Тема: “Comparing British and Tatar cuisine”

Objective: To get acquainted with the Tatar and British cuisine.

The object of study: cuisine, similarities and differences.

I live in the settlement, which is called Shemordan of Saba district. There is a gas line station in our settlement. The representatives of various countries came to work there. We have a club at school which is called “Meeting with interesting people” and we decided to invite them to our club. It was a very interesting meeting. They told us about the traditions, cuisines and we told them about ours.

On the second part of our meeting, we prepared our famous tatar tea with baked items, such us:  chak-chak, kuzikmak ,  ochpochmuk,  paramach and  high black tea with milk. During our drinking of tea we continued to speak about Tatar and British meals. I am very interested in this theme and decided to study Tatar and British cuisine better.

The English proverb says: every cook praises his own broth. One cannot say English cookery is bad, but there is not a lot of variety in it in comparison with European cuisine. The English are very particular about their meals. The usual meals in England are breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. British food has traditionally been based on beef, lamb, and pork, chicken, fish, and generally served with potatoes and one other vegetable. The most common and typical foods eaten in Britain include the sandwich,   chips, pies, trifle and roasts dinners. The staple foods of Britain are meat, fish, potatoes, flour, butter and eggs.

As main meal dishes British people often have Roast Beef, Cottage Pie, Bangers and Mash, Yorkshire Pudding, Fish and Chips, Bubble and Squeak, Black Pudding, Bacon Roly-Poly and many others.

The British are fond of puddings – the dessert course of a meal. However, not of them are sweet and can be eaten during the main course. There are hundreds of variations of sweet puddings in Britain, but each pudding begins with the same basic ingredients of milk, sugar, eggs, flour and butter and many involve fresh fruit such as raspberries or strawberries, custard and cream.

The British generally pay a lot of attention to good table manners. They eat most of their food with cutlery. The foods that are not eaten with cutlery include sandwiches, crisps, corn on the cob and fruit.

Tatar cuisine is a result of the historical development of the nation and its geographical location. Long   relationships between the local people and their neighbors, trade partners influenced the people`s taste. The Bulgars were good cattlemen, hunters, fishermen and farmers. This is the basis of the food traditions in modern Tatarstan. Meat is widely used in Tatar national dishes: beef, lamb and horseflesh. As a rule, the Tatars don`t cook pork.                                                                                                                                  The  dishes  in  Tatar  cuisine  can  be  subdivided  into  the  following  categories:  hot  soups,  main  courses,  baked  items  with  a  savory  filling  (also  eaten  as  main  course),  dough-based  dishes( pasta),  sweet  baked  items  and  other  sweets , usually  served  with  tea.

Soups  are divided  into  meat, chicken, fish, vegetable , mushrooms, etc. The  soup  may  be  thickened  with  noodles, grains  ,or  vegetables-separately  or  in  combination.  Particularly  popular  is  noodle  soup  served  with  tukmuch  and  enriched  with  pieces  of  boiled  meat  or  chicken  from  the  broth.  They  are  often  served  with  meat  balls  or  stuffed  buns( ochpochmuk,paramach , buvirsuk).  A  festive  and  ceremonial  dish  for  the  Tatars  is  pilman (pelmeni) a  kind  of  dumpling  filled  with  meat  and  always  served   in  a  clear  soup.              
As  far  as  main  courses  concern,  they  are  usually  based  on  meat, grains,  and  potatoes.  Meat  or  chicken  boiled  in  the  broth  is  cut  into  small  pieces  and  served  as  a  main  course.  A  chicken  stuffed  with  eggs  in  milk  ( tutirgun  tuvik) is  a  special  dish  for  holidays. A   few  words  about  bulish , which  is  one  of  the  traditional  dishes,  combining  meat  and  potatoes  or  meat  and  grains. Tutirtma,  is  also  a  main  dish, an intestine  filled  with  finally  cut  or  chopped  liver and  millet  or  rice, is  another  combination  of  meat  and  grains.                                                                                                                            A   wide variety  of  dough  dishes is a  feature  of  the traditional Tatar  cuisine, such  as: bread( ipi,ikmak),which is always  served  with  meals,  kabartma, pancakes( koimuk),they  are  eaten  hot,  thickly  spread  with  butter.

