Cakes and pies are considered a Russian invention, although this is not entirely true. Cakes were an invariable dish already at the feasts of the ancient Romans, and the Egyptian pharaohs did not disdain to taste sweet cakes. At least, many images of this ancient dish were found on the walls of their tombs. Culinary historians believe that the filling of the first pirogs was a mixture of honey and fruit. Roman pies were distinguished by the richness and variety of fillings. In the Satyricon, Petronius describes a feast of a certain Tremalchion, where, among other dishes, a pie with lively nightingales was served. They, of course, were not eaten: the nightingales scattered around the hall and with their singing appeased the drinkers.
The Russian word pie, contrary to popular belief, does not come from the word feast. It is akin to the ancient Greek "pyros", which means wheat. Our dissonant wheatgrass is also one of the derivatives of this root. Pies in Russia called any, in modern terms, bakery products, and they were baked exclusively from rye flour. The dough for pies was leavened, that is, yeast. Unfortunately, the old recipes for baking pies have not been preserved.
One of the celebratory types of cake was a loaf. They baked him exclusively for the wedding, and he symbolized the strength and productivity of the bull, which passed to the groom, who had tasted a piece from him. The word loaf comes from the ancient "cow", in another way - a bull. The rite in an amended form has survived to the present day. But it’s not clear why the bride is also given a bite from the loaf, probably these are the fruits of female emancipation.
The main distinguishing feature of Russian cuisine was that the products were not crushed or mixed together. Therefore, in the fillings of pies and pies were small ingredients in their natural structure. Such as mushrooms, berries, cereals, cottage cheese. In fish pies, the fish also did not cut into pieces, but was layered in order to extract bones. Modern pies are a symbiosis of old-Russian cuisine with Western European innovation in the manufacture of finely chopped minced meat.
Thus, the dish that we call pies appeared not so long ago - in the middle of the XIX century. The recipe for pies has not changed much since then and, in general, culinary art is one of the most conservative areas of human knowledge. Progress here occurs only in the technical equipment of the cooking process. Undoubtedly, every technical innovation changes the taste and formulation of dishes, but the principles remain the same.
Mushroom Pies Recipe:
We prepare the yeast dough in a non-steamy way, the mushrooms are boiled and chopped. Onions are fried in ghee until golden brown. Mix mushrooms with fried onions, add herbs, sour cream, pepper and salt the filling to taste, without removing the pan from the heat. Divide the finished dough into balls, roll it thinly, put the filling, close the edges. Bake in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees. for 10 minutes.
Turkey Pie Recipe:
We prepare the dough as in the previous recipe according to the uncooked method. Stuffing: boil rice and turkey fillet, finely chop the fillet, mix with rice, fried onions and herbs.
Recipe for onion pies:
The dough is the same. For minced meat, chop green onion, pour it into melted butter, add a teaspoon of sugar and finely chopped boiled eggs. Mix everything thoroughly. Form pies in the usual way. Oven in the oven.
Easy recipes for pies:
Boil potatoes, knead. Add the egg, flour and mix until smooth. For minced meat, knead the feta cheese, add greens and garlic, mix.
For the sauce, grate boiled beets, add garlic and crushed walnuts. Stir and season with sour cream.
Form pies, fry them in a pan on both sides. Serve with ready-made sauce.