European cuisine

My little Cuisine May 2011

My little Cuisine May 2011

The European cuisine is as varied as the many countries that make up Europe. While there are many differences between the various cuisines that fall under the term of European cuisine, there are also similarities.Also important to European cuisines are sauces, seasonings and ingredients such as wheat and the humble potato. Maize is seen less in Europe than in other parts of the world.

The characteristics of the Balkan Food Culture The food culture of the Balkan Peninsula displays Asian as well as west European influences. Even though the Oriental influence has been very strong in the last several centuries, ethnic characteristics and traditions have been preserved. Dishes consumed in this region therefore contain many similar elements, but may also greatly differ from each other. One of the characteristics shared by most is the use of numerous spices, onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, and capers.

Soups are prepared from vegetables, meat, herbs, or different kinds of fish. Meat soups usually contain a variety of vegetables, as well. Throughout the Balkans, spring is the time for a thick lamb soup (mayiritsa).

Other popular vegetable soups are potato, leek, corn, or bean soups, or a soup made of zucchini with milk or eggs. Along the Danube River, fishermen prepare thick soups (Alaska èorba), while in coastal areas, they make soup from sea fishes (the Greek khakhavia).

In the past, meat did not play a central role in the food culture of the Balkans. It was, nevertheless, a highly esteemed food, which could be prepared in a variety of ways. Grilling and spit roasting are characteristic of the Balkan region, and lambs, kids, or pigs are roasted on spits on prominent occasions, such as weddings and New Year's Day. People grill seasoned minced meat shaped in different forms (èevapèièi, pleskavica), kabobs (vešalica, šaši kebasi), lamb and veal cutlets, beefsteaks, or small pieces of meat with vegetables and mushrooms (muèkalica, krzatmas).Also very popular are meatballs (èufte;in Bulgarian “kiufte”), be it in or without a sauce, for instance, the “pash”a of Turkey or the Greek “kreftaidakiya”. Minced meat is also used for the preparation of meat pie (in both languages “burek”), which can also be filled with cheese or vegetables.

Meat can be served in a stew (goulash, paprika). Chicken is roasted with an addition of spices and vegetables, such as olives, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. Duck or goose is most often served roasted, sometimes with filling.

In Balkan cuisine, vegetables are often prepared as a main or side dish, usually consisting of legumes, cabbage, kale, root crops, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. These vegetables are made into a ragout, or filled with rice, meat, corn, vegetable, or cheese, or stewed with rice and meat (uveè). Very popular dishes are those which are made from a mixture of vegetables, meat, and rice (in both languages “sarma”), or those prepared with vine leaves ( jalanci dolmasi), or other leaves (cabbage, kale, chard). There are different casseroles in which meat is prepared together with vegetables, for instance, the Albanian shepherd's pot, or the Bosnian pot. The Turkish, Bulgarian and Greek “moussaka”, a baked dish consisting of layers of sautéed vegetables, meat, rice, or potatoes, is prepared throughout the Balkan Peninsula. Oriental influence is most strongly felt in the great variety of pastries, which have always been an important part of festive meals in all Balkan countries. Among the most popular are different pastries drenched in sugar syrup, and strudels. Most of the sweets contain walnuts and almonds, which are also put into stuffed apples (tufahije), or fill walnut pies, cakes, and the famous baklava cakes made from paper-thin dough. Nuts are sprinkled on sweet noodles (kadaif). “Zito”, wheat with walnuts, is a festive dish from Bulgarian and Serbia. On Christmas and Easter, which are among the most prominent holidays in the region, different kinds of cakes are still served; one of them is the “pinca” from the Croatian coastal area, or Greek “melomacarona”, or Bulgarian “kozunak” and another is

My little Cuisine May 2011

“kourabiethes”. “Vasiljica” or “badnjaèa” are prepared in Serbia and Bosnia. Tables filled with festive dishes display a great variety of the Balkan cuisine and a strong attachment to the traditional culinary tradition. ( Biluš, Ivanka, and Zvonimir Mršic, eds. Hrvatska za stolom. Zagreb: Alfa, 1996)

BULGARIAN TRADITIONAL FOOD

Adapted from "The Food and Cooking of Eastern Europe" by Lesley Chamberlain, Penguin Books, London, 1989 The Bulgarian cuisine is one the world's simplest, healthiest and most naturally elegant styles of cooking, akin to the cuisines of Turkey and Lebanon. The seasoning is light and the accent on preserving natural flavours.

Among the many features of the modern Bulgarian table likely to appeal to Western tastes are the appetizers or “meze”. These include white beans and preserved vegetables in olive oil, peppers, olives, tomatoes, spicy sausage “pasterma”, hot pastry and deep-fried savouries in batter, green onions, cucumber, yoghurt, pickled cucumbers and a white, very salty, fresh cheese like the Greek feta. Herbs — thyme, tarragon, basil, savory, mint, dill — are widely used, both fresh and dried, to flavour salads and in curing or preserving cheese and meat. Flat and leavened bread, white and brown, accompany meze.

The sausage, salami, cheese, yoghurt, vegetables and fruit that characterize this very natural table first appear at breakfast, along with yellow cheese and a number of other excellent fermented-mild products that confirm Bulgaria as a worthy home of the supposedly life-enhancing bacillus bulgaricus. Meat, often lamb, is simply prepared, by grilling on charcoal or spit-roasting. Out of minced meat the Bulgarians make spiced meatballs and rissoles which are baked or grilled, and cubed meat (kebap) is cooked in the same way or baked with vegetables.

Chicken and game are relished, and a festive specialty is stuffed white fish with nuts and raisins.

Probably the best-known dish outside the country, and one promoted as national, is “gyuvech”, a sealed casserole of up to twelve different vegetables, with or without the addition of meat or fish, and sometimes with a garnish of grapes.

A special preparation is “banitsa”, consisting of wafer-thin layers of buttery pastry enclosing a filling of spinach and cheese or ground meat and cheese with herbs. Savoury, it is like a pastry version of lasagna; sweet versions come with nuts and cheese or jam and cheese, or pumpkin. “Moussaka” is another well-known composite dish of baked meat and vegetables and herbs, sometimes topped with a savory custard or yoghurt.

For padding they enjoy pilaf (rice) in both sweet and savory forms, with raisins and with poultry stock and onions.

Bulgaria has one of the lowest per capita meat consumption figures in Europe. A pig is slaughtered for Christmas eating, along with venison, and through the year pork, veal, beef and lamb are eaten in moderation.

It is not uncommon for meat to be cooked with fruit, for example veal with quinces. One of the most surprising aspects of traditional meat cookery and Bulgarian cuisine in general is the absence of sauces. Thus, when the venison is cooked for Christmas it is only marinated and roasted and then served dry with cooked vegetables.

My little Cuisine May 2011

The Bulgarians have a passion for stuffed fresh or fermented cabbage leaves, and they also stuff every other kind of vegetable and fruit from quinces to peppers, tomatoes to aubergines. Traditional all-year Bulgarian soups are made with predominantly southern ingredients like spinach, lamb, olives, rice and lemons.

The most famous is tarator, made with cucumber and yoghurt, thickened with ground walnuts and served.

The soups have a very important role in the Bulgarian cuisine, as in many occasions the appetizers are removed and these become the first course. Most of the soups are based on vegetables, such as beans, but other may include meats. „Tarator” is a Bulgarian soup that is served cold. It resembles of the Greek dish named „Tzatziki”.

Tarator Soup This Bulgarian recipe is intended to serve four persons Ingredients:1 large cucumber, peeled, diced, salted and drained, 7.2 dl yoghurt, 7.2 dl iced water or mineral water, 30 ml olive oil, 85 gr walnuts, crushed, 3 large cloves garlic, crushed with salt Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a blender and serve chilled. The Bulgarian appetizers are pretty much similar to the appetizers that are prepared in the other countries from the Balkans. The appetizers consist of vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, various types of cheese, the most important being feta and „kashkaval”, and not at last meats, such as chicken. The yoghurt and the eggs also play an important role when preparing Bulgarian appetizers. Other Bulgarian appetizers that gained popularity are: Cheese Stuffed Peppers, Fried bread slices and Shoppe style cheese.

Aubergine Byurek Ingredients:1¼ kg aubergines (about 4 – 5 large aubergines (or roasted peppers)), 200 g white brined cheese or feta cheese, 50 g breadcrumbs, vegetable oil, 100 g plain flour, 6 eggs, parsley, a bunch of dill, black pepper and salt Preparation: Wash and dry the aubergines, slice 1/2 cm thick, sprinkle with salt and put aside for 10–15 minutes. Drain any juices which are running from the aubergine slices. Put each slice in flour and fry for about 3–4 minutes on each side. Make a filling by mixing 4 eggs , Cheese , parsley and pepper . Place a tbs of the mixture onto half of the slices and cover with the remaining slices. Then dip the slices in the remaining 2 eggs (beaten), cover in breadcrumbs and fry for about 2 – 3 minutes on each side.

