Korchma en 09 15 preview

W e h a ve o n l y fre s h a n d s a vo r y n e w s!

September 2015 | № 9 (144)

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Project manager – Yuri Beloyvan

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Pretty Pickle for a Pretty Table

The Globe in Your Pocket The Celestial Empire: Theaters of the Future, Scorpio Barbecue and Songs for Mao

Movie News

Exclusive Secrets of Viy–2.

A Journey to China.

This September Opening of the New Restaurant Korchma «Taras Bulba» Metro Station Maryino 163 Lublinskaya St.

Curious Cooking Tomato: From an Ornamental Plant to the Best Cooking Ingredient Wi-Fi in all restaurants

24/7 food delivery and hotline:

8 (495) 780-77-44 www.tarasbulba.ru

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2 | culinary

The period of late summer and early fall is the perfect time to pickle your greens. Pickling in our country involves much more than just that: it is also fermenting, brine salting, marinating. These preservation techniques were known for a long while as means to store the harvested products and to prevent them from spoiling over the long winter months.

Pretty Pickle for a Pretty Table The Ancient Romans, for example, used vinegar for vegetable conservation. This is how first pickles appeared. The tradition of pickled vegetables was passed on from the Romans to Western Europeans.

The well-known admirers of pickled cucumbers were Emperor Julius Cesar, Queen of England Elizabeth I, George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Russians got cucumbers from the Byzantines. This is obvious from the Russian name of the vegetable – “ogurets”. According to Vasmer’s dictionary, it derives from the Greek άωρος – “immature.” Cucumber is one of the vegetables that could be eaten raw. As far back as the 12th century, the Rus had a tradition of pickling cucumbers and salting the cabbage – sauerkraut. They were a favorite food of both emperors and the commoners. One of the tsars, Alexander by name, liked to eat his cucumbers with an intricate French sauce on the side.

It’s a curious fact that Russia, Belarus and Ukraine developed their own special conservation methods for fruit and vegetables that did

not require vinegar: fermenting, brine salting and soaking.

These techniques were later adapted to many various products. Not only cucumbers and tomatoes were salted, but also mushrooms, squash, eggplants, bell peppers, water-melons, melons, cauliflower etc.

Brine salting was applied to cabbage and beetroot, while apples, pears, cloudberries, grapes and cowberries were soaked. And virtually all products of foresting and gardening could be marinated: mushrooms, vegetables, fruit etc.

The salting and brining without vinegar allows to preserve all healthy nutrients in the products. They produce

lactic acid which helps digestion and helps the body to absorb fat and heavy food. Such products are high in dietary fibers and antioxidants, they preserve many vitamins and minerals contained in fresh vegetables. For instance, salted cucumbers are sources of easy-to-assimilate iodine compounds.

Pickles also partially neutralize alcohol effect and so they serve as a popular chaser food. The salt brine is known to alleviate hangover.

The wonderful qualities of pickles as chaser food were described by Anton Chekhov: “…But the best, my lord, are the salted milk-caps, if they are chopped like caviar, mixed with onion, with Provencal butter… yummy!” (“The Mermaid”); “…Well no, cucumbers taste better… Since the time immemorial the learned men invented nothing as good as a pickled cucumber…” (“Ivanov”).

Various spices help improve the taste, prolong shelf life and enhance the benefit from pickles. You might remember that Gogol’s Pulkheria Ivanovna (“The Old World Landowners”) made the most delicious mushrooms only because a captive Turkish woman taught her to salt them with thyme and cloves.

None of the pickle recipes gives you a strict amount or variety of spices so that you can employ your creativity, culinary imagination and personal taste when you conserve your vegetables. That’s

culinary | 3

MARINATED MUSHROOMS “ALL IN ONE” Chanterelles, Honey Ogaric and Porcini mushrooms with 240 g why different cooks can prepare different and unique pickles.

Don’t be afraid to experiment: spices won’t spoil the pickles. Especially spices like garlic, horseradish, fennel, estragon, basil. However, don’t use anything but thyme for sauerkraut.

Soaking requires spices to come in pairs: cloves and cinnamon, anise and cinnamon, estragon and basil – you chose which harmonious combination of flavors you like most. You then boil the spices in a sweet-and-sour brine.

The quality of pickles depends on the cleanness of the products and kitchenware that you use, on the proportions of the brine and on storing conditions (it is best to keep

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AUTHENTIC PICKLED VEGETABLES Crisp cucumbers, tomatoes, sauerkraut, garlic sprouts, hot peppers, garlic cloves, and cabbage marinated with beets 500 g

them in a dark cool place). Also, as weird as it may sound, it depends on the time of preparation. The popular wisdom has established that pickles prepared at full moon turn out tasteless and soon spoil. For example, sauerkraut turns out soft and too sour, cucumbers – tasteless, soft and empty inside. People say the best pickles are those prepared at new moon. You might find this to be a superstition but it has been proven true by many cooks.

When done right and with love, pickles will be a centerpiece at an everyday and festive table.