The Tatars like the pastries of all kinds very much. One of their favorite  ones  is, perhaps, “ochpochmuk”. It is a triangle-shaped pie with chopped peppered meat, potatoes and some onion. It  is  baked in the oven and served hot. It`s very tasty and, of course, it`s worth trying.

The   second  one   is “paramach”.  It is also a meat pie, but it is round, filled with peppered meat and little bits of onions, and it is usually fried. It is  served   hot, usually with a cup of broth. It`s very tasty!

One of the favorite dishes the people in Tatarstan  choose to  eat  is  plov.  It   is   made  of  meat, rice, onions, carrots and a lot of  spices.

Tea  service  has  always  been  the  subject  of  special  attention  among  the  Tatar. Tea  is  drunk  from  samovar  and  small  cups( so  that  it  remains  hot).Typical  Tatar  cups  are  small  and  low, with  a  rounded  bottom  and  a  saucer.  The  It  played  a  significant  role  in  the  table  ceremony.  Tea  with   pastry  sometimes  replaces  breakfast  or  supper. Tatars drink a lot of tea, both black and green. The Tatars like tea with milk, with lemon or with dried apricots. And, no doubt, sweet pastries: “chak-chak”, “kosh tele”, “talkysh keleve”, gubadiya, it is made of puff paste, the filling is curd and butter, and the top is “decorated” with rice, raisins and eggs. On holidays, Tatars usually eat bal-may (a meal made of butter and honey), pakhlava(made of puff paste and nuts) and much more! On the  table you can always see honey and jam.

In fact, the Tatar’s culinary traditions have adopted much from those of neighboring nations – Russians, Udmurts, Chuvashes and Middle Asian peoples. But the main thing about the Tatar cuisine is not only that it`s varied and very delicious. It is more than only food. It`s a meal that unites family and friends.

The history of Britain has played a large part in its traditions, its culture - and its food. The Romans for instance brought them cherries, stinging nettles ( to be used as a salad vegetable), cabbages and peas, as well as improving the cultivation of crops such as corn.  The Romans were prolific road builders, these roads allowing for the first time the easy transportation of produce throughout the country.

The Saxons were excellent farmers and cultivated a wide variety of herbs. These were not used just for flavor as they are today but were used as bulk to pad out stews.

The Vikings and Danes brought them the techniques for smoking and drying fish - even today the North East coasts of England and Scotland are the places to find the best kippers - Arboath Smokiest, for example. "Collops" is an old Scandinavian word for pieces or slices of meat, and a dish of Collops is traditionally served on Burns Night (25th January) in Scotland. York Ham is a great favorite with the British  housewife. The first York Ham is said to have been smoked with the sawdust of oak trees used in the building of York Minster.

The Normans invaded not only their country but also their eating habits! They gave them words for common foods - mutton (mouton) and beef (boeuf) for example. In the 12th century the Crusaders were the first Britons to taste oranges and lemons whilst in Jaffa in 1191-2.

Britain has always been a great trading nation. Saffron was first introduced into Cornwall by the Phoenicians at a very early date when they first came to Britain to trade for tin. Derived from the dried and powdered stigmas of the saffron crocus, saffron is still used today in British cooking. The importation of foods and spices from abroad has greatly influenced the British diet. In the Middle Ages, wealthy people were able to cook with spices and dried fruits from as far away as Asia. It has been said however that the poor people were lucky to eat at all!

In Tudor times, new kinds of food started to arrive due to the increase in trade and the discovery of new lands. Spices from the Far East, sugar from the Caribbean, coffee and cocoa from South America and tea from India. Potatoes from America began to be widely grown. Eccles Cakes evolved from Puritan days when rich cakes and biscuits  were  banned.

Turkeys  were   bred  almost exclusively in Norfolk up until the 20th century. In the 17th century, turkeys were driven   from Norfolk to the London markets in great flocks of 500 birds or more.  Their feet were sometimes bandaged to protect them. Upon arrival in London, they had to be fattened up for several days before market.

The growth of the Empire brought new tastes and flavors - Kedgeree, for example, is a version of the Indian dish Khichri and was first brought back to Britain by members of the East India Company. It has been a traditional dish at the British breakfast table since the 18th and 19th centuries.

Nowadays you can sample cuisines from all around the world - Chinese, Indian, Italian, French, American, Spanish, Thai, etc., reflecting the ethnic diversity of Britain today as well as the modern ease of travel. Some would even claim 'Curry' to be a traditional British dish - although it bears little resemblance to the curries to be found in India!

