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Cultural tourism in
Russia > Chechnya
> Chechen cuisine
Chechen cuisine
DRIED MEAT WITH DUMPLINGS
Dishes made with dried meat are still loved by many people. It is used to preparezhizhig-galnash
and various soups. Also, the dried meat thinly sliced can be eaten raw. In past
centuries, when there were no refrigerators, dried meat was a kind of magic
wand. It can be kept for a very long time, and cooking does not take more than
15-20 minutes.
Siskal and To-beram
Siskal is à cake made of corn flour. To-beram is cottage cheese mixed with
sour cream. It can be called daily food for Vainakh. It refers to a light meal
that is constantly on the table. Nobody would regale guests with only this dish,
but it is very tasty and nourishing. Siskal stays fresh for a long time and
can be stored for more than one week, which in ancient times was very convenient
for travellers during a long journey.
KHINGALSH
Khingalsh are semicircular wheat griddle-cakes, always made of thin dough.
They are reminiscent of an Italian calzone, the technology is the same: dough
- stuffing - dough. Minced cooked pumpkin with sugar is used as a filling. Ready
khingalsh are dipped into hot water, generously coated with hot melted butter
and sliced. They are usually served with tea.
DEMA HOVLA (FLOUR HALVA)
This dessert is one of the oldest in the Chechen cuisine. Preparing ofdema
hovla is very simple: corn flour is mixed with wheat flour and cooked in boiling
melted butter with sugar. For the preparation of halva it is better to use a
thick-walled kettle and wooden spatula for mixing. E verything is cooked on
a smalt fire to prevent the flour from burning and getting brown. Finished halva
is shaped, cooled, cut into pieces and served with tea.
GARZNI HOVLA
Garzni hovla is the festive meal in the Chechen cuisine. It is made by hand
from a circular wheat flour noodles and honey. Sliced noodles are dipped in
boiling oil and fried until golden brown colour. When finished they are put
in a deep bowl. When the oil is drained, roasted noodles are immediately poured
with hot honey, quickly and carefully mixed with spatula until the honey syrup
thickens. After that halva is spread on a dish and shaped. The top is decorated
with chopped nuts or raisins. The cooled halva is served sliced.
NOKHCHI CHORPA
This rich soup is made from mutton or beef. Cleaned and washed meat is cut
into medium-sized pieces, put in a pan, filled with water, tightly salted and
boiled first in the fast and then in the slow fire. Before the end of cooking
of the meat, chopped onion, potatoes and fresh herbs are added to broth. For
the unique aroma and unforgettable taste of the soup black pepper, thyme and
bay leaf are added. Ready meat soup (chorpa) is poured into bowls. Baarsh Baarsh is the most difficult and time-consuming dish In the Chechen cuisine. Since ancient times, it was offered only to the most important and honoured guests. The dish consists of tripe stuffed with finely chopped mutton or beef tripe with onions, rice and spices. Stuffed tripe is sewed and cooked in boiling salted water for 3-4 hours. Then the thread is removed. The dish is served with dumplings made of corn (or wheat) flour and garlic souse. ROASTED RAMSON
Ramson (wild garlic) is a powerful natural antioxidant. Several dishes are cooked with it Roasted wild garlic is a very simple dish. Peeled wild garlic is rinsed and dipped in boiling salted water. It should be cooked for 5-7 minutes then drained with the help of a colander. After that wild garlic is put in a preheated pan with melted butter and fried until it is lightly browned. The ready dish is served with some cottage cheese sprinkled on it and with siskal (corn cake) or bread. Zhizhig-galnash
Zhizhig-galnash («zhizhig» - meat, «galnash» - dumplings) is the most important dish in the national cuisine and is the favourite dish of the Chechens and Ingush. Its preparation takes only about an hour. This simple dish with boiled meat and wheat flour or corn flour dumplings is served with garlic or onion and potato sauce. Alt this is accompanied with the broth in which the meat and the dumplings were cooked. The dish contains of course many calories and can be prepared with mutton, beef, turkey or chicken. Zhizhig-galnash can also be prepared with dried meatbowl of melted butter to dip into and of course with strong, fragrant tea.Chepalgash
Chepalgash is the second most popular dish in the Vainakh cuisine. Thin griddle cakes are stuffed with salty cottage cheese, optionally mixed with spring onions. The cake is baked in a very hot pan for about 2-3 minutes per side. When ready, it must be washed in hot water, to make it softer and coated with melted butter. Chepalgash are cut into triangles and served with a small bowl of melted butter to dip into and of course with strong, fragrant tea.
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