The Christmas season has a different time line in Russia. The holidays begin with the New Year, January 1st, and then extend to Russian Christmas Eve on January 6th and Christmas Day, January 7th. New Year's Eve is the most important holiday in Russia, and traditions begin in the kitchen, dating all the way back to pre-Christian times.
Russian Recipes and Russian Holiday Foods
Russia's history is one of suffering. In times of the peasant famine, the Stalinist purges and numerous blockades, Russians have a bleak history when it comes to food. Often, the most basic foodstuffs, such as bread and milk, were not available for decades.
Even the most famous Russians remember the shortage. In his memoirs, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin recalls how his mother was left for dead in a pile of corpses when people thought she had starved to death during the Leningrad blockade. Lucky for Putin's mother, she was found and recovered completely.
These are the stories of numerous Russians though. So when it comes to celebrating with copious amounts of food, it really is a celebration.
History of Russian Foods, Origin of Christmas Traditions
The first food of celebration for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner is the kutya. It is a meatless porridge, closest to a sweet grain pudding. The tradition of the kutya is to throw a spoonful on the ceiling. If it sticks, this means good luck, or in the historical days of farming, a good harvest to come.
For more traditional and religious-based households, dinner is constructed around the theme of the Holy Supper. There are 12 dishes for the 12 apostles or for the 12 months of the year, depending on individual familial traditions. It is a strictly vegan meal: no meat, eggs or milk. The dinner has pre-Christian roots, and was popular in the Russian Empire, before Soviet times.
The dinner is eaten by candlelight, electricity is not allowed (for strict observers). It begins with the first star in the night sky, which symbolizes the birth of baby Jesus in Christianity, or the souls of deceased ancestors, which date back to the aforementioned pre-Christian beliefs. They stem from the theory that once a person dies, her/his soul struggles to leave the body and must visit both heaven and hell. During this time, Russians commemorate the dead, thereby helping the soul complete its journey.
Russian Dinner Menu for Christmas Eve, Russian Mushroom Soup, Bobalki Recipe
One of the traditional 12 dishes is mushroom soup. Mushroom picking has been a popular activity in Russia and Eastern European countries for hundreds of years. Mushrooms were a sustainable food during the days of hardship throughout the Soviet bloc. Eastern Europeans are often raised to know the difference between a safe and poisonous mushroom, and go out into the forest to pick. Mushrooms can be picked in the warmer months and freeze-dried for storage and eating in the colder months.
Thus, it makes sense that mushroom soup is a Christmas Eve staple in Slavic households. It is made with dried mushrooms, water, garlic, salt, a chopped onion and oil (used instead of butter). This is the basic recipe, but there are endless variations of mushroom soup.
Another popular dish is bobalky (bobalki or bobal'ki or loksa). It is ancient Christmas bread, which dates back hundreds of years, though the specific origins are unknown. It is believed to come from the deceased ancestor tradition, once again. According to the website of Myerchin.org & Schiller, if the bread was put out on a windowsill during the Solstice and birds and other small animals came to nibble at it, this was a communication gateway to the dead.
Bobalky is made with either fresh or frozen dough. Ingredients include: ground poppy seed, honey, sugar and boiling water. Milk is listed as an ingredient too, but for strict observers, they may want to substitute with non-dairy such as almond or soy milk. There are different recipes for bobalky, but the right level of sweetness is what makes it tasty.
Traditional Christmas food for Russians goes back to pre-Christian roots. There are many dishes a person can choose to make, but the three listed above are popular traditional ones. For this January 6th, infuse Russian history and tradition for a unique Christmas (or post Christmas) dinner.
More Important Holiday Customs in Russia
This article, Russian Christmas Traditions, discusses the cultural norms and history for the holiday season.
This article, Russian New Year's Traditions, discusses the historical customs for the day and eve of Russia's most popular holiday.
Jennifer Ciotta - Jennifer Ciotta is the author of I, Putin (Vladimir Putin novel): http://vladimirputinnovel.com.
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