Page 52 - Spring2008

MONGOL INFLUENCE actually expanded after the adoption of Ortho-
The Mongol invasion and conquest of Kievan Rus by Batu Khan doxy. The prohibition from eating meat during
occurred in 1237 and lasted until Ivan III terminated their “yoke” in 1480. fast days led to a blossoming in the creativity of
For nearly 250 years the Russian people were subjected to waves of brutal fi sh dishes. Russia’s many rivers, streams, ponds
sieges by the Golden Horde, as well as extortion exacted in the form of and lakes were stocked with an astonishing vari-

ransom tributes paid to forestall annihilation. ety of fish and crayfish, and its inland population
In spite of its destructive impact on Russian society, the Mongol had regular recourse to this rich bounty. Mush-
presence also enriched the Russian diet in several important ways. With the room dishes also abounded, aided in great part
reopening of the old Silk Road to China the Mongol invaders introduced by the many prolifi c mushroom species native
spices such as saffron and cinnamon. Even more important than spices, to Russian forests. Here are two menus from a
however, the Mongols brought from China the art of fermenting cabbage. 19th century fast day of a comfortable, but not
Although the Russians had long grown cabbage, they did not know how aristocratic, household:
to preserve it in brine as sauerkraut. Once introduced, soured cabbage and
other vegetables quickly became central in the Russian and Eastern Euro- Mushroom and sturgeon marrow pirog
pean diet. In fact, it is nearly impossible to imagine Russian cooking without Sturgeon head soup
sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers and the many other brined vegetables and Potatoes with herring
fruits, which greatly enlivened the table year round with much longed-for Cranberry kissel
variety and important nutrients. Fresh vegetables and herbs included rad-
ishes, parsley, dill, chervil, green onions and garlic. Wild-growing chickory, Plum soup with wine
nettles, sorrel and purslane were most often cooked in soups. Pike in yellow sauce
Potato cutlets with mushroom sauce
RUSSIAN ORTHODOXY Stewed fruit compote
In 988 Prince Vladimir of Novgorod converted to Christianity and
established the Byzantine rite of Orthodox Christianity as the Russian FEAST DAYS
national faith. Legend has it that Vladimir chose the Orthodox Church The Russian ecclesiastical calendar cul-
because he didn’t like the dietary restrictions of either Judaism or Islam, minates in the spring with the progression of
and rejected the western Catholic tradition of an unleavened Eucharist host. Butter Week, or Maslenitsa, through the Great
Russian Orthodoxy nevertheless exerted a strong influence on the national Lenten Fast and fi nally the joyous feast of Easter

diet through the imposition of a strict regimen of fast days. Depending on (Paskha). Maslenitsa is an ancient holiday cel-
the calendar year, there are about 250 fast days each year, including every ebrated in mid winter that has been incorporated
Wednesday and Friday, and the Great Fast (or Lent) of 50 days. into Russian Orthodoxy, and in fact is so beloved
Among a people inured to food scarcity and occasional famine it it has been celebrated without interruption up to
seems heartless to impose further dietary restrictions, but the Russian diet the present day. Originally a festival in honor

A FRENCH VIEW OF 17TH CENTURY MUSCOVY

This excerpt is from the account of a French soldier of fortune, Jacques Margeret, who entered the services of Tsar
Boris Godunov from 1600 to 1606. He returned home to France and in 1607 published his Estat de l’Empire de Russi et
Gran de Duche de Muscouvie. His account provides a clear picture of the country’s possessions and natural resources,
as well as the behaviors of its people, court officials and rulers. Margeret comments below on the general constitution of
Muscovites and in particular their love of the banya, or sauna, as a health aid.
“’Tis almost a miracle to see how their bodies, accustomed to and hardened by cold, can endure so intense a heat,
and how that, when they are not able to endure it any longer, they come out of the stoves, naked as the back of a man’s
hand, both men and women, and go into the cold water…and in winter how they wallow in the snow….The Muscovites
are of a healthy and strong constitution, long lived and seldom sick; which when they are, their ordinary remedies, even
in burning fevers, are only garlic and strong waters…
“There are among the Russians many people aged 80, 100, to 120 years old. They are not subject to illness as in
these parts. Except for the emperor and some principal lords, they do not know about physicians. They even consider
to be unclean several things which one uses in medicine. Among other things, they do not take pills voluntarily. As for
enemas, they abhor them…If the common people are sick, they usually take a good draught of aqua vitae, place in it…a
peeled clove of garlic, stir this and drink it. Then they go immediately into a hot house which is so hot as to be almost
unendurable, and remain there until they have sweated an hour or two. They do the same for all sorts of maladies….”
52 Wise Traditions SPRING 2008