So what is British cuisine? Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding, Steak and Kidney Pie, Trifle - these are the dishes that everyone associates with Britain. But like the country of Britain which is constantly changing and evolving, so is British food, and whilst today these dishes are 'traditionally British', in the future perhaps dishes such as the British Curry will join them! 

The cuisine of the Volga Tatars takes its origin from the cuisine of the Volga Bulgars, who once were nomads, but nearly 1500 years go turned to agriculture and assimilated into local agricultural societies.

Tatar cuisine was influenced by the surrounding peoples – Russians, Mari, Udmurts, and also peoples of Central Asia, especially Uzbeks and Tajiks. For  example, Tatar  cuisine  inherited  katyk, bal-mai,  kabartma  from the Bulgars,  pelmeni  and tea from the  Chinese , plov (pılaw) from the Uzbeks, pakhleve  from the Tadjiks and also halvah  and sherbet  entered long ago into the Tatar culture.                       In May  of 1722, Kazan hospitality was experienced by Russian  czar Peter 1 Peter celebrated his  fiftieth anniversary in the house of rich Kazan merchant Ivan Nikholayev .  Numerous servants, with  profound bows, brought in: ”first, cold meat and fish dishes, then- first course, then roast meat followed by cakes ,then sweets, with pies served in between. They  called   national  cuisine rich and tasty, plain and exquisite, they were surprised  at the variety and rare combination of products as well as unforgettable hospitality. Traditionally, a table was laid in a festive manner and a visitor was  treated  to the best food. Hospitality in Tatarstan  was always highly appreciated . Tatars became familiar with many elements of Russian cuisine early in their history. However, culinary influences and greater variety of products have not changed the basic ethnic features of Tatar cuisine but have instead made it more diverse.

Geography and nature were also instrumental in the shaping of the Tatar cuisine. The location of the Tatars at the border of two geographical zones – the northern forests and the southern steppe, and  also  in the basin of two large rivers – the Volga and the Kama encouraged trade and considerably enriched the national cuisine. The Tatars became acquainted early in their history with rice, tea, dried fruits, walnuts, seasonings, and spices.

The Tatar cuisine relies heavily on the main agricultural products of the region – cereals and livestock.  Fruits  and  vegetables  were  much less developed in the region's agriculture, although the relative importance of the potato began to increase from the end of the 19th century. Local vegetables included onions, carrot, horseradish, turnips, pumpkins, beets and, in small quantities, also cucumbers and cabbage. Fruits were mainly grown in orchards on the right bank  of  Volga, including local apples, cherries, raspberries, and currants. The forests were a source for wild berries, walnuts, hops, cow parsnip, sorrel, mint, and common wild leeks. Mushrooms were not typical in traditional Tatar cooking, and they began to be  used only recently, especially among the urban population. Cattle and sheep provided beef and mutton, both equally popular among the Tatars.  Horse   meat was eaten boiled, salted, and cured. Milk  was used primarily in  dairy products, such as curds, sour cream ,butter etc. Fermented  milk  was  made  into  a  favorite  Tatar  drink- katik. Poultry was widespread in local farms (chickens, geese), and eggs were a popular dish, eaten in various forms. Beekeeping in the forest-steppe belt produced an abundance of honey for local consumption.   It  is  necessary  to  emphasize  the  role  of  Tatar  tea.  Tea  played  a  significant  role  in  the  table  ceremony. Tea  with  pastry  sometimes  replaced  breakfast  or  supper  it  was  an  essential  attribute  of  treating  visitors.

English tea is a mixture of several black teas, usually taken during breakfast. English tea is currently one of the most popular varieties of tea in England.

English tea is also marked as English Breakfast Tea. English tea usually involves a mixture of several black teas mainly from Indian and Sri Lanka, although Chinese black tea is also used. Some teas used in English tea include Assam tea, Nigeria tea and Keenan tea.

The term comes from the popularity of tea drinking in England, which began in full swing during the 19th century. English tea has a fullbodied taste, with floral undertones. When blended with milk, English tea has a taste reminiscent of freshly toasted bread with honey.

The strength of English tea also makes it ideal as a morning wake-up drink. The mixture of black teas in English tea gives the tea a stimulating quality.

