Google calls borsch a traditional dish of Russian cuisine

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Borsch was included in the list of 10 Russian dishes that have gone down in history, according to the Internet platform Google Art and Culture. The article posted on this resource says that the history of borscht goes back centuries, then in the 20th century this hearty and simple soup became an obligatory dish on the catering menu from Vladivostok to Brest. The article indicates that traditionally borsch was cooked with hogweed, but later this plant was replaced with other ingredients, and the name remained.

The authors of the article clarify that at present, in various cookbooks, you can find many versions of cooking borscht: Moscow borscht, which is prepared with beef, sausages and ham, Ukrainian borscht with garlic and bacon, naval borscht. In the column, the place where the dish was created, the Google platform indicated Moscow.

It is worth saying that discussions about which country the borscht recipe belongs to have been going on for several years already. At the end of 2020, the popular TV presenter Andriy Bocharov posted an article on his social media page about "Russian borscht", which caused a flurry of criticism from Ukrainians. They did not hesitate to comment and even stated that the Russians "stole" this dish from them. But in fairness it should be said that borscht is also considered a national dish in Poland, Belarus, Romania, Lithuania and Moldova.

And this is not the only culinary scandal that has taken place in recent times. At the end of last year, the Groupe Michelin company in its release called borscht - the national first dish of Russian cuisine. This formulation has caused indignation of the diplomats of the Ukrainian embassy in France. And the company had to apologize with the wording "for gastronomic imprudence with an unexpectedly political connotation." The press release was corrected by adding the phrase: “on the culinary scene in Russia, they offer vegetable and spicy dishes that are appreciated by gourmets, in particular, pickle, as well as borscht in possible forms and variations”.

For their part, Ukrainian diplomats decided to develop a Michelin-starred gastronomic guide to Kiev restaurants. It is noted that Groupe Michelin accepted this idea with enthusiasm, and especially liked the offer to visit Ukraine and taste authentic Ukrainian borscht. "After such a tasting, the questions are that our borscht will disappear for sure."

However, this problem was discussed earlier. So in 2019, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation appeared on Twitter that greyhound is a national Russian dish. In turn, BBC journalists said that this was Kremlin propaganda, and stressed that given the territorial conflict in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, this tweet can be regarded as a propaganda attack.

Olesya Lev, the chef of a Ukrainian restaurant in New York, also gave her comments on this matter. She stated that borscht as a national Russian dish has become firmly established in the minds of people in the post-Soviet space even under Stalin. It was he who in the 1930s gave the commission to create the book "On tasty and healthy food". This edition includes recipes for the peoples of the 15 republics that were part of the USSR.

But by exploring the history of this popular soup, you can look deeper into history. Borscht has been mentioned in written sources since the 16th century, when there could be no talk of national states. For example, Martin Gruneveg, a clerk from Nemetchina, who visited Kiev in 1584, wrote: "Besides, Russians rarely or never buy borscht, because everyone cooks it at home, since it is their daily food and drink."

Recall that at that time Kiev was part of the Commonwealth, and the "Russians" for the Europeans were all, without exception, the East Slavic population.