Monastery "Gyuvech" This Bulgarian recipe is intended to serve four persons Ingredients: 600gr meat (lamb, veal or pork) , 1 dl oil or 800 gr lard , 1 onion , 200 gr tomatoes salt , pepper , 2-3 dl warm water or soup from cube , 300 gr fresh mushrooms (or 100 gr dried) , 150 gr paprikas, 100 gr olives , 100 gr rice , 1 dl wine , 1/2 bunch of parsley Directions:Wash meat, wipe and cut into big pieces. Fry it quickly in heated oil, add finely chopped onion, cook gently until slightly soft, add half of the tomatoes (100 gr) peeled and cut into small pieces, add salt and pepper, pour in warm water or soup from cube (or bone stock), then simmer. When half tender turn into a fireproof or earthenware dish, add mushrooms trimmed, washed, and cut into thin slices and paprikas cut into strips. When mushrooms and paprikas are tender, add olives and rice picked over and half-cooked. Add more salt and pepper

My little Cuisine May 2011

if necessary, pour in wine and some warm water as needed. Bake in the oven preheated to 175-200 degrees centigrade. After 10-15 minutes add the rest of the tomatoes cut into rounds and bake until brown. When done, sprinkle "gyuvech" with chopped parsley and pepper.

(The both recipes are adapted from "The Balkan Cookbook" by Radojko Mrljes, Belgrade, 1987)

Lutenitza/ CHUTNEY/ Ingredients:5 kg of red peppers, 1 large jar of a prepared tomato puree, 2 tablespoons of salt (regular, not peak!), Half a cup of vinegar,, half a cup of honey/sugar, 400 ml (2 cups) of vegetable oil, some pepper (if you like) Directions:The peppers should be cleared from the seeds, then roasted, peeled and chopped (cook in a highly-heated oven for half an hour until they’re ready; after that peel and dry the cooked peppers and chop them in the kitchen harvester in large or very small pieces, depending on your taste) The created puree of peppers is then poured into a large deep saucepan, then the tomato puree is added along with some spices, after that it’s stirred well. If the mix is watery (peppers should be dried in advance) you can boil it for a few minutes until excess liquid evaporates. The cooking oil is then heated good (when a bread cube is placed inside it should become dark in seconds) and then poured in portions into the chutney, stirring vigorously after every addition of cooking oil until the mixture completely absorbes the oil. The created mixture is then packed in jars and boiled for 10 minutes (after the water itself boils).

The amount of products is enough for about 9 to 10 jars of 250 grams or 330 grams. If you like, you could add cooked and passion carrots, eggplants, a few pieces of garlic.

Most of the Bulgarian traditional meals end with desserts. The majority of these desserts include cheese, as the main ingredient. As evidence, there are the sweet balls with syrup that contain cheese, besides vanilla, baking soda, sunflower oil and eggs. In Bulgaria, the pies are named „banitsa”. There are many varieties of this dish-”banitsa saralia” and milk „ banitsa” being the most important of them. Also, the Bulgarians make use of the local fruits and create dishes such as baked apples with vanilla syrup. A dessert that is similar to the „banitsa saralia” is the Bulgarian Baklava, which resembles of the Turkish dessert. However, each of the countries from the Balkans declares that the Baklava is their own invention. Besides these, other Bulgarian sweet delicacies are the honey, the halva and „tikvenik” that are banitsa based on pumpkin.

“Banitsa” “Banitsa” is a traditional Bulgarian pastry prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs and pieces of cheese between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven. “Banitsa” is served for breakfast with plain yogurt. It can be eaten hot or cold. Another popular version is “banitsa” with spinach.

Preparation:Take 12 pastry sheets (phyllo). Grease bottom of a pan with butter or oil. Brush 3 sheets with butter. Place sheets one atop the other. Spread 1/3 of filling. Top with 2 more sheets, each brushed with butter or oil. Spread second third of filling. Repeat one more time. Top last layer of filling with 3 oiled sheets. Bake in a moderate oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cheese Filling Ingredients: 4 eggs, pinch of baking soda, 1/4 kg white cheese Beat eggs, adding baking soda, keep beating and add crumbed (or grated or crushed) cheese.

Spinach Filling Ingredients: 1/2 kg spinach, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 coffee cup oil (or melted butter), 1 teaspoon salt

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1 cup crumbled white cheese), 3 eggs Preparation: Squeeze gently water from spinach (washed and cut in strips). Stew in oil (or melted butter). Leave to cool.Mix up together spinach, cheese, eggs and milk.

Pastry with pumpkin Ingredients:The bark of pastry: 1 cup of slightly warmed water / 250 ml /, 1 cube of yeast, 1ts of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1ts of vinegar, 1ts of cooking oil, 1 egg, some flour Make a well in the flour and put all products in it. Knead soft dough, then divide it into to 5 to 6 balls. Smeare it with oil and place it in an oiled baking dish to relax for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Each ball is sprinkled with flour and rolled into a thin sheet, then moved on a paper or a thin cloth with the help of a rolling-pin. Each sheet is then sprinkled with oil and filled with stuffing.

The Stuffing: 1 kg. pumpkin , 200 g of sugar (or more if you like it sweeter), 150 g of walnuts, 100 ml of oil, Cinnamon and vanilla powder The preparation: The pumpkin is grated on a wholesale grater, and then it’s mixed with the walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. Put some of the mixture along with oil onto each sheet of bark, and then the sheet of bark is wrapped into a roll (it can also be wrapped in a snail form). Ready pumpkin pastry has to relax at least 10 to 15 minutes if you are making the sheets of bark, if you are using ready sheets of bark you can start cooking right away. Cook in a moderate heated oven (200 to 250 degrees) until it reaches golden color. The hot pumpkin pastry must be sprinkled with cold water and covered with a towel after it’s finished.

Kindergarten “Sinchec”, Troyan ,BULGARIA "Veiled Gyuvech" This recipe is for 10 servings Ingredients: potatoes - 1 kg, onion - 3-4, 7-8 roasted peppers, red or green 1 jar chopped tomatoes(750 ml), 250 g dried prunes, 500 g cheese, 10 pieces eggs, 1 kg. Mince, 125 g butter, pepper, savory, 1 bunch parsley, salt (if necessary) Preparation: Potatoes and onions peel and cut finely. The roasted peppers tear of the streaks. It smeared the bottom of the vessel with butter. Consecutive arrange-potatoes, onions, roasted peppers, tomatoes, prunes, crumbled cheese. In the top of the dish put the eggs (do not mix them).The mince must to confused with spices and spread it out around delicately. Put in the oven for 1h.The ready meal sprinkle with cut into pieces parsley.

Bon appetite!

(The recipe was submitted by a group of children “Little Bees” by Mrs. Steliana Kavrakova, the teacher in the “Little Bees” group)

My little Cuisine May 2011

Kindergarten 141, Sofia, BULGARIA Granny’s Cookies

Ingredients: 125 g butter, 500 g sugar, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup (200 g) yogurt, 1 kg flour, 1 vanilla,1 baking powder Preparation: Beat eggs with sugar (one yolk is retained). Add a bit of melted butter and yogurt. You have to sprinkle baking power into the sifted flour and a little in the egg mixture. Soft dough is kneaded of which little balls are made by hand. They are arranged in a greased and floured baking pan, and on top the balls are coated with yolk and some sugar. They should be baked in a moderate oven.

Eating is good with tea or milk as desired.

Colorful Cake for Annunciation

Products :750 g flour , 1 pot (500 g) yogurt , 1 egg , 1 teaspoon baking soda , 1 teaspoon salt Preparation: Sift the flour, make "well" in the middle, where the other products are added. Soft dough is kneaded. It is to be kneaded until smooth, and some dough is left for decoration. You place it in a greased and dusted with flour pan and then you shape it like bread. Different figures can be made out of the ball of dough (flowers, animals, etc.), and the top of the cake is decorated with them.

Finished cake is left some 15 minutes to rest and then it is baked in a moderate oven for 20-25 min. When you take it out of the oven, sprinkle it with some water and cover it with a cloth. While warm, it should be smeared with honey – it is believed that this will be good for our souls. It is given to relatives and friends

Bulgarian Cold Cucumber Soup “Tarator” Ingredients:2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped (or grated), 1 garlic clove, minced, 4 c. plain yogurt, 1/2 c. water, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 tbs. dill, choppedshopping list, 2 tsp. oil, finely chopped walnuts How to make it:Mash the garlic with salt and then add to it grated or finely chopped cucumber. Add these to a large bowl and pour in the yoghurt. Gradualy add water - the thickness is down to taste and also depends on how flavourful the yogurt you are using is. Add additional salt to taste. Add finely chopped walnuts and fresh dill as well as a couple of tea spoons of oil (sunflower or olive oil is typically used). Best if refrigerated at least two hours before serving to allow flavors to mix. Serve chilled.

My little Cuisine May 2011

“Shopska” salad It is the traditional Bulgarian salad originated by the Shopi people of the Sofia region, and hence the name "shopska." There are slight variations from family to family but the basic ingredients for this refreshing salad, served year-round, are the same.