Text: Olga SINYUGINA

Here’s a time-tested recipe of pickled cucumbers for you: Soak the cucumbers in cold water for 3-4 hours. Wash them under the running water and place in cans layering them with spices that also need to be washed. For better taste, take garlic (peeled), fennel (the umbels), cherry and black currant leaves, black pepper and allspice, strips of horseradish, bay leaf and horseradish leaves.

Prepare the brine out of one bucket of boiling water, 2.5 glasses of coarse salt, bay leaf and allspice. Let it cool down. Pour the cold brine over the cans with cucumbers, cover them with plastic caps and leave alone for 2-3 days. The brine will grow muddy and will acquire a nice sour flavor. If a mold grows on top of it, remove it. Then drain the brine back into a pot, heat it to a boiling temperature and pour it over the cucumbers. Seal the cans, turn them upside down, cover with blankets. When they cool down, store them in a basement or in a pantry.

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4 | movie

Unbelievable adventures, passionate love story, mysticism and iconic actors. A year after a boxoffice hit based on the novel Viy was released last year, its makers decided to follow in the footsteps of its success and set on a sequel. The story is now based in China, and one of the lead roles, alongside Jason Fleming, will be played by Jackie Chan. The filmmakers expect other movie stars to join the cast. The film Viy-2. A Journey to China is in the shooting stage now, but its producer Aleksey A. Petrukhin agreed to give BulbaNEWS a peek into what’s happening on the set.

Viy-2. A Journey to China: the Sequel – The first shooting phase of the Journey to China has started. What new plot twists can we expect from this movie and will it stay true to Gogol’s spirit?

– Our premise is always to preserve the great traditions of the Russian nation, our history and culture. This is why we did our best to stay true to the world classic’s heritage in the first Viy, and we want to keep that spirit in the second film.

You know, staying true to literature and culture is not about quoting the masterpieces verbatim, it’s about preserving their essence and presenting it to the new generation through accessible cinematographic vocabulary. Many viewers, after seeing Viy, went back and reread Gogol’s classic novel! And that’s our main goal!

Speaking of novelties, we’ll have plenty of them.

The movie is based on four legends, some of them are hardly known, so it will serve an educational purpose, which is also very important. We want to show the best of our country! We want to emphasize that Russia has been and remains a center of the world’s civilization, our country was crossed by the Siberian Route, which stimulated the development of cities, transportation arteries and state-ofthe-art infrastructure. Some of the film’s sequences will be shot on Russia’s historic sites, and that

move is expected to attract tourists and history and culture explorers to those places.

On the other hand, we also want to show the great culture and history of China, the long-standing friendly and economic relations between our two nations. It is an international movie all around!

– You are essentially pioneers in the Chinese filmmaking industry. Did you face any challenges there?

– It has been a long road and we are now nearing its end. The challenges started at the initial stage of approving the script and organizing the shooting on the territory of China and signing deals with our Chinese partners. I think we have enough expertise to teach workshops on how to work on the Chinese market. We faced many problems at the beginning: a catastrophic lack of any information on Russian and Chinese filmmakers, no accessible and understandable information on the domestic rules and regulations on audio-visual products in Russia and in China, on bids, commissions, government committees, subsidies, priorities, opportunities of the market – all this stuff! Despite having partners on both sides (Russian and Chinese), we still came across a great many obstacles that prevented us from launching the production because we received

movie | 5

no guarantees and weren’t sure everything would be done as agreed.

Still, we made a deal on strategic partnership with China Film Group, Jackie Chan Stunt Team, China International Film & Media Corp. Ltd. These are the biggest Chinese filmmaking companies. We have signed a co-production deal. We hope this partnership will last and will bring other Russian companies to the Chinese market.

– Viy 3D has just been released in the US under the title Forbidden Empire. Your endeavor has now gone international…

– That’s absolutely correct. Our American distributor, Entertainment One, has released the movie in the United States in online movie-theaters.

The international version is shorter than the Russian one (109 minutes vs. 130 minutes), it also contains 15 minutes of footage that didn’t make it to the Russian cut. English-language online reviewers who posted the American trailer called it splendid.

We are extremely happy that Western audiences could appreciate and understand our story!

– How different is the international version?

– The foreign audiences’ way of thinking is totally different, so they wouldn’t have been able to watch our version in no shape or form, only if it was marketed as an arthouse film. To make it a commercial movie, we had to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into re-cutting it. We made new graphics. Everyone speaks English in the international version, the narrative is also slightly different. Viy appears twice in that version. Our viewers need no explanation of who Viy is, so one appearance is enough: he comes and he leaves, no questions asked. For them, it is weird: you have a villain in the movie, so he needs to have his head off by the end of it. This is why the international version closes with an action episode: Father Paisiy pays him a visit – welcome to hell! This version is faster and more dynamic.

– And what’s the deal with the release of Viy in China?

