Who was the main opponent of vodka in Russia?

Several facts from the history of drinking in Russia

The historical facts prove that before Christianity Russians drank 3 reasons: birth of a child, winning a victory over enemies & funeral.

There was no vodka those times, Russians drank fermented & purified honey. Vodka was brought to Russia in 1428, & it was immediately forbidden. After that, it appeared only in the middle of the XVI century!

The first tavern was opened only by Ivan the Terrible. It was called “Tsarev kabak”, & it was the only one in Russia. Until the end of XIX century vodka & other alcohol drinks were served just in taverns.

In a tavern they could buy only small portions of alcohol. To take vodka with them, they had to buy at least a pail of it. Common people couldn’t afford it.

The main opponent of drinking was Peter the Great. In the years of his government drinking was not only greeted, but it was also punished. Peter made a law to chain drunkards to a cast-iron round. There was written that the poor person was found guilty of murder.

How to become rich & successful at 1 night?

Russian people are famous for their love to holidays & celebrations. Ivan Kupala Day, that is celebrated on the July 7, has always been one of the main Russian traditional holidays, especially in ancient times. Then people believed: the more interesting the day was, the happier their life was. So they tried to use this unique possibility to the full.
At the crack of dawn on July 6, young people washed their faces with dew to get rid from spots & blackheads. Then they put on the best clothes & went over to their friends & neighbours. The young girls’ favorite entertainment was wreathing. After wreathes had been ready, young girls went to river & let them float. If a wreath floated quietly, it meant, the girl would marry well.
People believed that on Ivan Kupala Day water had some magic healing force, so they not only bathed themselves, but also washed their horses.
In the evening there were made fires. The bravest jumped over them: it was a specific way of remission of sins.
Besides that, there existed a belief, that on this night, only once a year & for only few moments, a fern flourished. That person, who managed to find it, would get supernatural ability to predict the future &, moreover, to find treasures.
Of course, now Ivan Kupala Day is not so popular, but nevertheless Russian people are glad to have an extra day to make fun & feel like their ancestors.

How to make this funny dish-pelmeni?

Pelmeni is an integral part of Russian &, to be more precise, of Siberian cuisine. However, the history of pelmeni is not so simple. For example, their nearest relatives are so-called “dim sum” from China by origin. The dish is made of usual dough, but still it has become the basis for many variations of pelmeni. The preparation of dough for pelmeni is mostly one & the same, dislike the preparation of its fillings. They can use fish, meat, various vegetables as the fillings, & different spices, berries, herbs as the addition to the main ingredient.

The Siberian pelmeni.

First of all, knead the dough. For that mix together water, eggs & salt. Put flour in the form of a small pile on the table & make a hollow in the middle where pour out the mixture of water, eggs & salt. The proportion is 2 glasses of the mixture for 1 kilogram of flour. Knead on a floured surface until smooth & elastic. It’s good for the dough to leave it for 20-30 minutes, then it will be easier to roll the dough out. So roll the dough out in a thin strip. After this, put mince on the strip in small portions one by one. Cut small rounds with a glass, so that in the middle of every round there is a portion of the mince. Then hold every round in half & connect its borders.

To make mince, cut beef, pork or lamb to pieces & mince them. Add sugar, salt, pepper, 1 glass of water, minced onion & mix everything.

Boil pelmeni in a saucepan with a large amount of a bit salted water inside for 8-10 minutes. The Siberian pelmeni are served with spicy sauce, sour cream or butter.

The Far East pelmeni.

To make 1 kilogram of this kind of pelmeni you need:

300 gr fish (salmon, Keta salmon)

250 gr pork

1 onion

1 egg

¼ glass water

black ground pepper.

To make specific mince for pelmeni, mince fish, pork & onion.Then add eggs, pepper & water & mix all of the components.