As far as Tatar tea concerns, it is a tea party - more than the tradition of "tea  table - the soul of the family" - say the Tatars, thus emphasizing not only their love of tea as a beverage, but also its importance in a drinking ritual. This is a characteristic of the Tatar cuisine. Without the ritual of tea, it is impossible to imagine a single holiday: marriage, matchmaking, drinking bout, the birth of a child.They drink strong tea, hot, often diluting the milk or cream. At a dinner party at tea on the request of guests, add dried apricots,raisins, slices of fresh apples. Tatars like to drink tea from small cups, bowls, not to cool down. Compulsory subjects serving tea table, except cups are individual plates, sugar, milk, teaspoons. To a high gloss polished samovar with teapot on a burner should set the tone for a pleasant conversation, create a mood, and decorate the table during the holidays and weekdays.

The East India Company first brought tea to Britain in the early 17th century. It was an expensive product and one only for the rich and often kept under lock and key. Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II introduced the ritual of drinking teas to the English Royal Court and the habit was  soon adopted by the aristocracy

The first teashop for  ladies was opened by Thomas Twining in 1717 and slowly tea shops began to appear throughout England making the drinking of teas available to everyone. The British further developed their love of teas during the years of the British Empire in India.

Everyone has an opinion on how to make a ‘proper’ cup of tea. The first ingredient must be leaf teas. Not tea bags and certainly not powder. Only black tea  is considered real for a cup of tea in Britain. Black tea is the dried and fermented leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinuses.

Debate continues about whether to put milk in the cup before pouring or after it.  Originally,  milk  was  added before the tea to prevent the hot teas from cracking the fine bone china cups. Tea experts agree with this tradition but also state to pour milk into hot tea after.  It is poured alters the flavor of the tea.

The right teapot for the perfect cupper is a matter, if personal preference either metal (all early teapots were solid silver, ornate vessels) or china. A metal teapot will keep the tea hotter for longer but some feel that china keeps a finer flavor, with no tainting from the metal.

There are some occasions when you must not refuse a cup of  tea, otherwise you are judged an exotic and barbarous bird without any hope of ever being able to take your place in civilized society.

If you are  invited  to an English home, at five o'clock in the morning you get a cup of tea. It is either brought in by a  heartily  smiling hostess or an almost malevolently silent maid. When you are disturbed in your sweetest morning sleep you must not say: "Madam, I think you are a cruel, spiteful and malignant person who deserves to be shot". On the contrary, you have to declare with your best five o'clock smile: "Thank you so much. I do adore a cup of early morning tea, especially early in the morning". If they leave you alone with the liquid, you may pour it down the washbasin.

Then you have tea  for  break-fast; then you have tea at eleven o'clock in the morning; then after lunch; then you have tea for tea; then for supper; and again at eleven o'clock at night.

You must not refuse any additional cups of tea under the following circumstances: if it is hot; if it is cold; if you are tired; if anybody thinks that you might be tired; if you are nervous; if you are gay; before you go out; if you have just returned home; if you feel like it; if you do not feel like it; if you have had no tea for some time; if you have just had a cup..

Tea played a  significant  role in the table ceremony.

Historian  N.  Vorobyev  writes:” The  most  widely spread drink  among  the Tatars of all  classes  was tea, which  they  drank  frequently  and  much ,much  more than  neighboring  peoples. Tea  is  a typical  hospitality  beverage  among  the  Tatars.”

 The tatar’s first lexicographer and educator of the XIX century Qayum Nasyri leads the ancient legend about tea.

There was once a Sufi - a devout man. He spent his life in missionary journeys. Once upon a time, he came to Turkestan. Exhausted, tired of the heat and the long road, he went to the village, which was not far from the Chinese border. Soon he saw a house where he asked for a cup of water. The owner was a   good-natured man, without long explanations, he brought him a hot drink:

- Taste, my dear, you will not regret. This is what you need to return to power...

The traveler drank a cup, another. And ... oh, miracle! Somewhere flew fatigue, the power ,  good mood came back again.

- Here is a drink! His place in heaven! It is a gift of the Most High!