– China is a very important market for us. There is, however, a challenge: despite the support from the Ministry of Culture who are doing a great advocacy job for us, there is a drawback – the movie’s religious component. Whatever you say, however you translate, there is still the Saviour, a cross, and their censorship is very disapproving of that. They are fond of everything else – the monsters, the dumplings! Experts from China Film Group are doing their best to translate everything properly and we hope after it gets approved by the Chinese State Agency for Radio, TV, Cinema, Press and Publishing (SAPPRFT), it will be all right.

– Viy 3D was filmed at a world-renowned studios in the Czech Republic, now you are working in China. Which film industry is more powerful?

– China, obviously, has an incredible industry! Imagine they make 20 thousand TV episodes a year. Last year they released 684 feature films.

Hollywood can only dream of such figures! The rate is astonishing – two films per day! When we were just planning our cooperation with the Chinese partners, we visited almost every film studio in China. We spent a few shooting days on the set with Jackie Chan’s stunt team and watched them

shoot fighting scenes, and I should say there is no special secret to it. An incredible diligence and the fear of unemployment – those are probably their two incentives. This is something we need to learn from them. As we worked with the guys from Jackie Chan Stunt Team on the set of the Journey to China, we realized we have absolutely different techniques, acting methods. And this synergy only contributes to the film’s quality.

– What are the expected dates of the theatrical release for the Journey to China?

The only thing I can tell you for sure is that it’s going to be 2016. I don’t know yet if we should try to have it done by Christmas time, we need to think about it. We can stick to the tradition and release it right after the holidays. Or we might release it in October, which is also a good thing. We need to make sure that the Russian and the Chinese release dates are simultaneous, it will prevent piracy – it’s a huge problem in China. Last May, we were shooting in the Czech Republic, now we are in China, next thing is we need to decide on the release dates. But it’s not going to happen before we have made an excellent movie!

Text: Darya Savina

6 | History

September 1 Knowledge Day

September 5 Moscow Day

September 8

Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. St. Martyrs Adrian and Natalya’s Day

September 9

International Beauty Day

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september

The Sky Above Kyiv, or the Nesterov Loop On September 9, 1913, Pyotr Nesterov became the first pilot in the world to perform a famous aerobatic maneuver: the vertical loop.

Moscow Day

September 10

Reverend Iov of Pochayiv’s Day

September11

Beheading of St. John the Baptist

September 13

Restaurant Korchma Taras Bulba at 47 Miasnitskaya St. Birthday

September14

Church New Year.

St. Reverend Simeon the Stylite’s Day

September 17

The Burning Bush Icon Feast

September 19

Restaurant Korchma Taras Bulba at 12 Smolenskiy Blvd. Birthday

September 21

Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God

September 23 Autumn Equinox

September 27

The Exaltation of the Cross

September30

Feast of St. Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sofia

The destiny only gave two years to the Russian pilot Pyotr Nesterov to achieve his aviation heights. During this short time, he miraculously evolved from an unknown provincial officer into a national hero. He authored not only the loop but also other innovations in aeronautics. If this man remained alive after ramming an Austrian reconnaissance plane in 1914, we are sure that his name would have appeared in the world press on numerous occasions. By the way, Nesterov’s flight ram was also the first in the history of aviation.

The future hero and pioneer of the sky was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1887. His father was a cadet corps officer. He died young and was survived by a wife with four little children. Having nothing to live on after the family’s breadwinner died, they had to move to a widows’ home, which provided care and shelter to the poor, crippled, and senior widows of public servants.

The young man graduated from a cadet corps, where his father used to serve, after which he enrolled in Mikhailov Artillery Academy and went on to serve in the Far East. However boring military service and artillery didn’t interest him much.

Pyotr kept dreaming of the sky and studying the construction of various aircraft. He understood that, in order to achieve results in this domain, he needed more qualifications, and so he went on to study at the Flight Training School. Soon he received good theoretical and practical skills.

He finished his pilot training in record terms: in 1912, he performed his first independent flight and, a year later, he flew a loop.

It should be noted that, by that time, pilots had already learned to orbit and to make corkscrews.

But back then they thought there existed “critical death angles,” after which the aircraft cannot be levelled off and both a plane and a pilot would be doomed. Specifically, this concerned a vertical flight in a closed circle. Nesterov set about contesting this assumption. As opposed to many others, he was certain that “the aircraft can find support anywhere in the air,” and that a skilled pilot could level it off from any position. Despite the scepticism of experienced aviators, he soon attempted to prove it as a matter of practice.

On September 9 (new style calendar), 1913, a group of officers arrived at Kyiv’s Syrets Airfield.

One of them was Pyotr Nesterov. No one except him suspected that it would be the day to take another bold step in the development of world aviation. The pilot climbed into the cockpit of a Nieuport plane with only 70 horse powers and flew off into the air. The plane ascended to about 1,000 m and then Nesterov shut the engine and went into a nosedive. When the aircraft descended to 600 m, Nesterov turned the engine back on, then shot up again, turned the plane upside down and nosedived again. The spectacle happened in the sky over Kyiv – above the Shuliavka neighborhood.