Ingredients: 4 tomatoes, chopped, 1 large cucumer, unpeeled and chopped, 4 green or red peppers, roasted or raw, chopped, 1 large yellow onion, chopped, or 6 green onions, sliced, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup sunflower oil, 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar, Salt and black pepper, 1/2 cup Bulgarian cheese or feta cheese, crumble Preparation: Place tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion and parsley in a large bowl and toss. Place oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste in a screw-top jar. Cover and shake until well blended. Toss dressing with vegetables, turn into a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with crumbled cheese and portion on chilled plates.

Cheese patties The dough: Traditionally, banitsa is made with homemade or commercially made pastry sheets that are prepared from a baker's hard dough including flour, eggs, and water. At home the sheets can be spread by continuously pulling the sheet of dough with one's fingers until it becomes less than a millimeter thin, or by using a rolling-pin in several stages with vegetable oil sprinkled between the partially spread leaves, or by a very difficult technique comprising waving movements of the entire sheet over the head of the cook, which resembles pizza dough making techniques. Commercially available sheets are mechanically spread and somewhat dried before packing.

The filling: The traditional filling is made of crushed white cheese, yoghurt, and eggs. Sometimes baking soda is added to the yogurt, which makes the yogurt rise (as the baking soda reacts with the acid in yogurt). The addition of baking soda results in a fluffier filling. Vegetable fillings include spinach, sorrel, nettles, leeks, onions, or sauerkraut. The cabbage variant is called “zelnik” and the leek or onion variant is called “luchnik”. In some regions of Bulgaria, a filling with rice is made. There are also meat fillings with minced meat, onions, and mushrooms. Sweet fillings with apples (similar to apple pie or strudel) or pumpkin with sugar, walnuts and cinnamon exist as well. In some regions, only the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon are used. The apple variant is called” shtrudel”, and the pumpkin variant is “tikvenik”.

Preparation: In a large greased baking dish, individual sheets are layered one by one with small amounts of filling and vegetable oil between them. After half of the sheets are placed in the pan, a large portion of the filling is spooned onto the leaves and is then covered with the remaining sheets and filling in the same manner.

The pastry is then baked at 200–250 °C. In some recipes, just before the banitsa is finished, a glass of lemonade or mineral water is poured into the tray, and the baking continues for several more minutes. An alternative method of preparation is taking each sheet of dough, laying it out flat and sprinkling some of the filling on it.

Then, the sheet is rolled up into a tight roll with the filling on the inside of the roll. The long roll is then taken and rolled up in a circle. This first sheet of dough is then placed in the baking pan. The process is repeated with the remaining sheets of dough and each consecutive roll is placed around the first one in the pan. The resulting shape resembles a spiral (see photo). The “banitsa” is then sprinkled with vegetable oil and baked.

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TURKISH TRADITIONAL FOOD

Köfte, Sarma and Dolma in Turkish Cuisine: Types and Characteristics and Nutritional Value by Ayşe Baysal Eating habits of cultures are dependent on the geographical and climatic conditions in the regions in which they live, as well as their modes of agriculture and animal husbandry and socio-economic conditions.

Generally, the most produced foodstuff in a region gains status as their staple food and is present at all meals.

However as people move from closed self-sufficient economies to market economies, they sell their agricultural and animal products for money and turn towards more industrially-produced foods, or new foods that attract them. Thus certain changes take place in their foods and consumption patterns.

The staple food of the Turks is wheat, consumed in the form of flour, bulgur and cracked wheat. The second most consumed grain is rice. Corn is much consumed in the Black Sea region but relatively little in remaining areas. Although meat, and especially mutton, has historically been one of the staple materials in Turkish cuisine, this is less and less true today. Meat is generally served in small amounts, mixed with vegetables and grains. The oils and fats used in Turkish food vary according to region. The most common are olive oil in the Aegean region, and sunflower oil in Thrace. In the East, Southeast and Central Anatolia, clarified butter is much used, but this is now widely substituted by margarine. Today the most used oils in foods are margarine, vegetable oils and olive oil. The decrease in the amount of meat used in cooking has been met by the increased use of oils.

One of the typical characteristics of Turkish cooking is the mixture of foods from various food groups in one dish. Thus one dish may supply a balanced diet. At the top of the list of such foods are “köfte”, “sarma” and “dolma”.

Köfteler (Meatballs) The basic ingredient in “köfte” is double-ground meat. One example of a “köfte” is the American “hamburger,” but in Turkey, the meat is never used alone. It is always combined with other ingredients such as bread crumbs, rice, fine bulgur, tomatoes, onions, parsley and eggs, which add flavor, texture and extra bulk, as well as spices and herbs.In addition, due to the expense of meat or its limited availability during some seasons, a tradition of making meatless “köfte” from combinations of bulgur, cracked wheat, lentils and vegetables has also developed.”Köfte” are made and cooked in a variety of different ways, and according to how they are made, ingredients and the vessel in which they are cooked, they are called by different names. The fine bugur is variously named- “düğü”, “düğ”,” düğürcük” and” köftelik” bulgur. The combination of fine bulgur with other ingredients and different cooking methods gives rise to several different types. For example, sixty-four different types of “köfte” are made in the Malatya region. The most nutritious “köfte” are those which contain a combination of meat, Bulgur and vegetables. Those made with legumes instead of meat are similarly nutritious. Served generally with “ayran”, a drink made from yogurt mixed with water, they provide a balanced meal, especially when cooked together with vegetables such as pepper, tomatoes, eggplant and onion and eaten with bread as well. In this way, quite the opposite of a hamburger, 1 portion of “köfte” does not contain excessive amounts of saturated animal fats.

Sarma ve Dolmalar (Stuffed Vegetable) Sarma (Turkish “sarmak”, “to wrap”) and “dolma” (Turkish “dolmak”, to be filled, stuffed) comprise two groups, those eaten hot and those eaten cold. In cookbooks these are classified into those with meat, “etli”, eaten hot, and “zeytinyağlı”, “with olive oil,” which are meat free and eaten cold. But today in various regions, some “sarma” and “dolma” are made without meat, and made with vegetable oil, clarified butter or margarine, and served hot.”Sarma” and” dolma” consist of a filling inside of a vegetable. Hot “dolma” and “ sarma” have various fillings. The first group consists mainly of rice and ground meat, the second of bulgur or cracked wheat, the third of bulgur and a small amount of “kavurma” (meat

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cooked in its own fat), the fourth, of legumes and bulgur, and the fifth, of ground meat and bulgur. Other ingredients common in most of them include finely chopped onion, parsley, dill, mint, tomatoes or tomato paste, butter or margarine, or vegetable oil. The use of herbs varies as well. The chief vegetables used for “dolma” are peppers, zucchini and eggplant. Others include tomatoes, leeks, celeriac, artichokes, beets, squash blossoms and onions. Peppers and eggplants in particular are strung on a string to dry, and used for “dolma” during the winter.” Dolma” may be made from a single vegetable or of several cooked together. The chief leafy vegetables used for “sarma” are vine leaves, cabbage, kale, chard and beet greens. In addition, they may be made from the leaves of various broad leaved herbs in the spring, or even mulberry leaves.

In some regions, “sarma” are also referred to as” köfte”. For example” yoğurtlu köfte” belongs to the “sarma” category, as it is wrapped in parboiled leaves before it is cooked. On the other hand, red lentil “köfte” and “kısır”, a salad made from vegetables and fine bulgur, are often wrapped in vine leaves or lettuce after they are prepared. The “sarma” and the “ dolma” are generally served with yogurt, “ayran” and” hoşaf”. In this way the meal contains representatives of all the main food groups.

The fillings for “sarma” and” dolma” eaten cold generally contain a relatively large of finely chopped onion, followed by rice, pine nuts sautéed in olive oil or vegetable oil, currants and other flavorings. They may be made of vine leaves, cabbage, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, artichokes, celeriac or leeks. Stuffed mussels and fish are also made.The cold (zeytinyağlı) ” dolma” and ” sarma” are usually served as a side dish rather than as a main course. They are also much served at picnics, cocktail and tea parties. As they do not have the protein and B vitamins supplied in the hot “dolma” and” sarma”, they are not as nutritious.

Kebab cuisine is centered in the East Mediterranean cities of Antakya, Adana, Tarsus and Mersin, with Tarsus and Adana being the leading cities of the four. The process of preparing the mincemeat in Mersin and Antakya is similar to that in Adana and Tarsus. In these cities, the meat is chopped into mincemeat with two knives. One of these is pointed and the other is oval and about 25-30 cm in length. These knives held traversely as the meat is chopped.

To make hot spiced kebab, the minced meat is carefully mixed with ground or flaked red pepper or pepper paste in a way to avoid its becoming mushy. It can also be made with the addition of salt only. When an order comes, the meat is removed from the cooler and applied to the flat skewers, and put over the coals. It is cooked over the embers, turning every five seconds. The oil is removed by pressing on flat bread with indentations made with the fingers; a single row in Adana and a double row in Gaziantep.

The kebab is accompanied by onions with sumac, parsley, cress, radishes and a salad of finely minced tomatoes, peppers, onions and pomegranate molasses. The typical drink is şalgam, a sour non-alcoholic drink fermented with red carrots, turnips and bulgur, either with or without hot pepper. The salad accompaniments are brought to the table first, and sour orange is always brought alongside to squeeze on the kebab. Though Mersin is not as developed as these two regions, the kebab there partially resembles them. The kebab culture in this city is mostly developed and supported by Arabs of Adana, Tarsus and Mersin. In Antakya one finds tepsi (pan) kebab, kâğıt kebab, chicken and liver kebabs etc., but it is not well-developed in the area of classic kebab.