And he hurried out   again to tell people about the miracle drink. Soon the magic drink became known to all, rich and poor. He walked into a habit that he could not do nothing without it. And Sufi , who had lived for many years, took tea during his long journeys. Kazan belongs to the largest tea market in Russia. Local merchants brought tea up to $ 3 million rubles in silver. Especially they liked Kyakhtinsky tea. When Kyakhtinsky tea was brought to Kazan, merchants hurry to inform the citizens through the newspapers. There were 27 tea shops in Kazan. Residents of the Tatar settlements preferred to buy   Sennoy market's tea. The best were the black teas; baikhovi flower and commercial varieties.  They brewed high tea,  drinking it with hot milk, fruit candy, and  with  a  variety  of  baked  sweets,  such  as: katlama(  a  baked  roll  with  a  variety  of  fillings- poppy  seeds, sesame  seeds, kort,  nuts),  kosh  tele, pushtet( sweet  pies  filled  with  jam  or  dried  fruits) etc.  Chak-chak  is  a  mound  of  honey-drenched  sweet  pastry  balls.   Honey  is  very popular  in  baking  and  on  its  own,  served  with  tea. To drink tea from a Chinese samovar was considered prestigious.

 Tatars consider that drinking tea is one of the attributes of hospitality. They drink tea with sugar, jam, candy, lemon, fresh berries, prunes, candy, milk, oregano, honey, especially with milk. Taste and nutritional properties of tea depends largely on how well he brewed. Before welding, it is necessary to rinse with boiling water, pour the bottom of the tea and pour boiling water on the third, then , to lid the kettle  and to wrap a towel. A few minutes later pour boiling water over tea. When welding is impossible to put the kettle on the fire, otherwise the tea will lose its nutritional value and flavor. Tatars must drink tea only freshly. Tea is fragrant, rich in vitamins plants. People can prepare aromatic tea from them. These are green leaves of strawberries, currants.  There is another dairy drink, which is called ierun.  It is  made  by  diluting  kutyk   with  spring  cold  water.  Another sweet drink is sherbet made from honey.                                                       

Whenever people visit the British Isles, they just cannot get over the wonderful taste of British cuisine. Although it has been the subject of much ridicule from its European counterparts, British cuisine has one of the longest histories besides being a great dining experience. Some of the finest restaurants in the world serve British cuisine. With the increasing diversity of the population, many new cultures and influences  helped  the preparation of British food in the country.

You cannot really start your day in Britain without having the traditional full English breakfast  .Somerset  Maugham  wrote: ”If  you  want  to  eat  well  in  Britain, eat  breakfast  three  times  a  day”. Full English breakfast consist of bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes, fried eggs and toast. Some may select scrambled eggs instead of fried ones and modern versions of the meal do include mushrooms and baked beans, black pudding, a blood sausage that is made to look like pudding. Some love it, some hate it, is a matter of personal choice.

After breakfast is done, we move on to the traditional lunch. Lunch is somewhat similar to the Sunday dinner in Tatar home, where it is a big occasion for the whole family. There is often the all-important roast which is a piece of roast meat from either chicken, pork, beef or lamb, served with roast potatoes and boiled cabbages. A favorite accompaniment for the dish is Yorkshire pudding, a kind of roasted bread made from baked dough and the dish including the British favorite – roast potatoes!

When the clock strikes five, it signals the start of tea-time. Given the British’s penchant for drinking tea, you can imagine this is a favorite meal for them. Tea-time usually consists of biscuits and cakes to go with the tea.  There are many traditional biscuits and cakes that are usually served such as scones, shortbread biscuits and jam tarts. Traditionally these items are made  from scratch but you can also buy them in bakeries and supermarkets. Supper is a small meal just before you go to bed. Some people would just have cocoa and cheese while others might have bread with ham and a cup of tea. Whatever it is, you just can’t ignore supper time when you look for influences on British cuisine.

There are many traditional dishes that have made British cuisine popular the world over. However, you may not know that the traditional fish and chips in Britain are eaten with salt and vinegar whereas in its overseas version ketchup and tartar sauce are the usual dips that accompany  the  meal.

There is a good proverb:”We eat  to live, but do not live to eat”. I think this is true, because food is something  that we need to stay alive. Food is a source of energy.  Though, for some people food is a source of pleasure, too.  But, I think, the food that   we eat should also be healthy.

Traditionally, Tatar people  have four main meals - breakfast, lunch , dinner  and  supper.                     

