Tsarist feasts in Russia: How feasts were arranged, and what happened to gluttons during the celebration

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

Feasts in Russia were loved and organized quite often, since there were enough reasons: name day, birth of a child, wedding, state events, Orthodox holidays. The feast was a complex ritual, prepared for in advance, and the royal feasts were striking in their magnificence. Everything was important: how the participants sat, at what distance from the sovereign, and even to which of them cutlery was served in advance.

What preceded the feast

Preparation began with drawing up a feast list, in which a detailed plan of action was drawn up. The names of those who were responsible for organizing and serving the feast were registered, as well as all the guests were listed, their places at the table were indicated. It was described in detail what dishes and in what order will be served.

The banquet room was very carefully decorated. If foreign guests were invited, then expensive dishes were used, and not ordinary, earthen or wooden, which were used daily until the 16th century.

The tables were covered with tablecloths, and devices for spices were placed (salt, horseradish, pepper, vinegar, imported spices). It is interesting that individual cutlery began to be served to each guest only from the 17th century, and before that such privileges were enjoyed only by especially noble participants in the feast. For example, Prince Bukhav left notes in which he said that during the feast at Ivan the Terrible he had to use a knife and a plate together with a neighbor at the table.

How the guests were seated: sit down at home

The benches were set up against the walls, and tables along them. If there were a lot of guests, then they made rows of tables. The king's table was installed on a special platform. In addition to the ruler, the prince, the patriarch and, in rare cases, a special guest sat down for him. Women, the queen and princesses, were only allowed to attend wedding feasts. For others, they watched with curiosity through special windows. Apparently, so that it was not very offensive, sometimes receptions were arranged for the boyars, for this the table was laid in the chambers of the queen.

Foreign guests resignedly took the places to which they were pointed. But the Russian okolnichy and boyars argued to the point of exhaustion for the right to sit in a better place. For this, punishments were provided: they could be deprived of the patrimony and even executed. The place had to be occupied by the fatherland, that is, by the distance to the king's table. The violation could affect the subsequent service, and even the family of the guilty one. To solve these problems, they began to hold feasts without seats. This meant that no matter what place the boyar took at the table, it would not affect his service.

Overseas caviar, eggplant

After the king and the guests were seated, food was brought out and the celebration began. Everyone succumbed to "spiky" rolls instead of bread, pies stuffed with poultry meat with herbs, cabbage leaves, plums and lingonberries. Figures corresponding to birds were used as decoration; their figures were made of sugar or dough.

Served salted beluga with lemon, egg and lingonberries, lined with cabbage leaves, beluga and salmon caviar in wooden bowls. After the first course, drinks were brought out. Initially, these were intoxicated options - honey, beer, kvass, later wine appeared.

As for the hot meal, most often it was a fried pig with herbs, lingonberries, masterly decorated with wildflowers. Fried black grouse, pheasants and swans were also honored. But soups were spoiled not too often. But one could be surprised at the abundance of cereals and a wide variety of fried chopped vegetables with meat - there were always a lot of them, and the options were very different.

When it was time for dessert, they brought out the Kremlin, made of sugar, with small carriages, horses, archers and marzipan cannons. The candy tree was very popular, consisting of pears in honey syrup, a vase of wildflowers and juicy cherries and plums. They made fruit and berry pyramids and fruit gingerbread, the weight of which could be more than 6 kg.

Who took the samples and what they did with the gluttons

The butler was in charge of the feast, who commanded the stewards, chalice and the rest of the servants. Serving food and drinks on the table, at which the king was sitting, could only be chasters and stewards of a noble, sometimes princely family. To ensure the safety of the sovereign, the royal dishes were pre-checked. The first samples, under the supervision of the butler, were taken by the cook, then by the servants who carried the dishes to a special room, then it was the turn of the steward or the cup-holder. They tasted last and served food. The dishes that were meant for the guests were tasted in the kitchen.

Kvass, fruit drink, honey, beer, wine mixed with abundant and hearty food did their job. Many people ate so much that they could not really breathe, a large number of drinks made their heads dizzy. To avoid excesses, there were special servants who watched the guests and, if necessary, helped them cope with problems. They accompanied the overeating guest to a special room, where they gave him a pheasant feather - he could tickle them in the throat and induce vomiting. There were special goats on which you could lie with your stomach, hanging your head: in this position it was easier to get rid of too much food and drink. After that, the servants escorted the "revived" guest to the table, where he again took up food.

The preferences of individual rulers

Each ruler had his own personal preferences when organizing the feast, and this was evident from the festive table. For example, Anna Ioannovna loved luxurious balls and dinners, but hunting trophies succumbed to them. She herself practically did not participate in the hunt. Elizaveta Petrovna loved hunting, hares and ducks, shot by a royal hand, were roasted over an open fire. Unlike Anna, Elizabeth demanded that there be as much alcohol as possible on the tables, and that theatrical performances take place during the feast.

Catherine the Great introduced French cuisine into fashion. It was a time of sophistication and variety. The cooks prepared 10 types of chowder, up to 25 intermediate dishes, for example, rabbit rolls, duck with juice, and so on. More than 30 appetizers were served and delicious hot dishes, such as glazed salmon, perch with ham, pulp with truffles. Then the circle was repeated. It was considered indecent to refuse a treat.

Paul 1 simplified the king's table. Ordinary buckwheat with milk was served in chic porcelain plates. Cabbage soup, porridge, cutlets. Alexander I returned variety to the kitchen, but without the former scope. Lavish festivities reappeared under Alexander II, Alexander III returned to the rule - the simpler, the better. The last emperor Nicholas II preferred modest food. His wife Alexandra Fedorovna, a vegetarian, discussed each dish with her chef.

It is with weddings that the history of the fork is connected. In our review, a story about how cutlery came to be the center of attention at three royal weddings.