The common features across this area are that the meat used in kebab comes from male sheep.

Bakla Çorbası/Fresh Fava Bean Soup Ingredients: 1 ½ c finely cut fresh fava beans, 1 onion, minced, 1 c water, 2 T oil, 1 egg, 1 ½ c yogurt, 1 T flour, Dill, Salt to taste Preparation: Saute onion in large saucepan till transparent, add fava beans.

Add one c water and allow simmering. In another saucepan mix yogurt with

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one egg and the flour and simmer, stirring constantly. This must be done on a low flame and stirring constantly in order to keep the yogurt from curdling. When it begins to simmer, add to the simmering fava beans and cook together. Add salt to taste and garnish with dill, serve hot.

Mercimek Çorbası/ Red Lentil Soup Ingredients: 2 c red lentils, 1 potato, 1 onion, 1 T flour, Salt, dry mint, red pepper, 4-5 T oil Preparation: Go through lentils to remove stones etc. and wash. Grate potato, and dice onion finely. Saute onion in a pot in 2T oil until transparent, then add the flour. Once the flour has browned a bit, add 9-10 c water. Add lentils, salt and potato and cook till the lentils are soft and falling apart, then either pass through a large strainer or puree with a blender. Heat 3 T oil or butter in a small frying pan, add mint and red pepper, sauté a minute or so and add to soup. Serve hot.

Sarımsaklı Köfte/Garlic Köfte Ingredients: 400 gr. semolina, ½ kg fine bulgur, 1 t pepper paste, 1 ½ c water, 2 heads garlic, 1 ½ c olive oil, 1 ½ T pepper paste, 1 bunch parsley, Salt Preparation: Mix semolina and bulgur in a large bowl, add enough water to wet, and add the pepper paste and salt. Add flour and enough water to make medium stiff dough. Take hazelnut-sized pieces and roll into balls, then flatten with fingers. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the “köfte” and boil until cooked through, then drain.Mix the olive oil, salt to taste, crushed garlic and 1 ½ T pepper paste, and pour over the “köfte”. Let stand, stirring every few minutes to allow the köfte to pull this mixture in. When serving, add 1 bunch chopped parsley.

Mercimekli Köfte/ Red Lentil Köfte Ingredients:2 c red lentils, 1 c fine bugur, 4 c water, 1 large onion, finely chopped, 2 t salt, 2 t red flake pepper, 2 t cumin, 1 t black pepper, 1 t pepper paste, 5-6 scallions, chopped, ½ bunch parsley, chopped, ¼ c olive oil Preparation: Rinse lentils and simmer in 4 c water till very soft, stirring frequently towards the end to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and add bulgur, cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Sauté onion in a little vegetable oil, add pepper paste and allow to cool, then adds to the lentil-bulgur mixture, along with all the rest of the ingredients. Knead together and form into oblong “köfte” by squeezing with the fingers of one hand. If desired 1T pomegranate molasses may be added. Serve with wedges of lemon, as is or accompanied by romaine lettuce leaves, roll the” köfte” in the lettuce.

Etli Güveç/Meat Stew in Terra Cotta Pot Ingredients: ½ kg lamb, cut small, 10 small (walnut size) onions, 1 T butter, 2 medium tomatoes, 3 “sivri” peppers, or 1 green bell pepper, 1 c water, Chopped parsley, Salt to taste Preparation: Arrange the meat on the bottom of a medium size clay güveç, or casserole, interspersed with the 10 onions. Cut the tomatoes into round

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slices and arrange on top, along with halved peppers (if using bell peppers cut into strips). Add salt and 1 cup water. Cover and cook at medium heat till meat is tender. Çatal Ingredients:1 c yogurt , 1 packet (250 gr) butter or margarine, melted, 1 t salt, 2 T sugar, 1 T (10 gr) baking powder, 1 T mahlep, 1 egg, separated, 5 c flour, Nigella seed for garnish Preparation: Mix all ingredients except egg yolks and nigella, knead into a dough, and let rest 15 minutes. Make into desired shapes and place on cookie sheet. Brush tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with Nigella. Bake at 200 until lightly browned.

Güllaç This is a typical sweet prepared during the month of Ramadan. The name is a shortening of “güllü aş,” or “food with roses,” a reference to the rosewater. It is made from ready-made starch wafers, the making of which is a complex process and not feasible for the home cook.

Ingredients: 10 güllaç sheets, 1 liter milk, 2 c sugar, 1/6 c rose water, 150 gr blanched sliced almonds, unsalted Preparation: Bring the milk to a boil, reduce heat to a bare simmer and stir in 2 c sugar. Place a sheet of güllaç in a wide pan and pour a ladle of hot milk over it and let it soften and absorb milk, then place in a pan to fit. It will wrinkle and expand. Repeat with four more of the sheets, then spread the nuts over the güllaç. Finish off with the remaining five sheets and pour more milk over. There will be some unabsorbed milk, this is fine.

Pouring on very hot milk will give the dish a better consistency as it cooks the starch; otherwise the dessert will be mushy. To serve, cut into squares and garnish each square with nuts, slices of fruit, pomegranate kernels or ground pistachio, or any combination you like. Sprinkle with rose water and serve. A more traditional but more time-consuming way is to soak each sheet and then cut it in half, and wrap the filling inside and arrange in a pan, and pour the rest of the milk over and garnish as desired. Alternate fillings can be hazelnut, walnut, marzipan, coconut or any combination you like.

Un Helvası/Flour Halvah Ingredients: 250 gr flour (1 2/3 c), 190 gr (1 c) butter, 275 gr sugar (1 1/3 c), 1250 gr water (5 c) Preparation:Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan, and add the flour. Cook stirring until it browns lightly, about 30-40 minutes at medium low heat. In another pot, combine the sugar with the water and bring to a boil. Add this syrup to the flour and butter. Be careful to add it gradually, as it will boil violently at first. Stir well, the cover and allow cooking on very low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat; allow cooling to lukewarm and shaping as desired.

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Tuzla Aydinli Primary School,TURKEY Vine Leave Wraps with Olive Oil (Zeytinyagli Yaprak Sarmasi) Ingredients: Vine leaves, 2 2/3 cups Water, 3 teaspoons Salt, 6 big Onion , ¾ cup Olive oil, 2 tablespoon Pine nuts, 1 1/3 cup Rice, 2 teaspoons Sugar, 2 tablespoons Currants, 1 small size bunch Parsley , 1 small size bunch Dill, 1015 leaves Fresh mint , ¾ teaspoon Cinnamon , ¾ teaspoon Black pepper, 2 tablespoons Lemon juice, 1 medium size Lemon, ½ teaspoon all spice Preparation: Wash the vine leaves and remove the coarse stems. Put the water and a teaspoon of salt in a pot.

Bring the pot to boil and add half of the leaves. Simmer them for 4-5 minutes, turning over once. Simmer the other half in similar fashion. Measure the cooking liquid and complete it to 2 3/4 cups and set aside.

Peel the onions, wash and chop finely, place in pot together with oil and nuts, cover and sauté for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir a few time with the lid removed so that the nuts are browned. Wash and drain the rice and add to the pot and stir a couple of times. Add the remaining salt, sugar and the 1 ¾ cups of the hot cooking liquid, stir and sprinkle with currants. Simmer it on first medium and then low heat for 10-15 minutes, until all the liquid is reduced. Wash the parsley and the dill and remove the stems and chop finely. Add them to the cooked rice together with mint, spices and the lemon juice and leave covered for 10 minutes. Place the vine leaves so that the side with veins face inside when wrapped. Place the prepared filling to one side, fold the side edges over the filling and then wrap it. Cover the bottom of a shallow saucepan with vine leaves and the removed parsley and dill stems and place the wrapped vine leaves over them.

Place a heat-proof flat plate over the leave wraps (dolmas). Heat the remaining boiled liquid and add to the pan slowly, pouring from the edge of the dolmas. Cover and simmer over low heat for 50 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish when cool, and garnish with lemon slices.

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The characteristics of the Central Europe Food Culture The medieval meal systems of Central Europe are a key to understanding meal systems of the region, even in the twenty-first century. Traces of the medieval two-meal system (a light meal in the morning about 9:00 A.M. and an evening meal about 5:00 P.M.) still survive in parts of Central Europe, and this eating pattern defines the type of foods consumed. During the summer half of the year (from spring plowing to fall plowing), field workers eat three times a day, but during the winter they revert to the medieval two-meal system. In graingrowing regions, the first meal eaten in the early hours of the day was generally bread with lard or cottage cheese, since it was easy to transport. A midday meal of hot cooked food was brought to the field hands during their break. In the crescent-shaped mountainous zone surrounding the Carpathian Basin as well as in the Carpathian areas of the Ukraine and Transylvania (Romania), the morning meal was a hot cooked dish, such as Romanian mamaliga (cornmeal mush). The midday meal consisted of remnants from the morning, while a cooked evening meal was eaten at home. It was also a general custom to eat from a common bowl. Until the late nineteenth century, children normally stood to eat at the dinner table, and men and boys ate separately from women and girls. Once children reached the age of puberty, they were given a place to sit at the farmhouse table in accordance with their status in the family. For example, younger boys of lesser rank sat lower down the table than their older brothers, who had first choice of the food after their father.

