Have you ever heard about the roe? It turns out that these are traditional Arkhangelsk gingerbread cookies, which have their own long beautiful history. The process of their preparation turned into a whole rite. And they got such an interesting name due to the fact that most often they made gingerbread in the form of goat figures.
Arkhangelsk roe: history of origin
The birthplace of the roe is Arkhangelsk. They have their own special old recipe for cooking. In ancient Pomors, these gingerbread cookies were considered ceremonial. They baked them only once a year - during Christmas time. All family members gathered for this event, and men helped to knead the dough. Women cut out gingerbread cookies, baked them, sculpted them, and helped children decorate them.
Arkhangelsk roes were most often baked in the form of animal figures, because the northern peoples lived only due to cattle breeding and crafts. Cooking such gingerbreads promised a successful hunt and offspring in the new year. It was generally believed that such a figure protects the house from all evil spirits. Therefore, they were not eaten immediately and were not thrown away, but stored for a long time.
Different areas had their own traditional recipes. They were kept with special trepidation and no one was dedicated to them.
How was the roe painted?
Arkhangelsk gingerbread roe decorated with colored sweet glaze. Mostly used two colors: white and pink. White symbolized snow, and pink - the northern lights. The gingerbread itself was brown - it is the color of wood and earth.
Ancient traditions
In ancient times, roes were believed to have magical powers. There were certain traditions in the cutting of these products. For example, animal figures should look only to the left, and people - in front. Often a strip was made at the bottom of the product, it symbolized the earth.
The ritual images from the test were the prototype of the gingerbread. In general, today modeled painted gingerbread cookies are a very great ethnographic rarity that has still been preserved on the lands of the Russian North. Such figures were baked in a special way: they made the dough, then they sculpted the roe and put it in a cold place for a whole day, and only then baked to a golden crust. Ready gingerbread dipped several times in boiling water - supposedly from this they became smoother, stronger and lighter. Thanks to this special recipe, ancient specimens of roe have come down to us. They were placed before icons in ancient times, each was given its own name, so that the owners had happiness and prosperity in the house. In addition, they were a subject of pride, they were praised in front of the guests, therefore they were cooked with special diligence and love. Later, the roe steel furnace for sale. This was done by the whole family. Men made cutters, women kneaded the dough, cut out the figures and baked them, and only decorated everything together with the children. Each family had its own recipes, which were kept in the strictest confidence and handed down from generation to generation only to their relatives.
Roe Arkhangelsk - this is nothing but a work of folk art. They have their own ancient history, which arouses great interest among art critics, artists, lovers and connoisseurs of folk art.
Arkhangelsk roe: recipe for cooking
As we said earlier, each genus had its own recipe for preparing roe, which was kept secret. Over time, they were supplemented, changed, improved. However, many ancient recipes have reached our time. One of them, the most universal, we want to tell you.
For the test, we need to purchase the following products:
- Sugar - 0.8 kg.
- Boiled water - a little more than a 250-gram glass.
- Chicken eggs - 3 pcs.
- 5 egg yolks
- Butter - 2 packs (better than 0.45 kg).
- Wheat flour - up to two kilograms.
- Salt - 1 teaspoon.
- Baking soda - 2 teaspoons.
- Ground spices - cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg. All of them are added in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1.
It turns out 3.5 kg of dough. From it you can fashion up to a hundred small gingerbread cookies or up to fifty large.
Step-by-step cooking instructions
The dough for the Arkhangelsk roe is made on the basis of burning (the so-called caramelized sugar). It is necessary to take 0.4 kg of sugar and put on a cold thick-walled pan with high edges. We put it on a strong fire, heat it up. When the sugar below starts to melt, make the fire less. Gradually, you need to bring the contents to complete dissolution, stirring vigorously. With caramel, you need to be careful and not overexpose it on fire. It should acquire a pleasant brownish tint and in no case should it smell burnt.
