53). Tatar cuisine was influenced by the surrounding peoples—Russians, Mari, Udmurts, and also peoples of Central Asia, especially the Uzbeks and Tajiks (Raudvere, 2017). However, Arabs and Turks do not eat horse meat as, for them, a horse is first of all a comrade in battle, and so it is shameful to eat it.

The steppes peoples, including the Tatars, always clearly divided horses into specific roles—for racing, wars, work, and food. Among these, horses and draft horses were not eaten. Special horses were raised for the table (they were the Kylky breed). Nowadays, horse meat on the modern Tatar table is limited. Tatars continue to cook only beshbarmak from horse meat, a special stew meat and to make the famous kazy (horse sausage).

The Finno-Ugric peoples developed a special technique linked to meat cooking. In the 15th to 17th centuries, the Finno-Ugric peoples, as a result of growing relations with the Russians and Tatars, became acquainted with wheat flour, although until the 18th century, flour was imported, and not locally produced. This prompted the creation of special meat-dough dishes, where the dough portion is carefully dosed to complement the meat. The meat itself follows a special culinary composition common to all Finno-Ugric peoples. This technique forms a special characteristic of their cooking traditions that are never or rarely used in other parts of Europe. This technique consists of a combination of three types of meat (and in a certain proportion) in one dish or product. The Komi-Permyaks ethnic group combines beef, lamb, and pork into minced meat for dumplings (true Permian dumplings) in the proportion of 45:35:20. Interestingly, the Western Finns, who were separated from the main branch of the Ugro-Finns around 5000 years ago and who are not familiar with Komi-Permian dumplings, make their festive dish lapskoussi from the same three types of meat in very similar proportions of the same tasty combination of 45:33:22. It is impossible to explain such coincidences by culinary and taste expediency alone.

Another even more typical Finno-Ugric culinary surprise that is also not shared and met in any other national cuisines, is a combination of meat and fish, or meat, fish, and poultry in the same dish. All these unusual food combinations, despite their uncommon nature, are surprisingly exceptionally good tasting. The original cuisine of the Finno-Ugric peoples is not only unique among the rest of the Eastern European food cultures and traditions but also deserves special attention and research interest.

The typical foods of Eastern European cuisines

Eastern European cuisines are defined by substantial, meaty, rooty, smoky, part comfort foods, with some extravagance (Zibart, 2010). The food is usually rich and warm, prepared with a limited variety of ingredients growing in the region (MacVeigh, 2009, p. 238).

Typically, the best food produced in Eastern Europe is homemade, and in Ukraine, this food is considered healthier (Stepurko et al., 2012). Among these foods, those considered as common and quintessential for all the Eastern European nations are cereals and bread. Kasha is made literally from every available grain in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Various kinds of cereals also are very popular in Baltic cuisine, including semolina, pearl barley, oatmeal, and wheat. In Latvia, a thick stew made from pearl barley, seasoned with meat with lard or milk, named pugra, is particularly respected—Latvians are very fond of thick porridge made from pearl barley, beans, and peas. In neighboring Lithuania, a special porridge made from peas, potatoes, and fried pork, called shupinis, is among the country’s favorites.

The use of cereals has also a special place in the culinary of Finno-Ugric peoples. The oldest types of grain are barley and spelt. Barley (pearl-barley) porridge is a national dish of the Karelians, Komi, and Permians, while the Mordovians and Maris prefer millet. Prepared gruel is heavily boiled gruel, that is then diluted with water, butter, or hot milk, with the addition of forest herbs and onions or wild garlic, and is one of their specialties. Another atypical use of cereals is for stuffing of pork and lamb intestines with steep porridge (pearl barley, millet, dairy) and frying them in bacon. Similar to cereals and gruel raw ingredients such as oat, pea and rye are used to prepare dishes such as flour kissels. However, according to the technology and type of serving, Finno-Ugric flour kissels and jelly are more like soups, and an interesting feature is that they are always eaten hot, like soups.