The observers who were watching the pilot’s maneuvers were stunned. No one in the world ever saw anything like that. Only after Nesterov levelled the plane for landing, he was greeted with applause and shouts. The pilot was hailed as a hero, his feat was described by journalists of top newspapers. However his direct army command threatened him with thirty days of arrest and… prohibition to fly a loop. Nesterov recalled later

History | 7

Kefir:

Dairy Product from Our Childhood

that he had experienced an unpleasant psychological sensation. When he was upside down, he waited impatiently for the earth to appear before his eyes, but the earth did not show up, and that meant that the flight could go out of control at any second. Another moment passed, and the pilot felt one of the greatest joys of his life when he saw the airfield below…

Then the war started, and the Russian pilot was deployed to the front together with the Kyiv aviation division. They ended up outside Zhovkva, a town in Western Ukraine.

The Russian army then broke through the Austrian-Hungarian line of defense and was advancing on Lviv. Both armies prepared for a decisive battle and so the enemy aviation was assigned to observe the Russians’ movements and communications. The unit, where the performer of the vertical loop was stationed, was observed several times per day by the Austrian reconnaissance aircraft Albatros of Baron Friedrich von Rosenthal. He didn’t just observe the Russians, but also dropped bombs on their unit on several occasions. No one could take the Austrian down from the ground.

Rosenthal’s flights were to Nesterov like a red rag to a raging bull. Once, in a fit of temper, he said: “No more Germans flying over my airfield.” His friends laughed at his words, because back then aviation was at its infancy, and the planes were unarmed, so they could not shoot the enemy. When Nesterov was boarding the plane, his colleagues advised him to at least take a Browning with him. But he said: “That’s alright, I will do without it.” When the familiar Albatros reappeared above the field, Nesterov took off, caught up with the enemy and rammed it in flight. The enemy plane came crushing down. Nesterov tried to land his aircraft but he failed and crashed in the vicinity of the ram site.

It should be noted that when he prepared for the air attack he was certain he could make it. Further practice of flight rams proved that this was a likely scenario.

The inventor of the vertical loop was made captain post-mortem and was buried in Kyiv with honors. Tens of thousands of city residents, members of the Emperor’s family and high army command came to say their final goodbyes to the aviator.

Have you known that the home of the beloved kefir is in the Northern Caucasus? Its recipe has long been kept secret, only in 1909 its production technology became known in Moscow, where it was patented and whole scale production was launched. For many years, this fermented milk product was produced only in the USSR, only much later other countries had a chance to try it, however, in a sweetened or flavored form.

Even today kefir is thought to be a specifically Russian product. Those who were born and lived in the Soviet Union could not imagine their lives without this dairy drink. Young women made it part of their weight-loss diets. For construction workers and students, it was an affordable and tasty lunch. A fresh-baked bun in one hand and a bottle of kefir in the other could successfully drive the hunger away. That’s why the fermented white drink often appeared in films. We all remember Operation Y, and other Shurik’s Adventures, or Guest from the Future, whose protagonist Kolya Gerasimov was caring around a bag of empty kefir bottles.

Another curious fact: dairy bottles in the Soviet Union bore no labels on them. To know what product they contained you needed to look at their foil caps which were color-coded. Silver was used for milk. Green – for kefir. Hot pink – for baked milk. The explanation is simple. The price of the bottle was included into the product price. Collection points bought the empties for quite a high price. For example, if half a liter of kefir cost 28 kopecks, you could return the empty bottle for 15 kopecks. Naturally, people never threw their empties away as it was a good deal to return them. The dairy factories, to save time on washing the labels away, decided to forgo them altogether.

Kefir has strong reasons to have been so popular for so long. It was both delicious and healthy: it contained active microflora. Doctors recommended it to their patients after a course of antibiotics. It was quite logical because in the USSR the shelf life of dairy products was no longer than three days. It has changed a lot since then.

8 | Travelling

The Celestial Empire: Theaters of the Future, Scorpion Barbecue and Songs for Mao. Chapter 2 recalled a few secrets from the tea ceremony. You throw away the first brew. You only brew it with 85°C water.

Don’t prepare tea in a large teapot, brew it often and pour it away every 5-7 minutes, don’t let it get bitter.

Expensive green tea has small leaves. When you pour boiling water on them, they stand up vertically. Take small thimble cups and glass teapot.

I drank a sea of tea. I had my share of dumplings with noodles and shrimps under mustard sauce. I am free to go to bed but green tea is an insidious friend.

It contains more caffeine than coffee. My feet are falling off, but my eyes refuse to shut. Time difference with New York, where I went a few days before, is only twelve hours. The saying is right: when it’s noon for the Chinese communists, it’s midnight for the American imperialists. It serves them right.

We had our breakfast in a French café. None of the waiters speaks English. Are our waiters like that? It’s so damn irritating. The owner is German, he looks like

The Globe in Your Pocket I remember I once read about the Chinese in-thebox thinking. Allegedly, they don’t think about what’s outside their competence. Our translator never heard about the Everest even though it’s the highest mountain both in China and the entire world. If there’s something that does not concern them, they are not thinking about it, if there’s something they can’t buy, they are not interested in those things. Unlike our people.

