Why Generalisimus Suvorov didn't have dinner, and How he punished Count-kutila Potemkin at the banquet

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

The catch phrase about the benefits of breakfast, the need to share lunch with a friend and give dinner to the enemy belongs to the Russian commander Suvorov. Only Alexander Vasilyevich meant not the principle of proper nutrition. The Generalissimo did not eat in the evening, believing that only a hungry soldier had sufficient combat readiness in case of enemy attacks in the dark. But Suvorov still had his own principles of nutrition.

Capricious stomach and Proshka behind

Due to his weak stomach, Suvorov steadfastly adhered to moderation in food. His loyal lifelong valet Prokhor Dubasov, called Proshka, stood at Suvorov's table, not allowing overeating. Carried away by a rich choice, the commander did not always stop on time, and he could become seriously ill. As soon as Suvorov obviously attempted to eat unnecessary food, Proshka unceremoniously took the plate away from him, not reacting to any arguments. Dubasov knew very well that in case of ill health of the master, he would be answered, and the punishment from the assistant would be the most severe. When someone invited the commander to dinner, then, as a rule, Mitka, the personal chef of Alexander Vasilyevich, was also called. If Mitka did not participate in the preparation of dishes for Suvorov, he refused to eat at the common table, citing ill health.

Tea traditions and strict rules

Suvorov's day began with tea, and ends with it. At the height of the night, Suvorov woke up, poured ice water from a couple of buckets and began the tea ceremony. Alexander Vasilievich used exclusively black tea varieties, subscribing it from Moscow. The price of this product for the commander was never looked at, carefully selecting and consulting with experts in this matter. For shipment, tea was carefully packed so that it would not suddenly absorb foreign odors and would not be rejected by a sophisticated customer. When tea got to Suvorov, he first tested it by eye, then demanded to sift it several times through a sieve. Only after that, the leaves were brewed without fail in the presence of the owner. A drink was served to Suvorov for half a cup, after the first sip, he commanded: top up or dilute.

Alexander Vasilyevich drank a lot of tea. On ordinary days, cream was added to the cup, on lean days, the drink was pure. Suvorov, according to numerous testimonies, was a devout man, all fasts were observed by him very strictly. The Passion Week of the longest of the fasts, the Great, he spent only on tea.

Approved menu and tin instead of silver

The tea procedures were followed by the approval of the daily menu. If a dinner party was planned (Suvorov met guests in the afternoon, going to bed at sunset), the commander agreed on a table with Mitka. Some dishes were prepared only for Suvorov, some - only for guests. Alexander Vasilyevich really liked to treat guests, enjoying pleasant table conversations. For the owner personally, Mitka served fish soup on fasting days, and cabbage soup, the commander's favorite and main dish throughout his life, on fast days. The second, as a rule, relied on roast in clay pots, dumplings, buckwheat porridge, pearl barley and millet, boiled beef. Sometimes the cook was instructed to surprise guests with Kalmyk stew - beshbarmak, and roast game.

Suvorov did not recognize sauces and similar additives, he was indifferent to complex desserts. Serving food on the table, at the request of Suvorov, was carried out with ardor, with heat, directly from the kitchen. The diet of fasting days was diluted with dishes of porcini mushrooms and stuffed pike with horseradish. Suvorov considered silverware to be harmful and capable of poisoning food. Therefore, a tin spoon always lay at his plate, a knife and a fork were with bone white cuttings.

In the routine of Suvorov's days, there were no breakfasts and dinners as such. At rare intervals, in the evening, he ordered to serve thinly sliced lemon, sprinkled with sugar. Even less often I ate a couple of spoons of sweet wine jam.

Unacceptable guests and curiosity with Potemkin

The commander did not give the level of cooking skills of paramount importance. Suvorov was satisfied with the freshness of the products used, the observance of the rules of sanitation and the usefulness, in his opinion, of the final dish. Guests and invitations on this occasion did not always have an easy and carefree experience. Alexander Vasilyevich disliked the glutton and everyone who pays more attention to bodily food against the background of spiritual fulfillment. If such a person once got into the commander's house, he could hardly count on a second invitation. One of those who did not develop a relationship with Suvorov was Potemkin. Being a man of not the most modest rules, His Serene Highness literally asked the military leader for dinner. And Suvorov arranged this dinner for him. True, in its own way.

The Generalissimo summoned the maitre d 'Matone, who served with Count Potemkin, and ordered him the most luxurious dinner for Potemkin and his retinue. He ordered not to spare finances for dinner and to prepare the most that neither is the grand table for the Most Serene Prince. At the same time, Suvorov set the date for the feast on a fast day. So the personal chef Mitka prepared a few simple meatless dishes for the owner in advance. The dinner went well, all those present were satisfied. And Suvorov himself made wide compliments at the end of the reception to the organization of the banquet. That there, the battered Potemkin himself was amazed at the luxury and scope of the feast. When Matone sent Suvorov a hefty bill that exceeded a thousand rubles, the commander categorically parried it. Suvorov refused to pay, unsubscribing directly to the account “I didn’t eat anything,” after which he sent the paper to Potemkin's name. Potemkin, who knew that Alexander Vasilyevich really only consumed his lean dishes, took the blow.

The count paid the bill, commenting on how much Suvorov was costing him. Well, history did not record the accompanying obscene phrases, to which Grigory Alexandrovich was still a lot.

The commander was distinguished by a very tough disposition. He even drove his wife out for this very reason.