Naturally, breakfast time depends on what time you get up ( some porridge or cottage  cheese  with sugar or jam ,scrambled eggs, or pancakes, tea or coffee  with cheeseburgers or hamburgers ,kabartma,which is eaten hot,thickly spread with butter).

Lunch is not very popular in Tatarstan. Average time for lunch - from noon until three in the afternoon. People  go to the cafe or canteen where they have a bit choice of various baked  items with a savory  filing  are  specific  for the Tatar   cuisine such as :kuzikmak ,  ochpochmuk,  paramach and a cup of coffee or high black tea with milk.  
The   biggest   meal of  the  day  is  dinner.  Some  people  like  to  eat  it  at  home  and  prepare  food  by  themselves, but  others  prefer  to  eat  out  side  in  restaurants  or  at  food  stands.   But   most     Tatar   people   prefer  to  cook and  eat  at  home.  The  main  reason is  that  at  home, family  members  can  prepare  their  meals  and  enjoying  their  food  together, which  can  enhance  their  relationships.  Family  members  can  talk, make  jokes  and  exchange  feelings  on  current  affairs  with  each  other  while  preparing  a  meal. In  this way,  our  mothers  and  fathers  have  a  chance  to  communicate  with  their kids  and  understand  of  what  they  are  thinking  and  doing; while   children  can  learn  to  help  with  some  household  tasks and develop intimacy  with  their  parents.
Another   reason   is,   that  eating  at  home  people  can  save  money.  The  same  amount  of  money  that  they  spend  on  a  meal  in  a  restaurant   can  buy  a  lot  more  foods  from  a  supermarket.  When  all  the  members  of  the family  come  home, they  gather  at  the  dining  room  and  have  dinner.  Tatar   dinner is  usually at  home .  Before  the whole family gathers at the table,  they must  remember  a  set  of table  rules  which  was  described  by  famous   Tatar  enlightener  Kauyum  Nasyri:” Sit  down  to  table  as  soon  as  a   meal  is  served,  do  not  keep  people   waiting. Eat  with  your  right  hand,  if  there  are  respectable  people  at  table,  do  not  touch  food  ahead  of  them-   it is  impolite.  Moderate  meal  is  of  great  benefit -  it  promotes  healthy  body, precise   mind,  strong  memory”.  
For  dinner  Tatars  eat  soups ,  which  are  divided  into  meat ,chicken,  fish , vegetable,  mushroom, etc.  Particularly   popular  is  noodle  soup  served  with  tukmuch  and  enriched  with  pieces  of  boiled  meat  or  chicken  from  the  broth.  They like  eating  soup  with  black ,  white  bread  or  with  cabartma.  For the  second  course  people  have   different  kinds  of  potato  dishes,  meat,  fish  or various  baked  items  with  a  savory  fillings,  such  as  : kuzikmak,  bekkan,   echpochmak , gubudia  and  others.

Different  kinds  of  salads  serve  as  appetizers  for  dinner.  According  to  our  tradition,  good  food  should  be accompanied  by  good  drink.
The  most  popular  drink  in  Tatarstan  is  tea.    Tatars  like  tea  with  milk,  with  lemon  or  with  dried  apricots.  And,  no  doubt,  sweet  pastries:”chak-chak”,”kosh  tele,”  pancakes,  honey, jam,  sweets, etc.
Supper  is  usually  a  small  meal.  For  supper  they  have  different  kinds  of   dishes. ,  because  tastes  differ.  And , eating  supper  dishes  in  our  days , everybody  remembers  such  proverbs as : “The  less  you  eat, the  longer  you  live,”  “Better  lose  a  supper  than  have  a  hundred  physicians” ,”You  are  what  you  eat,”  etc.  Supper  in  Tatarstan  may  be  taken  at 18..00 , but  the  time  depends  on  the  plans  for  the  evening,  weather  people  would  stay  at  home  after  work  or  go  out  to  relax. For  supper  people  usually  have  different  kinds  of  salads , fried  fish ,fruits, potato  dishes  and  ,of  course,  a  cup  of  tea  with  milk  or  with  lemon,  honey  and jam.
Chapter 5 Comparative characteristics of Tatar and British cuisine

Tatar cuisine, combining traditions of many nations, characterized by a large number of soups and baked goods, meat and potatoes beef, mutton  and horse meat, pancakes and dumplings, pies and many other dishes because in a cold climate it is difficult to do without hot nutritious food.                              