Another unifying feature of Central European cookery is the widespread use of gruels made from hulled, whole, or cracked grains. The grits can also be made from lentils, peas, fava beans, and in more recent times from New World beans. All levels of Central European society ate grits, but the proportion varied.

Wealthier people consumed more meat, while the poorest individuals subsisted on an essentially vegetarian diet. In medieval Poland the inevitable gruel for king and peasant alike was millet. In modern-day Romania it is mamaliga made from maize. Rice has never played a significant role in the cookery and has always been associated with luxury foods and urban cuisine. Only the Bulgarians grew rice on a large scale, mostly for provisioning the Ottoman army. Rice did not become integrated into Bulgarian food culture until the eighteenth century.

Along with grain-based gruels, bread soup was another universal food throughout the region. This is a dish of medieval origin in which pieces of bread are soaked in hot broth, then puréed, or the broth is simply poured over a slice of bread. Nearly every country in Central Europe possesses a long list of local variations on this theme. More elegant preparations replaced the bread with roux, flour fried in lard or bacon drippings. A close relative of this soup was a dish made from small balls or crumbs of dough produced by rubbing the dough against a sieve or grater. The dough was then boiled in water, milk, meat stock, or vegetable puree until thick.

The most typical dish of this kind prepared in Hungary is called tarhonya, a term borrowed from Turkish in the eighteenth century. During the Middle Ages it was called vágott étek, vagdalt étek, and gombóta, terms all referring to the shape of the dough or to the action of rubbing the flour. In mountainous areas of Slovakia, Poland, and Romania, this dish is made with buckwheat flour.

The introduction of maize via the Balkans was perhaps the most important addition to the gruel-based diet of the countryside. In most areas it was first introduced as a fodder crop, but poor farmers in mountainous areas soon adopted it as a foodstuff since it was much easier to grow than wheat. The most common method of preparing it was in the form of mush, but it was also used as a filling in sausages, as dumplings mixed with meat or vegetables, and as a stuffing in steamed cabbage leaves. The mush is known as mamaliga in Romania and puliszka in Hungary.

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ROMANIAN TRADITIONAL FOOD

Romania is a beautiful little country in Eastern Europe in the Balkan region. Meal time in Romania is a very special time. Family and friends come together and may linger long after a meal is over in deep conversation.

The food of Romania is diverse. Food choices and cooking styles are influenced by Balkan traditions as well as German, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian and those of the Near East which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordon, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Some of the traditional Romanian dishes are stuffed cabbage leaves known in the Romanian language as “sarmale”. Other vegetables cooked and served are stuffed bell peppers (“ardei umpluti”); green beans (“fasole verde”); carrots sote (“sote de morcovi”); roasted peppers (“ardei copti”); eggplant salad (“salata de vinet”e); and tomato salad (“salata de rosii”). Potatoes are popular in Romania and are served very often. They are cheap to buy and are sold everywhere in the fall, both in markets and along the streets and highways in front of private homes. There are vegetables and fruits of all kinds and many of them are raised in the country itself.

Pork and lamb are preferred over beef in Romania and pork fat is used for cooking. For Christmas a pig is traditionally butchered by every family and a variety of recipes are used to prepare the meat. One of the popular dishes made from the liver and intestines of the pork is a long sausage called “carnati”. Another dish is “piftie” which is made from the feet, head, and the ears and is suspended in aspic. I have seen most of the country and in my travels around I have seen many more sheep and pigs grazing in fields than cattle.

Romanians love spicy meatballs made from a mixture of pork and beef. “Ghiveci” is a Romanian dish which combines meat and vegetables and is baked. Other meat dishes include skewered meat (“frigarui”); cow tongue with olives (“limba cu masline”); grilled mince meat rolls (“mititei”); and chicken cutlet (“snitel”). At Easter roast lamb is served and also a cooked mixture of intestines, meat, and fresh vegetables called drob in Romanian. Fish from the Danube River and “scad” from the Black Sea is very important to Romanians. Pollution has widely affected the fishing industry in Eastern Europe and eating fish is not as popular as it once was.

Soups, especially bean soup, is served hot in the winter in Romania and cold soup made with cucumber, yogurt, and walnuts and known as “tarator”, is made in the summer. “Lovage”, an unusual herb tasting like celery, is used in Romanian cooking, especially in lamb soup. Soups are usually soured with lemon juice or a dash of vinegar.

Different breads are very popular in Romanian culture and there are many interesting varieties. Cooked cornmeal (“mamaliga”) is traditional in all of Eastern Europe and is considered the poor man's dish and is a Romanian specialty. It is used with meat or cheese and is called polenta in Italy. It is cooked so long to be thickened and when done can be sliced like bread.

Cheeses of all kinds are very popular with the Romanian people. The generic name for cheese in Romania is “branza”. Most of the cheese is made from cow or sheep milk.

Desserts are usually crepes filled with fruits or cherry “streudel”. Other desserts in Romania include “baklava”, which is sweet layered pastry; sponge cake known as” pandispan”; rice pudding or “orez cu lapte”; and gingerbread or “turta dulce”.

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More and more wine is produced now in Romania. In the past religious influences and fifty years of political isolation from market influences kept it from being so. Romanian brandy made with plums grown there is considered to be a national spirit drink and is called” tulca”. The meal ends with coffee, the strong thick Turkish style coffee served with “dulceata” which are soft candies made with apples, plums, or raisins or figs that have been stewed, thickened and rolled into balls, coated with nuts and dipped in rum or other alcohol.

When visiting homes anywhere in Romania the people are friendly and warm and always there is an invitation to share their food.

Romanian Walnut Pantone (Cozonaci cu nuca) Romanian Pantone dough, Ingredients:2 lbs/1 kg flour, 10 oz/300 g sugar, 1 1/2 cups milk, 6 eggs, 2 oz/50 g yeast, 7 oz/200 g butter, 2 tablespoons oil, vanilla stick, salt, egg for washing the dough, grease for the pans.

Make a starter from yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Mix until the consistency of sour cream, add 2-3 tablespoons tepid milk, a little flour and mix well; sprinkle some flour on top, cover and let sit in a warm place to rise. Boil the milk with the vanilla stick (cut in very small pieces) and leave it on the side of the range, covered, to keep warm.

Mix the yolks with the sugar and salt and then slowly pour the tepid milk, stirring continuously. Place the risen starter in a large bowl and pour, stirring continuously, the yolk-milk mixture and some flour, a little at a time.

Then add 3 whipped egg whites. When you finish this step, start kneading. Knead, adding melted butter combined with oil, a little at a time, until the dough starts to easily come off your palms. Cover with a cloth and then something thicker (like a blanket).Leave in a warm place to triple in bulk. If during kneading the dough seems too hard, you may add a little milk. If, on the contrary, the dough seems too soft, you may add a little flour.

Fillin’s Ingredients:: 10 oz/300 g ground walnuts, 1 cup milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup rum, vanilla Melt the sugar in the warm milk with vanilla in a pot on the range. When the sugar is melted, add the walnuts and keep stirring. After a few minutes of boiling, and after the filling has thickened, remove from heat and add rum. When the filling is cold, roll a sheet of dough about one finger thick, uniformly spread the walnut. Put the Filling on top and roll like a jelly roll. Grease a bread pan; place the roll inside, let rise for a while. Wash with egg and bake at medium heat. Take out of the pan as soon as it is done, place on a cloth and let cool.

Cabbage rolls ( Sarmale) Ingredients:1 large soured cabbage, 1 3/4 lb/750 g ground meat (mixture of pork and beef is recommended), 2 large onions, 2 tablespoons rice, 2 tomatoes or 500 ml tomato sauce, salt, pepper, sweet paprika and sour cream (optional).

Grind the meat with a raw onion; put it in a bowl and mix with rice, pepper, salt, paprika, and finely chopped onion.

Mix everything well. Core the cabbage with a sharp thin knife. Carefully remove the cabbage leaves, one by one, so that they do not tear. Cut larger leaves in 2 or 3 and then place a little meat in each cabbage piece and roll in.

Place a layer of rolls in the pan (take a deep one), then cover with a layer of chopped (julienned) cabbage and the bay leafs, then a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. Do this layering until all the rolls are made. The last layer

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must be tomato slices and add tomato sauce. Then place in the oven so that the liquid is reduced. Serve hot with sour cream. When soured cabbage is not available, use cabbage leaves scalded in water.

Romanian Style Polenta (Mamaliga) Ingredients: 1 qt. Water, 1-2 cups corn meal, 2 tsp. salt.

Boil water and salt in a pot. When water is boiling, gradually add corn meal while stirring the mixture with a whisk. Stop adding corn meal when the mixture is considerably thick, though still liquid. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, with caution since the mixture bubbles up and splatters hot polenta around. Remove from the heat and serve hot with your favorite dish.