Nothing gives away belonging to lower classes in Russia than their knowledge of wealthy cars and watches.

I went into the tea shop. What else can you bring from China but chai? The prices are sky-high but you can taste it there. I drank quite a deal of free tea and bought myself a year’s supply of therapeutic leaves. I

a little rat, but this is not unusual for European expats.

However, the children from his marriage to a Chinese woman are uncommonly cute, especially the five-yearold girl. She was staring at us with her eyes wide open and probably thinking: “Is there really a world where all the people have round eyes like fish?” The food and the coffee were good. I liked the turkey pancake and the soft-boiled egg. There is something sacred about eating eggs for breakfast. Every morning, like every life, begins with an egg.

We went to a shopping mall, then split. I promised the children to bring gifts. Now is the time to shop for them. It is about 1 pm and a lunchbreak, apparently.

All the restaurants and the food court are full. Lines are everywhere, ruckus and shouting. The shouting is from the hostesses who announce into the mike numbers of the lucky patrons whose turn has come up. An hour later the lines, together with the lunchbreak, will be over. They are extremely disciplined people in ev-

Travelling | 9

erything concerning food. Spitting in the window and littering doesn’t count.

We give the best to our children. Globalism has infiltrated even the toys. They are the same as in Russia, the US, Europe, they are the same everywhere. I think the shepherd wants to raise equally accomplished and thinking people. In order to see later on how they would be killing each other in wars. I wonder how it would look like? Everyone reads Harry Potter now.

Everyone watches Disney films and plays Lego. Later, Hollywood and Fashion TV for everyone. But people will find the way, as they usually do. In 1917, Russians were killing other Russians in peace, Ukrainians were killing other Ukrainians. Even though everyone was baptized by the same priest in the same church.

I dropped my shopping bags at the hotel and went to “our” grand theater. A business question is on the agenda today. Shall we or shall we not? And what’s more important, who’s going to pay for it? Turned out the meeting was scheduled for the evening, and then we would go to Midori concert. That’s not a band and not a singer. This is a Japanese violin player, hardly bigger than her violin, but she plays quite well. A Japanese musician playing for the Chinese audience on the Italian violin the music by a German and a Russian composer – that’s what I call a nuclear cocktail! Molotov’s has got nothing on it.

During the intermission, we go outside to watch a music fountain. The water streams are up to 20 meters high. The music is diffused with the breathing of water and the machine. It is a blend of matters, mechanisms and ethers. There is something in it. Profound sighs reminded me of a large whale blowing off his lungs.

I think whales have lungs. The motive is reminiscent of something about the beloved China and its leaders who are leading the large nation on the right track.

When you have a billion people working, you end up with huge results. If the USSR had not had mad old farts at the Central Committee, then oil would have

cost $60 and the people would have been thinking and working… We wouldn’t have made it anyway. You can’t work without thinking, and whenever our people start thinking, they immediately start to tank up. Then someone needs to either make it over or settle for shit.

But the making-over is pell-mell, and so we are faced with the result.

We go to see the Russian restaurant of Tianjin, which is over a hundred years old, being opened in 1901. That must be why it is closed at 9 pm and the lights are out.

We have coffee at a Starbucks. It’s full of people and it’s open, far from Russian Kislin or Keloy – people say it is state-owned and unpalatable. A hundred years ago our compatriots lived here. We say goodbye to Mister Chan and to Kristina, his wife. We buy first-class Sapsan tickets to Beijing. 300 km per hour.

The train arrived on schedule and it flew like a rocket, with the speed of 290 km per hour. We felt no wheels wobbling, no speed. Thirty minutes later we stepped off on the platform at Beijing train station.

From the station, along the solid traffic jams, despite the weekend, we went to the market, which sold everything for hotels and restaurants. There were both necessary things and junk there. You can build a restaurant in a day here. It would be cheap and with a good quality. I was pleased with prices, but they could be lower. It would be nice to find wholesale suppliers.

Then we arrived at the hotel and took a walk across Beijing. The market of Chinese goods surprised us with its wondrous food.

Scorpion, grasshopper and cockroach barbecues.

I had an impression it was only for show and no one in real life would eat this abomination. It was mostly meat. I didn’t notice any spiders, maggots or caterpillars. The scorpions on skewers were moving their legs and tails and stingers. It’s a pity I didn’t think to pay the salesman to eat his own food. I could have gotten a good video.

We then went on to the Tiananmen Square (I think

that was its name). We found the entrance to the Forbidden City and Mao Zedong’s Mausoleum. Everything is fenced off with nice Chinese turnstiles with electronic equipment and the control monitor. I remember the square was open to walk on before. But I can’t say anything for sure because last time we were there it was day time. Maybe it’s open during the day even now. A young man was taking a picture of an old couple. The old man and the woman in cheap grey robes from the Cultural Revolution times stood at attention like pioneers on duty.