Comparing  Tatar  and  British  cuisine  we  can  see  many  similarities  and  differences  in  Tatar  and  Britain  cuisines.

The  Tatar  and  Britain cuisines   are  based  on  heavily  on  the  main  agricultural  products  of  the region. Real delicacy for the Tatar people is black and  white  bread (ipi), which  is  always  served  with  meals    in  Britain  too.                                                        
The dishes  in  Tatar cuisine can  be subdivided into the following categories: hot soups, depending  on  the  broth  used  as the soup  base, soups are divided  into  meat, chicken, fish, vegetable,  mushroom, etc .The soup  may  be thickened  with  noodles,  grains, or  vegetables-separately  or  in  combination. Particularly  popular  is  noodle  soup  served  with  tukmuch  and  enriched  with  pieces  of  boiled  meat  or  chicken  from the  broth.   They  are also  served  with  meat  balls  or  stuffed  buns (ochpochmuk,  paramach ). Main dishes are usually based on meat, grains, potatoes.  Boiled  potatoes  are  a  favorite  side  dish, with grated  horseradish  served  as  an  accompaniment.  A  chicken  stuffed  with  eggs  in  milk (tutirgun  tuvik)  is  a  special  dish  for  holidays  in  Tatarstan.
Various  baked items with  a  savory  filling  are  also  specific  for  the  Tatar cuisine.  Let’s  take  bukkan,  filled  with  various  vegetables(mainly  pumpkin, also  carrots  or  cabbage).  A  special  festive dish  among Tatars  is  gubadia ,a  tall  round  pie  filled  with  rice,  dried  fruits,  eggs  and  kort( a  kind of  dried  cheese).
‘Especially, Tatar  people  like  balesh,  which is  the  oldest  traditional  dish  combining  meat  and  potatoes.  Pieces  of  fat  meat(mutton,  beef,  goose, duck)  are  combined  with  potatoes  and  baked  in a  wood  stove  or  in  an  oven.
One  of  the  best  tatar  dishes  is  tuturtma,  an  intestine  filled  with  finely  cut  or  chopped  liver  and  millet  or  rice,  which  is  another  combination  of  meat  and  grains.
Now  a  few  words  about  pancakes. Tatars  like  them  very  much  as  Britains. They are prepared with and without yeast. A  kind  of  yeast  dough  pancake  is  kabartma  in  Tatarstn  and  small  rolls  in  Britain,  that  may  be  prepared  in different  ways:  baked  in  a  pan  in  front  of  an  open  oven  fire,  or  fried  in  boiling  oil  in  a  cauldron. It is eaten hot, thickly spread with butter. Baked items with a savory filling, dough-based dishes (pasta), sweet baked items and other sweets, usually served with tea.
Despite its simplicity, the kitchen in the UK also has many delicious dishes that have their regional characteristics. For example, in Wales spread fruit bread, toast with cheese and bread from algae. In Scotland, you will be offered veal scars, oat and shortbread. In Ireland, prefer traditional dishes "Champ" and "Colcannon". These dishes are prepared with potatoes. Traditional England is considered a "pudding" and Yorkshire pie. Traditional dishes of UK are soups and broths pureed, egg dishes are very popular: omelets, scrambled eggs. Pies for the filling can take any berries and fruits. Britain is famous for roast veal kidneys, Yorkshire pudding. Most of the traditional dishes served only for the festive table.

Tatar cuisine is inseparable from the concept of Tatar festivals; it is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. Rare gourmet at the mention of Tatar cuisine will remember triangle with beef (sometimes chicken meat), potato and some onion inside. The next dish is Gubadiya, which is made of puff paste, the filling is curd and butter, and the top is “decorated” with rice, raisins and eggs. Each dish of Tatar cuisine - is a special masterpiece of culinary art. Tatar cuisine has evolved very long and peculiar, soaking up the best traditions of other nations.
Especially we must remember about Tatar’s and Britain‘s   tea tradition.  They  drink  tea  at  home , in  café  and  they  always  drink  it with  baked   sweets  and  various  baked  items  with  a  savory  filling.