Romanian Vegetable Stew (Ghiveci)

Ingredients:2 large onions , chopped, 4-5 medium carrots , peeled and sliced, 3-4 medium bell peppers , seeded and chopped (any color), 3 garlic cloves , minced, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive oil.), 1 small cabbage , sliced thinly, 3 fresh tomatoes , peeled and chopped or, 1 (14 ounce)can tomatoes , chopped and juices reserved, 2 cups water, 3-4 medium potatoes , peeled and chopped, 1 (12 ounce)package frozen peas, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons fresh dill , minced, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley , minced, 1/2 lemon, juice of, 1-2 teaspoon paprika, salt, pepper Optional seasonal veggies: 1 large eggplant (cubed, salted, and rinsed), 1 large zucchini (sliced), 1 small head cauliflower (broken into flowerets), 1 kohlrabi (peeled and cubed) Directions: Heat the oil in a large stewpot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, and peppers. SautĂŠ over medium heat until onions are transparent. (About 5 minutes). Add garlic, potatoes, and cabbage. If using kohlrabi add it now. Saute for about 3 minutes. Add water and tomatoes, salt and pepper, and thyme and paprika. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the other optional veggies (eggplant etc.) of your choice. Return to a boil, cover and simmer. Simmer, covered for about 20 more minutes or until the vegetables are soft and flavors have blended. Add frozen peas, fresh herbs, and lemon juice. Cook for five minutes with the cover on.Serve hot with rice. This is a treat!

Romanian Zacusca

Ingredients:8 lbs fresh eggplants , 6 lbs red peppers, 2 lbs onions, 2 teaspoons salt (to taste), 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 cups tomato paste, 2 cups olive oil Directions: Over an open flame (gas stove or grill) completely blacken the skins of the eggplants and peppers. Peel skins off immediately. Easiest way to get the last bits off is to do it under a slow running faucet. Puree each of the three vegetables separately in a food processor. And place each in a separate bowl when you are finished. Place oil and onion in a large pot. SautĂŠ the onions, for about 4 minutes, over medium-low heat. Add eggplant, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until a thin layer of oil remains on top and when a spoonful of zacusca is removed, only the oil should run off the spoon, not the zacusca. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to meet your tastes. You have to spoon the mixture into sterilized jars of your choosing. It is easiest if they are all the same size. Wipe rims clean and place clean lids and rings on jars. Place into a single layer in large pot (water bath canner if you have one). Fill pot with water up to the necks of the jars. Bring to a

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boil and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cooling in water bath. When it is cool remove from water and you are ready to go. If oil separates just mix it back in when ready to serve.

Boeuf Salad (Salata de Boeuf) Ingredients:2 potatoes, 4 carrots, 1 parsley root, 1 parsnip (optional, one can of green peas, 2 pickles, 1/2 lb (250 g) poultry breast or beef sirloin, 300g homemade mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard, salt and pepper.

You get the best salad by boiling carrots; parsley root and parsnip with the meat and then take the boiled vegetables and the meat, cut them in cube shape. Separately boil the whole potatoes with skin, then peel and cub them. Cube the pickles as well. Place everything in a bowl; add the peas, mustard and condiments. In a separate bowl, make mayonese. Add ¾ of the mayo mixture to the meat and vegetables and mix. Arrange on a serving platter.

Smooth with a knife and then cover with the rest of the mayo mixture. Garnish with a few olives, hardboiled egg white, or egg slices, pickled red peppers, parsley, etc. Try to shape flowers, other designs and enjoy!

Kindergarten Dragoieni RUMBA The dough: 7 egg whites +250g sugar, 500 g chopped walnuts, one cup of Turkish delight cut in small pieces.

Cream: 7 egg whites + 7 spoons of sugar; 3-5 spoonfuls of milk; 1-2 spoonfuls of flour The ingredients for the cream are boiled in a bain-marie, and then are left to cool. A packet of butter is added when it is almost cold until it becomes homogeneous.

Arrangement: The first layer is a wafer sheet ; cream is added over it then a sheet of the dough then cream then another wafer sheet.

CRESCENT MOON Ingredients: 1 packet of butter, 6 eggs, 1 lemon, 2 mugs of flour, ½ kilo sugar, Grinded walnut Directions: The butter is rubbed with the sugar and the lemon peel (zest) with a wooden spoon. The eggs are added one by one. When the mixture is quite homogenous it is mixed with the mixer. The 1/2 lemon juice is added and then a mug of four, then the other ½ lemon juice and the other mug of flour is added. The mixture is put in a tray. The walnut is spread over the composition then it is baked. Powder sugar is spread on it after it is baked.

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WALNUT AND BURNT SUGAR CAKE Ingredients: 1 mug of sugar, ½ packet of butter, ½ mug of cut walnut Directions: A mug of sugar is burnt in the pan; cut walnut is added over it.

Before the sugar is burnt ordinary dough is prepared and then it is poured over this mixture (sugar and walnut). It is baked. After it the cake is taken out of the pan and spread over it cream (vanilla, chocolate or any other cream). It may be served without cream, also.

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POLISH TRADITIONAL FOOD

Poland's culinary history did not begin in 1364 with the famous Congress of Kings held in the ancient capital city of Cracow, but it was during that event that Poland's distinctive cuisine was showcased to the world.

The host of this gathering, which included hundreds of nobles and several thousand retainers, was King Casimir III, who had positioned the kingdom as a world power and who was himself a connoisseur of Italian cooking.

Present at this congress was Peter I de Lusignan of Cyprus, who brought with him Byzantine cooks, a troupe of gypsy musicians, and eating habits of the East. The culinary watershed of this event has not been studied in great detail, but after that, Polish dishes are mentioned frequently in cookery books of the 1400s and 1500s as one of the recognized "national" styles of cooking. Elements of Poland's medieval cuisine have also been preserved in the countryside, as the Polish ethnographer Zofia Szromba-Rysowa has pointed out in her study of village foodways Przy wsp贸lnym stole (At the common table, 1988).

Poland's culinary identity may be divided into four broad regional styles: the cuisine of the mountainous south; the cookery of the Baltic coastal region; the foods of the east, principally dishes emanating from Lithuania and Russia; and the classic cookery of the great estates and urban restaurants. The influence of Germany was also pervasive, especially in the period before 1700. The first cookbook written in Polish, the Kuchmistrzostwo of 1532, was a translation of a popular German cookbook called the Kuchenmeisterei that first appeared at N眉rnberg in 1485. The first truly Polish cookbook was published at Cracow in 1682 by Stanislaw Czerniecki under the Latin title Compendium Fercolorum. Czerniecki was a petty noble who served as royal secretary to King Jan III Sobieski. Parallel to the German influence was the Yiddish-speaking Jewish community, one of the largest in Europe.

When the elector of Saxony ascended the Polish throne in the early eighteenth century, he brought with him French cooks. This blend of French and Polish themes in the court cuisine of the country helped to create the Polish cookery that has survived into the twenty-first century. Poland's haute cuisine has always differed from that of other European nations in that it has drawn its inspiration from the peasantry and recreated these foods not only as symbols of Polishness but also as a political reminder that Poland's most ancient monarchs and noble families were themselves the children of peasants. These dishes include bigos (a game stew); the baba cake; sauce polonaise (a sauce originally served with boiled pike); and a host of sausages (the Polish word kielbasa simply means 'sausage'), the most famous of which are kielbasa krakowsaka (pressed ham sausage), kasza gryczana (buckwheat kasha), and pierogi, the Polish equivalent of Spanish empanadas.

Polish beer and vodka are also well-known outside the country.

(Dembioska, Maria. Food and Drink in Medieval Poland. Edited by William Woys Weaver)

DILL SOUP (Zupa Koperkowa) Ingredients: 15g unsalted butter, 1 tbs fresh dill, chopped , 500ml beef stock , 1/2 tsp lemon juice , 150ml sour cream , salt and pepper Preparation: Melt butter in pan, add dill and stir gently over low heat for a few minutes. Heat stock and add the dill to it. Mix in the lemon juice and cream. Season and serve.

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BEETROOT SOUP (Barszcz) Ingredients: 2 litres beef stock or vegetable stock , 1 onion, peeled and chopped , 1 bouquet garni , 1 can mushrooms (or fresh) , 3 uncooked medium-sized beetroot, peeled and sliced thickly , 300 ml kwas , 1 tsp sugar Preparation: Heat beef stock in a large pan. Add the onion, bouquet garni, mushrooms and beetroot. Boil for an hour. Strain the soup and stir in the kwas into the clear soup. Add sugar to taste and reheat, if necessary without boiling.

HUNTERS STEW (Bigos) Ingredients:50g butter , 2 onions, peeled and chopped , 1 jar sauerkraut , 1 can tomatoes, peeled , 1 small white cabbage , 300 ml strong beef stock , 250g smoked sausage , 5 to 6 pork ribs , salt and pepper Preparation: Melt butter in a saucepan and fry the onions until golden. Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water, drain thoroughly and mix with the onions. Add the tomatoes. Chop the cabbage finely and mix in. Add the stock, stirring well, and then the pork ribs. Slice the sausage and add into the stew. Allow to simmer on low heat for one hour. Season to taste. Remove from heat and leave covered for 24 hours. Refrigerate and reheat before serving. Note: If you prefer the dish to be sourer, add more sauerkraut.

