Tatar and russian national cuisine

Tatars are very proud of their national cuisine. The basis of the Tatar cuisine is a wide range of meat and pastry dishes. Counter to popular confusion, Kazan Tatars don’t eat raw minced meat, which is called “Steak Tatar” in Western Europe. Nor has the “Tartar” sauce with pickles anything to do with the Tatar national food. Also, in contrast to Eastern countries, we eat with spoons and forks, not with hands.

Achpochmack	Triangular pies with a meat and potato filling. According to a legend, these triangles were brought to Kazan along with the conquering Tatar-Mongols, who used them as road food. These pies were cooked in advance and dried, then after a long ride a soldier could pour hot water into the hole on top and in five minutes he could have both first and second course – a pie with a thick soup inside.
Belish	A pie, traditionally with duck or other poultry filling. To eat it correctly, first cut off the top crust and eat the filling with a spoon using the top crust as bread and only then finish off the juicy bottom crust, which had absorbed the filling’s juices.
Chak-chak	Dough balls baked in honey. The authentic home-made one is usually round, while factory-made one comes in blocks.
Gubadiya	A round and tall pie with a milk- and butter-based crust and layered filling. It is one of the main dishes at big festivities. The filling is made of baked curd, boiled rice, chopped hard-boiled eggs, raisins, dried apricots and prunes.
Tokmach	A clear soup made of thin homemade noodles and chicken broth.
Kystibiy	A pie made of bland dough with filling of mashed potatoes.
Talkish-Khalave	Pyramids of dough and honey which melt in your mouth.
Kazilik	Raw smoked horse sausage.
Kosh Tele	A dessert made of crispy dough with powdered sugar.

Russian cuisine derives its rich and varied character from the vast and multi-cultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of plentiful fish, poultry, game, mushrooms, berries, and honey. Crops of rye, wheat, barley, and millet provided the ingredients for a plethora of breads, pancakes, cereals, kvass, beer, and vodka. Soups and stews full of flavor are centered on seasonal or storable produce, fish, and meats. This wholly native food remained the staple for the vast majority of Russians well into the 20th century.

From the time of Catherine the Great, every family of influence imported both the products and personnel — mainly French and Austrian — to bring the finest, rarest, and most creative foods to their table. This is nowhere more evident than in the exciting, elegant, highly nuanced, and decadent repertoire of the Franco-Russian chef. Many of the foods that are considered in the West to be traditionally Russian actually come from the Franco-Russian cuisine of the 18th and 19th centuries, and include such widespread dishes as Veal Orloff, Beef Stroganoff, and Chicken Kiev.