Bread is the most valuable staple for all Eastern European nations. A meal without bread is regarded as incomplete. Bread is regarded as the holiest among all foods, because of the old pagan belief in the magical properties of grains (Encyclopedia of Ukraine, 1989). Round bread korovai, Kolach, or karavai is an old Slav tradition shared between Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, and Romania and commonly served during various ritual meals, including the bread and salt ceremony (Encyclopedia of Ukraine, 1989). It conveys the symbolism of eternity, prosperity, divinity, and hospitality and the salt represents friendship (Food in Every Country, n.d.). This tradition is shared with Russia and other Eastern European countries. Another culture-typical bread for Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Belarusian, Latvian, and Estonian people is black, sour rye bread. This bread is acknowledged as being rich in vitamins and minerals. It is traditionally served with all meals. The popular rye flour Borodinsky bread is well respected amongst all Russian. The dark brown color, and distinct piquant taste and full body, perfectly complement most Russian cuisine dishes (www.Russia.com). Bread in Latvian cuisine has an extra dimension as the country culinary distinctness cannot be seen without bread dishes. In addition to the rye bread present among locals on almost any table, a wide variety of rye bread dishes are popular in Latvia, including sweet bread soup with whipped cream, black bread jelly, and the very unusual brown rye bread ice cream Rāmkalni or Mājas rupjmaizes kārtojums (Benke, 2014).

Different grain-based dough-stuffed dumplings produced with endless combinations of fillings and sauces are common and popular foods for in Eastern Europe. The majority of them, despite being known under different names, refer to a similar dish. Belarusian kalduny or kolduny, Lithuanian koldūnai and zeppelins, Russian pelmeni, and Ukrainian vareniki are great examples of this. For instance, variants of the Ukrainian zatyrka made from pieces of dough dropped into boiling water or milk, or halushky, made of wheat, buckwheat, or cornflour with or without the addition of potatoes or cheese, or varenyky with various types of fillings including cheese, potato, cabbage, meat, fish, buckwheat, and sweet plums (Encyclopedia of Ukraine, 1989) are present in other Eastern European food cultures. A wide variety of dough dishes is also a feature of the traditional Tatar specialties typical of nomadic cuisines (Raudvere, 2017). Baked kibiny, cebulniki, jeczpoczmaki, fried czebureki, pieremiacze, and boiled kartoflaniki and manty are shared among the Tatar communities (Raudvere, 2017). Special qabartma is a pancake similar to blini in Russia and Ukraine. Other Tatar specialties are qoymaq and küzikmäk, which are folded into two pancakes filled with cooked millet or mashed potatoes, or bäleş, pancakes filled with fatty meat, grains, and potatoes (Raudvere, 2017). North Caucasian manti, a pastry filled with potato or lamb, usually boiled, or steamed and served with butter, yogurt, and spices is also typical of regional dough-based culinary treats (Wilson and Nesterov, 2011). It is widely consumed throughout Russia and other former-Soviet countries, where the dish spread from the Central Asian republics, especially from the Uighurs in China. The Uighur mantau recipe is translated in their language as bread prepared in steam (Wilson and Nesterov, 2011).

Potatoes are another Eastern European food tradition that sits on a pedestal. Potatoes are often considered as a second bread. The potato dishes in the region are diverse and numerous. From the 18th century in the Baltic countries, almost 100 years earlier than in Russia and Ukraine, the potato was introduced into the cooking culture and, with it, the development of pig farming expanded further. In Russia, potatoes resulted in a revolution after their first appearance at the end of the 18th century. They were first introduced by order of the government, and by the beginning of the 20th century, almost all Russian meals contained potatoes (Lipinskaya, 2014, p. 24).

Potatoes, along with lard and dairy products, became the main product in the national dishes of the Baltic nations. In the Baltic states the love for potatoes is ubiquitous. Lithuanians prepare their own special dish called Veredai from potatoes — thick pork intestines stuffed with grated raw potatoes. In Belarus there are many varieties and recipes for fried, boiled, raw grated, baked, and stewed potatoes. They are added to salads, and used to make fillings for pies and many