POLISH SAUSAGE IN TOMATO SAUCE (Kielbasa w Sosie Pomidorowym) Ingredients:50g butter , 25g onion, peeled and finely chopped , 50g flour , 200 ml water or beef stock , 1 1/2 tbs tomato puree , a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper , 200g Polish sausage (kielbasa) Preparation: Heat the butter and lightly brown the onions. Add the flour and brown again. Gradually stir in water or beef stock and bring to a boil. Add the tomato puree, salt pepper and sugar. Skin the sausage, cut into big cubes, and add to sauce. Simmer the sauce for a few more minutes until the flavours blend. Serve with potatoes.

APPLE FRITTERS (Jablka Smazone w Ciescie) Ingredients:2 eggs, separated , 40g caster sugar ,5 tbs single cream ,110g plain flour ,1 tbs corn flour ,450g cooking apples ,110g butter or oil , icing sugar Preparation: To make the batter, beat the egg yolks with sugar and cream.

Whisk the egg whites until very stiff and fold in. Sift the flours and mix in lightly. Peel, core and cut the apples into rings. Spike the apple rings and turn in the batter. Melt the butter or heat the oil in the frying pan, and drop the apple rings into it. Fry on both sides until golden and nicely puffed up. Pile on a plate, sprinkle icing sugar over them through a fine sieve and serve immediately.

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DOUGHNUTS (Paczki) Ingredients:900g flour , 500 ml lukewarm water , 50g dried yeast or 100g fresh yeast , 200 ml sunflower oil , salt , flour for sprinkling , oil for deepfrying , caster or icing sugar for dredging Preparation: Mix half the flour with 250 ml of lukewarm water and the yeast. Leave to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. When it begins to rise- mix the remaining flour and water and the sunflower oil. Sprinkle a little salt on the dough and knead until it becomes moist. Sprinkle lightly with flour and leave to rise and dry in a warm area for 30 minutes. When you press the dough with your finger and it springs back immediately, it is ready to fry. Pull off pieces of dough and shape doughnuts. Set aside. Heat oil in deep frying pan until very hot and drop the doughnuts into it. Fry until nicely browned on all sides. When cooked, they should feel light when pricked with a toothpick. Drain on kitchen paper. Pile up the doughnuts in a bowl and dredge with a little sugar. Serve warm.

Szkola Podstawowa Nr.4 “prof. Wladyslawa Szafera”,POLAND Iza’s No-Bake Cheesecake (Or Heaven in the Mouth) Ingredients:2 l milk, 1 cup (250 ml) sour cream (18%), 5 eggs, 1 cup (250 ml) powdered sugar, 1 cube of margarine (250 dkg), 6 packets of rectangular biscuits (10 in every box), 1 cream flavor (or vanilla extract), cocoa, chocolate bar Preparation: Boil milk, whip eggs and sour cream in a bowl, then spoon the mixture slowly into the boiled milk (still keep the pan on the cooker) and remember to keep stiring it till you see cottage cheese in the mixture. Drain the cheese. In another bowl combine margarine with powdered sugar, add chilled cheese and mix again till the mixture will be like butter, add cream flavor or vanilla extract and mix again for a while. Cover a rectangular baking pan with biscuits (one layer). Put one part of the custard on the biscuits and then cover it again with biscuits (the second layer). To the second part of custard add some cocoa and mix it, put the mixture on the biscuits. Again cover the cream with biscuits and pour melted chocolate on the surface. Put the cake into the refrigerator for some hours and serve the cake chilled.

Sernik Krysi/ Krystyna’s cheese- cake Ingredients for bottom layer: 3 cups (250ml) flour, 1chilled margarine (200 g), 3 teaspoons sugar, 5 yolks, 2 teaspoons baking powder, Combine all ingredients, roll out ¾ of the batter and put into the rectangular baking pan, refrigerate the second part of the batter for an hour.

Cheese batter:50 dkg cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1 pudding (or 2 tablespoons potato flour), ½ cube of butter, ½ cup of powdered sugar, 1 can halves of peaches, 5 egg whites, 1 cup sugar ;Using the electric mixer, beat cream cheese, an egg, pudding, butter, powdered sugar at medium speed until well blended and pour the batter on the bottom layer in the baking pan. Put the drained halves of peaches on the batter in another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites with sugar until firm (you can add some vanilla extract also). Pour the mixture on the peaches. Take the refrigerated part of batter and grate it on the

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top layer of the cake. Bake in the preheated oven until golden (50-60 minutes in 180 째 C).Cool in the pan before removing.

Polish Easter rye soup Ingredients: 4 pieces of a white sausage, a bottle of rye soup, 4 glasses of water, 4 big potatoes, a carrot, 2 big onions, a stock bouillon cube, a bay leaf, some English herb, a glass of cream (18 %), Salt, sugar, marjoram.

Preparation: Pour water into a big pot and add sausages, sliced carrot and chopped onion and a built on cube. Salt it a bit and cook till vegetable soften (about 15 minutes)/. Put cubed potatoes into the pot and cook them till soften, then add rye soup, dried marjoram, crushed garlic and bring to the boil. Cook about 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Eggs in mayonnaise Ingredients: 5 eggs, 1 jar of mayonnaise (310 ml), 1 small yoghurt, 1 bigger red onion, 1 can of peas, 5 pickled or gherkin cucumbers, some pepper, powdered chilly, something to decorate (cocktail tomatoes for example) Preparation: Prepare boiled eggs, mayonnaise mix with yoghurt and peas, cucumbers and onion cut into cubes, season to taste, pour the sauce on the dish, slice eggs into two and put the halves yellow part up on the sauce.

Stuffed eggs Boiled eggs cut into halves, take out the yellow parts of eggs and put them into the bowl. Then add milled salmon, onion sliced into cubes and cucumber, fresh dill. Season the stuff to taste and then add mayonnaise and mix well all ingredients. Put the stuff into the white parts of eggs. You can decorate the dish with dill or stripes of fresh cucumber.

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The characteristics of the Baltic Food and Culture The almost 8 million Baltic peoples have many factors in common: a temperate climate and a rich harvest from the Baltic Sea, a land that is primarily agricultural and pastoral, but a bitter history of invasions, conquests, and humiliating oppressions. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the three countries that comprise the Baltic, have known foreign overlords controlling their lands, attempts at Germanization and Russification, and even extermination and deportation of their peoples.

For almost 500 years, and despite other conquerors who were tempted to rule over the Ests, the loosely knit tribes of Estonia, it was the Swedes who held sway from as early as the 1500s. To this day, Swedish architecture, names, signposts, and even many Swedish foods are strongly influential in Estonian life.

Russification followed in 1721, when Sweden ceded Estonia to czarist Russia. A burst in Estonian culture resulted from the brief respite after the First World War when foreign influences in the land receded, but returned again in 1939, with the forced establishment of Russian military bases in key Estonian areas. By 1990, Estonia began the laborious trek to independence.

A glimpse into Latvia's history shows many similar and unhappy parallels. In 1201, the Germans swept over the rich fertile lowlands and sweeping forests of Latvia to conquer the tribes known as Letts, and established the capital city, Riga. By the mid-1500s, the German influence disintegrated, but in ensuing years the small land became the center of a struggle of three other powers: Poland, Russia, and Sweden. In 1795, Latvia officially became a part of the Russian Empire although much of her lands remained in the hands of German overlords. Like Estonia, Latvia was to taste brief independence following the First World War until 1939, when it too was forced to accept the establishment of Russian military bases on her land. By the mid1990s, however, like Estonia, Latvia too was on the way to independence.

Lithuania's history shows her to be culturally and historically the strongest of the three Baltic countries.

Lithuania not only successfully rebuffed early foreign invaders, but for a period of almost 200 years (1200-1400), actually expanded to exert control over much of the territory of Belorussia, the Ukraine, and parts of western Russia. The country's power might even have extended farther with the marriage of Jagelo, Grand Duke of Lithuania and Jadwiga, Queen of Poland, but for a clash in religious convictions. The Polish-Lithuanian Roman Catholicism could not be reconciled with the principles of Orthodoxy of the Russian, Belorussian, and Ukrainian areas. By 1700, the tide of Russian power and influence was so strong that not only did these latter lands wash back to Russia, but the tide of influence "back-washed" into Lithuania as well.

In the First World War, Lithuania was occupied by Germans, who seemingly supported the many Lithuanian nationalistic movements. But after Germany's defeat, a pro-Polish government was set up in Vilna (1920), and a part of Lithuania even united with Poland. This period was followed by an alliance with Estonia and Latvia but they too succumbed, as the others had, to Russian domination leading to the establishment of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. By 1993, the last Soviet troops left, after much unrest, and like her sister Baltic countries, Lithuania too is struggling to control her own future.