	Tatarstan	Britain
breakfast	Porridges , boiled  and fried  poultry  eggs, pancakes,  baked  foods,  cottage  cheese,  tea  with  milk, coffee, home - made  jam, butter, chocolate	Porridges, boiled  and  fried  poultry  eggs, pancakes , baked  foods, cottage  cheese,  tea  with  milk, coffee,  home-made  jam,  butter,  chocolate
dinner	Soup   with  meat, chicken, fish, vegetable, mushroom ,white, black    bread, potato  dishes, baked  items, fried  fish ,snacks, tea, milk,  lemon, salads, fruits, coffee, sweets	Soup  with  meat, chicken, fish, vegetable, mushroom,  white,  black  bread,  potato  dishes, baked  items,  fried  fish, snacks, tea,  milk,  lemon,  salads, fruits, coffee,  sweets
lunch	Tea  with  milk  or  lemon, baked  items, sandwiches, jam, sugar, coffee	Tea  with  milk  or  lemon,  baked  items,  sandwiches,  sugar, coffee
supper	salad, fish  dishes, potato  dishes, cream,  tea,  milk, sugar, lemon, jam	Salad,  fish dishes,  potato dishes,  cream,  tea,  milk,  sugar,  lemon,  jam

So  we  see,  that  the  Tatar  and  Britain  cuisine  relies  heavily  on  the  main  agricultural  products  of  the  region-cereals  and  livestock.  The  forests  are  a  source  for  wild  berries,  mushrooms  and  other  foods.  Cattle and sheep provided beef and  mutton.

The   comparison  of  Tatar  and  British  cuisine.                          
Таблица №1

	Britain	Tatarstan
breakfast	Toast  with  marmalade, scrambled  eggs  with   beacon,  fruit , bread  from  algae	Kabartma,  bukkan
dinner	A  Yorkshire  pudding,  pork	Tutirtkan  tuvik,  bulish,  plov,  ochpochmuk,  noodle  soup  served  with  tukmuch,  horse  meat
lunch	Grilled  tomato	Gubadia,  kuzikmak,  paramach
supper

Сonclusion

British  cuisine has a number of national and regional variations, such as English cuisine Scottish cuisine, kitchen Welsh and Anglo-Indian cuisine, each of which developed their own regional or local dishes, many of which have received the names of the places of origin of products.

Food in the UK reflects the many ethnic influences in British society. In any store you can buy food ingredients from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America . Britons are increasingly attached to a healthy diet, so the stores  have  many species   of environmentally friendly products.

Of course, you will always find the famous English breakfast and fish and chips. British families often eat a traditional "Sunday roast", but the same family will eat with pleasure and Italian pizza, and Singapore noodles.

Cultural characteristics of food and cuisine of   Tatarstan  and  Britain  in general have strong national traits. Comparing the features of the kitchen between  two countries,  of  Tatarstan  and the UK,  there have been identified similarities and differences. After spending an initial survey of students in grades 6-8 about the national cuisine of the country the language being studied, we found that only 14% of all students imagine national dishes, 22% of respondents correctly identified the main meal of the British, 16% had heard about the peculiarities of English tea. The level of knowledge of students increased by 43% after a detailed consideration of the topic at English club with our presentation and story about the British and Tatar eating habits. During the research we were able to prepare some exercises on the theme "National dishes of UK and Tatarstan" (crossword, language bingo, exercise on compliance etc.). As well as to collect authentic texts on the subject. We believe that this project may be useful for English classes in secondary school, and the presentation and other educational materials will  help teachers  to prepare oral Journal of the language . Described verbally - speech exercises, crosswords, charades and bingo can be used for competitions during the Week of foreign languages.

 

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_cuisine

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatar_cuisine

3. http://otherreferats.allbest.ru/moscow/00015444_0.html

4. http://pro-chay.ru/tatarskiy-chay

5. http://gurmanika.com/kuhni/anglijskaya

6. http://countries.turistua.com/ru/velikobritaniya-kitchen.htm

7. http://supercook.ru/zz330-08.html

8. http://www.dietolog.org/basis/

9. Домашняя книга рецептов.- «ЗАО Издательский Дом Ридерз Дайджест» - М., 2008

10. История мировой культуры. Справочник школьника.- Филологическое общество «Слово», Центр гуманитарных наук при факультете журналистики МГУ им. М.В. Ломоносова. – М., 1996

11. 350 текстов, диалогов и упражнений по английскому языку для развития навыков устной речи, авторы – составители: Е.М. Базанова, Т.С. Путиловская. – «Дрофа», М., 2000