Once the caramel is made, immediately pour the water into it in small pieces, stirring vigorously. Be careful not to bend over the pan. Water with caramel will hiss strongly and gurgle. After pouring all the water, stir the sweet mass over low heat until completely dissolved. As a result, you get syrup. You pour two more cups of sugar into it and prevent it from dissolving to a uniform brownish clear syrup.
Then put the chopped butter in a pan, dissolve it over low heat. Initially, it will float on the surface of the liquid. Remove the pan from the heat and stir for a couple of minutes. Cool.
Next, in a small saucepan, beat five yolks and three eggs. Pour the mass into our syrup and mix. Add soda, salt, all spices. We remind you that we take two parts of cinnamon, and the rest - only one part. Of course, all proportions can be changed at your discretion. A lot of spices were generally put in traditional roes. It all depends on your taste and desire.
We prepare the sifted flour. Gradually add it to our mixture, stirring with a spatula. The dough should be soft and elastic. It is very important not to put a lot of flour. Otherwise, the base will be very tight. Close the pan with a lid or cling film. We put it overnight in a cold place (refrigerator, for example). You can even divide the dough into pieces, putting them in bags, put in the refrigerator, if you do not plan to bake all the cakes at once.
If you want to bake Archangel roes on the same day, you can let the dough cool down, and then put it in the freezer for half an hour.
After the dough has matured, it will become dense, very elastic and will not stick to your hands (plasticine consistency).
Cut out the figures
To prepare painted gingerbread cookies, you can use any molds. And for the manufacture of original figures of animals, angels, snowmen, Santa Claus, you need to independently prepare patterns for stencils from cardboard or thick paper. You will not find such cookies in stores. These will be real roes of Arkhangelsk.
If you want to get thin and crispy gingerbread cookies, then roll out the dough no thicker than two or three millimeters. And if you prefer lush and tender, then up to one centimeter. Next, cut out the figures with molds, if you have them. And do not forget that animals always look to the left.
Those who made their own patterns put them on a rolled dough and carefully cut along the contour with a knife.
Then baking sheet covered with baking parchment and lay out the figures. We will bake them at two hundred degrees for no more than fifteen minutes. They dry out very quickly, so be careful not to overexpose them. Wrap finished products in a towel, and when cool, fold them in a box. So we have prepared the Arkhangelsk roe. Their recipe is not very simple, and it will take a lot of time to spend, but what a result!
It remains only to decorate our gingerbread cookies.
How to cook icing for painting?
How to cook icing? Roe Arkhangelsk must be painted. There are an incredible number of recipes. We will give an example of one of the options.
You should stock up on these products:
- Egg white - 1 pc.
- Icing sugar - 0.2 kg.
- Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) - 3-4 drops.
- Food colors (preferably natural).
This number of products is enough to paint fifteen gingerbread cookies.
How to paint a roe?
How to decorate the Arkhangelsk roe? Painting is, perhaps, the most difficult in the process of their manufacture. You can use the culinary syringe, or you can simply roll the fist in the form of a cone with a hole. Remember that lines should be thin and neat. Any patterns can do. There are no restrictions. Imagine and start drawing. You can use ethnic motives or come up with something of your own.
More beautiful are the gingerbread cookies, which are first filled with completely liquid glaze, and only then apply the drawings to a frozen base. This option is more correct, but also more complex. Yes, and you have to spend more time.
To make the roe bright, add food coloring or natural to the icing.
Natural dyes
Speaking about the Arkhangelsk roe (we painted a cooking workshop), we will pay attention to what color glaze can be made on the basis of natural dyes. We offer such alternative substitutes from natural products:
- White color - sugar, milk, sour cream.
- Yellow - lemon peel.
- Green is the juice of spinach, zest of lime.
- Red and pink - raspberry, strawberry, currant, lingonberry, pomegranate juice, boiled beet juice.
- Orange - orange, tangerine juice.
- Brown is cocoa powder.
Instead of an afterword
If you were struck by the beauty and history of the northern gingerbread, be sure to try to bake such a miracle for the holidays, please yourself and your children. Make roe baking a pleasant tradition in your family. It is so beautiful when, on the eve of the holiday, the house smells delicious!