A girl in a pink dress with a red flag in her hand sang a song and recited a poem for Mao. The passersby cheered her with applause. We didn’t notice when we walked about 10 km. We took a taxi, got to the hotel and found a genius solution – foot massage. It was quite expensive – about $20 per hour. But it was definitely worth it, there was lightness and spring in our step again, and we all received a pair of white new socks as a gift. I spent an hour reading a poster on the wall. It said that no drug sale or prostitution was allowed in the salon. If you notice that, call the police. When looking at the masseuse’s smiles I thought that it might not be completely out of the question. I bought a peeled pineapple on the street and immediately wanted to buy two more. It was my last hour in Beijing. I was on a square in front of a Catholic cathedral and saw the Chinese people dancing tango. They use every spot of free pavement to dance in the evening. What else is left to do for the happy people who are being led on the right track by their party to the world domination?

Text and photo: Yuriy Beloyvan You can read a more detailed account of the China trip and many more interesting travel stories at the author’s website: www.beloyvan.ru

10 | culinary

Tomato: From an Ornamental Plant to the Best Cooking Ingredient Tomatoes are present on our tables all year round. In the summer and fall they are normally served fresh, in the winter and early spring – pickled, canned, in the form of sauces, juices etc. Their tender sweet-andsour flavor pleases virtually every taste. It’s hard to imagine that only a few centuries ago this vegetable was thought to be poisonous!

We have no accurate information about the origin of this plant, but the tomato’s homeland was traditionally thought to be South America, where even today some wild and semi-wild species can be found. Some say that the beginning of tomato cultivation dates back to the 5th century BC when tomatoes were planted by ancient Peruvians.

Up until the 18th century, in the US and in Europe, tomatoes were mostly grown for ornamental purposes, even though there are reports of them being used in popular medicine. The reason for this was that this berry – and it’s a berry according to its botanical classification – belongs to the Solanaceae family, whose members are known for their toxic properties. Ripe tomatoes, however, contain no toxic substances.

The imagined poisonousness of tomatoes gave rise to an interesting anecdote: in 1776, when the US was waging the war for independence, George Washington’s corrupt cook made an attempt on his life by serving him meat cooked with tomatoes. Washington enjoyed the meal, and the cook, scared of the retribution, committed a suicide.

It was not until the late 18th – early 19th century that tomatoes were classified as

vegetables. In the southern provinces of the Russian Empire tomatoes were grown as far back as the 18th century, both as an ornamental and as a food plant.

In the summer of 1780, a Russian ambassador to Italy dispatched to Petersburg as a present for the Empress Catherine the Great a package of fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes. The beautiful color and the tender taste of the overseas product caught fancy at the royal court and the Empress commissioned a regular delivery of tomatoes from Italy, ignorant of the fact that they had been successfully cultivated for years on the southern outskirts of the Russian Empire.

And yet back in those years, in the moderate climate zone and in the North of Russia,the tomato was primarily an ornamental garden plant as evidenced by a publication by the agriscientist A.T. Bolotov (1784): “Tomatoes are grown in many places, mainly indoors (in pots) and sometimes in gardens.” However, the agricultural development did not stand still, and in the 19th century,the to-

mato, in its incarnation as a vegetable, spread all over Russia.

Presently, the tomato is one of the most widespread vegetables in the world. It is consumed raw, pickled, cured, boiled, roasted etc. It is a cooking component in various world cuisines. For instance, the Italian cuisine is unthinkable without this universal vegetable: it is used to cook sauces for pizza, pasta, lasagna etc. Tomatoes are the main ingredient of the famous cold Spanish soup gazpacho. Tomato juice is an inseparable component of the Bloody Mary cocktail. Due to their high content of acids, tomatoes go well with meat as part of marinades, sauces or side dishes.

In addition to their excellent taste, tomatoes are appreciated for containing many nutritious elements. This vegetable is a source of vitamins, minerals and other healthy substances.

They are: • Sugars, proteins, dietary fibers; • Minerals;

culinary | 11

However, an especially prominent feature of tomatoes is their most powerful component – antioxidant lycopene (by the way, it’s the source of the tomato’s red color). What’s even more astonishing, its nutrient values increase after cooking (pickling, roasting, stewing etc.). Medical studies proved that lycopene has anti-tumorous effect, it prevents DNA mutations and cancerous cells growth. For the lycopene from fresh vegetables to

digest better, they are recommended to be served with vegetable oils and nuts, you can easily do this by preparing a salad.

Another important factor is that this vegetable has a positive impact on our nervous system.

Tomato is a wonderful anti-depressant, containing serotonin, also known as a happy hormone.

The tomato is source of healthy phytoncides with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Due to its low calorie count (only 19 Cal per 100 g), this vegetable is recommended in weight-loss diets.

Tomatoes have a positive effect on all body organs: kidneys, heart, vessels. They stabilize blood pressure and help generate haemoglobin. Tomatoes’ skin contains substances that stimulate intestinal peristalsis, while their seeds contain blood thinners that prevent blood clots.

However, just as any product, tomatoes can be harmful to some people. Those who suffer from food allergies, serious kidney conditions, musculoskeletal system diseases and colelithiasis should be careful when eating fresh tomatoes.

