It is believed that the concept of "Tatar cuisine" first appeared thanks to the famous restaurateur, culinary critic and writer - Auguste Escoffier. In his restaurant, tartar dishes began to appear - sauces, fish, steaks. Over time, the recipes of dishes have taken a certain position in the books of the cook, who now refer to nothing more than “the classic of world culinary”.
Historical nuance
At the moment, Tatar cuisine is diverse and incredibly rich in dishes. But this was not the whole time. In ancient times, the Tatar people led a nomadic life, not being for a long time in the same place. The diet was based on a satisfying product - meat. He was stewed, dried, fried, smoked. Mostly the diet was horse meat, lamb and beef. Also, the Tatar people preferred dairy products, consuming them both in pure form and as part of soft drinks and various treats.
The Tatar people grew rye, wheat, oats, peas, paying particular attention to the planting and planting of vegetables. Capturing the territory, the Tatars mastered new dishes. Thus, poultry dishes, flour tortillas appeared in their diet.
Kitchen feature
The main secret of Tatar cuisine can be attributed to the fact that the diet was periodically enriched and expanded due to dishes that were widely known among other, neighboring peoples. So dishes from Russian cuisine, Tajik and Uzbek tightly entered the basis of Tatar cuisine and became popular.
The secrets of Tatar cuisine are simple and sophisticated at the same time.
- There is a weakness for first courses, especially for soup and broth.
- Tatars widely use fat. They prefer both vegetable and animal fats, not forgetting ghee and butter, which is always seasoned with food.
- The Tatar people deliberately excluded alcohol and certain types of meat from the diet, referring to traditions associated with religious beliefs.
- Cooking Tatar cuisine is carried out exclusively in boilers and cauldrons. The choice of this cooking method is due to the nomadic way of life of previous generations.
- Tatars prefer pastries, skillfully presented in their original form, with a variety of fillings that are served with aromatic tea drinks.
- Tatars opt for stewing, preferring it to usual frying. Thus preserving the beneficial substances in food. Reserving the status of “the most healthy and healthy cuisine”.
Secrets of Tatar cuisine. Recipes of national dishes
The recipes are very diverse and interesting. Most of them keep many secrets and secrets of more than one generation of the Tatar people. The menu of Tatar dishes, which are usually preferred, remains constant at all times.
According to tradition, it includes:
- dumplings made from unleavened dough with the addition of hemp grains in minced meat or vegetable;
- duck meat pie with rice and onion;
- a broth called “Shurpa”, which includes noodles, meat and vegetables;
- a dish with vegetables and meat - azu;
- a pie with chicken, onions and potatoes as a filling under the name "Elesh";
- pilaf, which is prepared in a cauldron exclusively from beef meat or lamb;
- sausage "Tutyrma", made at home from offal with spices;
- a treat called “Chuck-Chuck”, prepared from dough with the addition of honey;
- fried pasties chebureks stuffed with meat;
- “Ayran” drink made by fermentation of a fermented milk product.
The program "Secrets of Tatar cuisine"
Various recipes of dishes from the Tatar cuisine can be seen in the now popular television programs broadcast on TV. As a rule, in this case, interesting and relevant gourmet dishes are selected that are eager to reveal secrets, new recipes, as well as the secrets of Tatar cuisine.
So, for example, among Tatars it is often believed that guests and loved ones at solemn events and holidays must necessarily serve milk, cereal and vegetarian soups, as well as dumplings, but only with broth. Under the name "dumplings" the Tatar people mean, in addition to the usual boiled products with minced meat, and dumplings with various fillings.
Tatar noodles ("Tokmach ashy")
In one of the TV shows Secrets of the Tatar Cuisine, the famous director and famous producer Yegor Konchalovsky shared a Tatar noodle recipe.
"Tokmach" is one of the traditional Tatar dishes, which can be boiled in meat, chicken or mushroom broth. It can be prepared both on meat broth with the addition of noodles, and by adding additional potatoes to the broth. Noodles for a dish are used, as a rule, in a classic form, but you can also use pasta in the form of rhombuses, squares or rectangles.
To prepare a dish, you need to pour a certain amount of noodles into the prepared broth or milk and boil it for a couple of minutes after it emerges.
Flour products
One of the distinctive features of the cuisine of the Tatar people is the abundance of flour products. Those who are interested in Tatarstan (the secrets of Tatar cuisine) know that bread from ancient times to this day is considered a sacred product, symbolizing the well-being and wealth of the family. They are stored for future use and served at every meal.
By the way, one of the secrets of Tatar cuisine is the addition of milk to the first course, the presence of which is considered mandatory at dinner parties and special occasions. So, for example, the same homemade noodles or shurpa when adding a dairy product becomes much more satisfying and tastier.