People suffering from cardio-vascular conditions should cut down on pickled and marinated tomatoes.

In order to get the most out of it, scientists recommend buying exclusively ripe tomatoes with a distinctive tomato aroma: such vegetables contain much more nutrients than under-ripe or flavorlessfruit (no flavor means that tomatoes were gathered green and ripened afterwards).

What a wonderful vegetable it is: delicious, healthy, inseparable component of various dishes, and preserving its nutrients even after cooking!

Text: Olga SINYUGINA

FETA CHEESE SALAD Tomatoes, cucumbers, coriander, basil, and dill with garlic infused olive oil dressing

GARDEN VEGETABLES ASSORTMENT Tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions, parsley, cilantro, basil

FRESH VEGETABLES Chopped seasonal vegetables with extra virgin sunflower oil

• Vitamins В, C, A, PP, E, a rare vitamin K and others; • Organic acids (apple, citric, oxalic etc.); • Fatty acids (palmitate, stearin, linoleic); • Choline, a substance that decreases blood cholesterol, boosts immunity, protects the liver; • Iodine, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, sodium etc.

200 g

340 rub

«Taras Bulba» chain of restaurants we present a CD of Ukrainian classical music in modern arrangements from Bulba Press.

500 g

470 rub

200 g

210 rub

The exclusive new disc will be available for sale in our restaurants!

Find time in your life for our music!

12 | news from «korchma»

Ukrainian Beauty American Style Contestants of the «Ukrainian Miss New York» visited a groovy party, which was traditionally held in the restaurant Korchma Taras Bulba (357 West Broadway, Soho, New York). Twelve beauties held fashion shows and presentations and chatted with the restaurant guests about their hobbies and interests. All of them received discount cards and three of the winners received gift certificates for

a thousand dollars. As a result, Ukrainian women have become a spectacular decoration of the Hut Party, which takes place every Thursday in our restaurant.

The dinner parties organized by the Korchma in Soho are a new format of club culture in New York City because they combine elements of contemporary music and Ukrainian ethnic style.

Photos: Peyro KITSUL

news from «korchma» | 13

Culinary Festival «Mr. Varenyk»: There’s No Such Thing as Too Much Classic Do you remember how passionately the Fat Rat from Nikolai Gogol’s Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka savored the Ukrainian varenyky?

He was smiling to them, almost closed his eyes with pleasure, he purred like a happy cat, until his deep bowl was empty.If you remember this episode, then you probably know that it’s hard to find a more eloquent love confession to varenyky in the entire world literature.

Realizing that there is no such thing as too many varenyky, and their army of lovers only in Moscow comprises millions, Korchma Taras Bulba on Pyatnitskaya St. started a festival «Mister Varenyk.» The Russian capital has never seen so many competitions, auctions or workshops dedicated to varenyky. The festival’s guests could try their hand at cooking, learn new recipes and even join the party of varenyky lovers. And of course, they could eat to their heart’s content and enjoy this miracle of a Slavic cuisine!

14 | news from «korchma»

Korchma: Escape from the Bustling City...

Bright sunshine, warm earth under its rays, scents of flowering herbs, and a deep, deep sky, not a cloud in sight. You feel like you can fall flat on your back into the grass and look at the sky for hours on end.

Such a sky can be seen not only in the vast steppes of Ukraine, so masterfully described by Gogol, but also in the village of Kamorino, Ryazan region. That’s where we headed with friends. This trip had a few reasons behind it.

First, we wanted to take a break from the bustle of the city and gain strengths from the nature.

Second, we have long planned to visit a farm that for several years has provided the Korchma ‘TarasBulba’ chain of restaurants with only fresh and natural products.

And most importantly, Kamorino was chosen as a sight of flash mobs monthly contest. After all, having the opportunity to get out of the city, why not try weaving wreaths, dancing or singing?

After arrival we snacked on the fragrant honey from the apiary, and on fresh milk, and then went on a tour of the facilities that produce our favorite bottled water «Kamorinskaya.» Then we went on to a very picturesque river. We had a welcome party waiting for us there.Our hosts started a bonfire on the riverbank and we were treated to a soup of the freshly caught fish and to an unsurpassed barbecue.

And then, it was time for dancing and singing. Everyone was having fun. It’s understandable because every Korchma restaurant wanted to win in a competition and to keep face before the hospitable hosts.

As a result, we stayed up joking and fooling around till late at night. The contest was over, but the songs were still heard over the river ...

Of course, there were the winners.

First place was awarded to Korchma on Pyatnitskaya St., the second – on Mokhovaya St., and the third – to the Korchma on Sadovaya-Samotechnaya St.

Welcome to our happy team!

We are always happy to welcome young and energetic men and women eager to work hard and to become professionals at what they do. Every focused and enthusiastic employee will get an opportunity for career growth.

A unique feature of our HR strategy is to employ not only the experienced professionals, but also young people, which results in an effective team.

Our job openings: Administrator Cook Hostess Cashier Waiter Delivery operator Bartender Doorman We offer: convenient flexible shifts + free meals + social package + career growth + high corporate culture + competitive salary.

Requirements: nationals of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, aged 18 to 50. Enthusiasm to work, grow and improve.

Human resources department: Moskow, Aeroport metro station, 3 Chernyakhovskogo St. Phone: 8-926-904-41-54, 8-926-461-21-71 resume@tarasbulba.ru

Note! We are now hiring to work in Korchma “Taras Bulba” restaurants in Kyiv and New York.

news from «korchma» | 15

First

200

guests get

- 20% off

Korchma in Maryino: When Size Matters

Moscow hasn’t seen a hut like that yet Good food should be plenty. This was the motto of the Korchma “Taras Bulba” team when they started the construction of yet another restaurant. In the early fall the new restaurant will welcome its first patrons at Metro Station Maryino, 163 Lublinskaya St. Its area will be over 800 sq. m and the fans of our cuisine may stay assured – there will be even more delicious dishes and homely comfort.

What can the guests expect from the new restaurant? First of all, it’s our original interior and a simple village atmosphere – a special feature of our chain. It’s not only about the décor, it’s also about our meals prepared only with natural products grown at our own farm. If you just love your mother’s borsch

or if you still remember the taste of your aunt’s holubtsi or her pastry, you should try our restaurant. We can guarantee that all our chefs are artists who put theirs hearts into their cooking. After all, numerous residents of Moscow, Kyiv and New York already saw it for themselves.

All visitors of our restaurant know

that the Cossack with moustache and a hair lock at the building’s façade is much more than a company’s logo. This is our quality sign marking the territory of magical taste.

In addition, the opening of the new restaurant is bound to make our little clients happy, because

e Cat and the Fox’, Children’s encyclopedia, a fairy tale ‘Th puzzles. Look for new issue as well as poems, riddles and crossword BULBA PRESS of the children’s magazine Tarasik by aurants in “Korchma Taras Bulba’ chain of rest

Your kids deserve the best childhood!

the Maryino Korchma will have the biggest playroom in all our chain!

Welcome to our new restaurant!

Start your day with a cup of fragrant coffee, come for a business meeting or for a party with friends.

We will do our best to make your life brighter!

We h ave o n l y f r es h a n d s a v o r y n ew s !

www.bulbanews.ru Bulba NEWS has its own website now

We offer only fresh and savory news!

Share the news in social networks, and leave your comments.

Send your news to: bulbanews.ru@gmail.com EVERYBODY READS US!

ality e r n u se of n e s t an ival. s r a r e l a p n but upo ly e t a A mild i immed n i s t se г.Москва, ул. Пятницкая 14

тел.: 8 (915) 222-15-18 (495) 953-7153, 951-3760

Moscow 5% holders discount card

nal 5% off get an additio rk in a New Yo Restaurant

www.tarasbulba.ru

Korchma i n

Soho

книга-меню

‘Korchma Taras Bulba’ reveals its secrets!

357 West Broadway, Soho, New-York

We offer you a recipe book

Not by the salo alone

4 4 7 7 0 8 (495) 7

Ukrainian cuisine – made with love!

Restaurants’ location:

MOSCOW, Aviamotornaya metro station, 6 Krasnokazarmennaya St., (499) 763 5741

Avtozavodskaya metro station,

6 Velozavodskaya St., (499) 764 1532

Akademicheskaya metro station,

16/10 Profsoyuznaya St., (499) 125 0877

Alekseyavskaya metro station, 3 Bochkova St., (495) 616 6754

Airport metro station,

64 Leningradskiy Prospekt St., (499) 151 9011

Baumanskaya metro station,

23/41 Bakuninskaya St., 8 495 956 55 81

Borovitskaya metro station,

8 Mokhovaya St., 24-hour, 8 962 918 75 38, 8 985 644 85 44

Krasnye Vorota metro station,

47 Myasnitskaya St., (495) 607 1762

Leninskiy Prospekt metro station,

37 Leninskiy Prospect St., (495) 954 6466

Novokuznetskaya metro station, 14 Pyatnitskaya St., (495) 953 7153

Novye Cheryomushki metro station, Nametkina St., 13 г, (495) 331 4211

Smolenskaya metro station,

12 Smolenskiy Avenue. St., 24-hour, (499) 246 6902

Tsvetnoy Boulevard metro station,

13 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya St., 24-hour, (495) 694 0056

Chekhovskaya metro station,

30/7 Petrovka St., (495) 694 6082

Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station,

6 Borovskoye Road, (495) 980 2051

Vystavochnaya metro station, of 1905 year,

27 Shmitovskiy Passage, 24-hour, (499) 256-4660

The town of Odintsovo

122 Mozhayskoye Shosse 8 (925) 166-16-18

KIEV, “Teatralnaya”, “Zolotye Vorota”,“Kreschatik” metro station, 2-4/7 Pushkinskaya St.,+38 (044) 270-7248 357 West Broadway, NYork City, NY 10013 phone: (212) 510 75 10

Laskavo prosymo!

Certificate of registration PI № FS 77 – 19940. Circulation is 5 000 copies.