In spite of such a history of foreign domination and influence, the Baltic peoples have staunchly retained a rich culture of their own and are famed for their literature, folk legends, athletic physiques, and joyous choral singing groups. Latvian and Lithuanian peoples share ethnic and language roots in the SlavicBaltic division of Indo-European languages, but Estonian ethnic and language roots are to be found in the FinnoUgric family, relating them more to the Finns and Hungarians.

Latvia and Lithuania tend to share the basics of available produce in common-potatoes, mushrooms, beets, cabbages, dill, cucumbers, barley, rye, rhubarb, apples, and berries are some of the staples. People living in the Baltic region enjoy fish, pork, and dairy products such as milk, yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese. Pickled vegetables and jellied fruits and meats are not uncommon. Estonians love black bread, and dumplings and

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pancakes are enjoyed in Latvia and Lithuania. Soups, stews, and roasts are enjoyed across all three countries.

Pies made from locally available fruits like berries or rhubarb is also eaten, especially during the summer months. Food is flavored with salt, caraway seeds, marjoram, onions, and garlic.

A few dishes that are popular in these countries are listed below: Borscht There are many different kinds of borscht, but one of the most famous is Lithuanian borscht, which is made from beets and buttermilk and served cold with sour cream. Radishes, cucumbers, and green onions can be added to the soup. Even if you do not think you like beets, you just might enjoy this soup. But it's best to eat this when the weather is hot.

Kisel Kisel is a little bit like American Jell-O. Fruit juice is combined with a starch such as arrowroot. Fresh fruits or sour cream can also be added to the mixture as well. It is a favorite in Estonia and popular in Poland and Russia as well.

Rye Bread Bread in the Baltic region tends to be dark rye or black bread, which is simpler in composition than breads that are wheat and rye flour combinations. Bread is very important to Baltic peoples, especially in Estonia.

Meat or Fish Aspic Pork, veal, or fish can be the base for aspic, which is basically a gelatin mold. Usually aspics, unlike traditional American gelatin desserts, are savory.

The cuisines of the Baltic region of Europe might seem bland, but they are not. They are very enjoyable especially if you appreciate uncomplicated, hearty foods, and if you're willing to go out on a bit of a limb and try something new.

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LITHUANIAN TRADITIONAL FOOD

Lithuanians like to eat good, tasty and filling foods. The tradition of eating well is inherited from our ancestors, who would say, he who eats well, works well.

Lithuanian cooks prepare simple but tasty foods. A good cook can create delicious meals using simple ingredients. It is said that each cook stirs the cook pot in her manner.The traditional food preparer was and is mother, her knowledge and capabilities are handed down to the next female generation. Before food was prepared using only seasonal products, however during the last twenty-five years, fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs have been available all year round, imported or grown locally. The same applies to meat, now more fresh meat is used than salted or smoked.

Lithuanian traditional cuisine took shape over many centuries and was much influenced by cultural contacts with neighboring nations. A good example is potato cake - kugelis, which Lithuanians adapted from the German kitchen. This has now become a favorite dish throughout Lithuania.

Lithuania is divided into five ethnic regions. This regional division is evident in foods that are particular to each region. The Highlanders, Aukätai‹iai, live in the rich loam, northeast region, and are known for their various pancakes and cottage cheese dishes. The Samogitians, eemai‹iai, inhabit the northwest region and have their special sour butter, porridges and much gruel. Dzukai are the people of the southeast region, where the soil is sandy and forested. They are main growers and users of buckwheat in all its forms, as well as mushrooms and potatoes. Suvalkie‹iai, people of the south-western region favor smoked meats, sausages and zeppelins.

Fish plays an important role in the diet of the seacoast Lithuanians and also of those living near lakes and rivers.

These differences are less evident today than they were in olden times. However, the tradition of regional foods continues.

Lithuanians usually eat three times per day, but during periods of hard and intense work, especially in summer, mid morning and late afternoon snacks are added to the daily eating routine. The most filling, sumptuous meals are breakfast and lunch. For the lunch: porridges, pancakes and soups for breakfast, soups, meat and potatoes. In the evening, dinner is a light meal. However, one does have a square meal, for the ancient Lithuanians said that there is no sleep on an empty stomach.

Lithuanians consider eating a holy event and behavior at table is like in church, quiet, orderly and reverential. Each family member had his permanent place at the table, with father sitting at the head of the table, mother sitting opposite father, the oldest son to father right, and the remaining members next to the son.

The traditional seating at table is now practiced mainly during feast days, when the entire family gathers.

Today the ancient tradition of placing bread first on the table is still observed. Should a visitor arrive when the family is at table, the visitor greets the eaters with "skanaus" (bon appetite). If father answers "prasom"(you're welcome), it means do join us. However, if the answer is "aciu" (thank you), the visitor is not invited to join in the eating. When the meal is finished, the spoon is turned upside down, to show that one has eaten well and the food was delicious.

No one leaves the table until everyone has finished eating and has thanked the cook, mother, who in her turn answers "I sveikata" (to your health).

(Compiled by Birutë Imbrasienë)

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SOUPS/Sriubos-Lithuanians eat soup every day. Soup is the main dinner and supper food. In olden times, soup

was also eaten for breakfast. Rich soups are served for dinner and easily digested milk soups are supper fare.

Most popular are sour soups, sauerkraut, beet and sorrel, with smoked meat stock as the base. Sauerkraut soup is also made with goose pieces. Meat cooked in soup is often eaten as a second course. Meatless soups are eaten on fast days. Most soups are served with bread or potatoes. Sauerkraut and beet soups are eaten in winter, while sorrel, beet greens and milk soups are eaten in spring and summer. Cold beet soup with hot potatoes is a very popular summer fare. Cold sweet soups are also popular, especially in summer. In olden times and now, sweet soups made with berries, fruit and tiny dumplings are a treat. Another summer soup, mutinys, made with dried black bread, water, sugar and crushed fruit is very refreshing on hot summer days.

SAUERKRAUT SOUP/Raugintø kopûstø sriuba

Ingredients: 1/2 k (1 lb) meat, pork or beef, 1 carrot, grated, 1 onion, quartered, 4 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, salt to taste Preparation: Cut meat into medium pieces, cover with cold water and bring to a boil, remove scum. Add sauerkraut and onion. Cook it for about 1 hour; then add peppercorns, bay leaves, carrot and salt. Cook until carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.This soup is eaten with cold potatoes, cooked in their jackets or with black bread.

NETTLE SOUP/Dilgëliø sriuba

Ingredients: 1/2 k (1 lb) smoked ham or slab bacon, 2 cups tightly packed, young nettle leaves, 2 onions, finely chopped, 1 carrot, sliced, 1 tablespoon flour, 50 g (4 tablespoons) butter, 200 g (3/4 cup) sour cream, salt to taste, 2 l (8 cups) water Preparation: Prepare stock for soup base with meat and vegetables. Blanch nettle leave, refresh under cold water and chop. Fry onion, add flour, mix and fry for 5 minutes. Add nettle leaves, 1 cup soup stock and simmer 5 minutes. Add simmered nettles and cooked meat, cut into small pieces to strained soup base and simmer for 5 minutes, to blend flavors. Serve soup in individual bowls, with dollops of sour cream and potatoes and black bread, for dinner.

MUSHROOMS SIMMERED IN SOUR CREAM OR MILK/ Grybai troðkinti

grietinëje ar piene Ingredients: 1/2 k (1 lb) fresh mushrooms, 100 g (6 tablespoons) butter, 2 onions, finely chopped, 4 tablespoons sour cream or 1 cup milk, salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Brush mushrooms clean. Slice and cook in a frying pan, in their one’s own juices. Cook until all liquid evaporates. Add butter and onion to mushrooms, bake for 15 minutes. Pour sour cream or milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve for lunch with hot potatoes or bread.

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Red Beet Salad / Burokeliu Misraine Ingredients: 8 medium red beets,peeled and sliced, 1 medium onion, minced; Dressing to taste, composed of: Salt, pepper, lemon juice and oil

MEATi /Mësa-Lithuanians consume a lot of meat and meat by-products.

Pork has always been the most widely used meat, fresh, brined or smoked, and continues to be so to this day. The greatest variety of pork dishes is prepared by Aukstaiãiai, the Highlanders and Suvalkieciai, people of the southwestern region.December, January and early spring months are traditional pig slaughtering times. Bacon and hams are salted and cold smoked. The lesser cuts are cooked during slaughtering time because the meat is softer, tenderer. Juniper branches are added towards the end of smoking, to give the meat a special flavor. Meat curing by smoking is not practiced in Dzûkija, the south eastern region. Instead the salted cuts remain in brine or are hung and air dried.

For longer keeping, many varieties of sausage are made. One of them, skilandis, was mentioned as early as 16th century. Skilandis, also known as kindzius, is made of coarsely chopped, top quality pork meat, highly seasoned, tightly stuffed into a pig's stomach and intensely smoked. Skilandis and other smoked meats are robust and delicious, very popular foods. These sausages are served to visitors, eaten during holidays and during busy summer days. Each homemaker works hard to prepare the best tasting skilandis. The taste depends on choice, quantity of seasonings, quality of meat and method and duration of drying and smoking.The traditional smoked meat technology has remained the same throughout the years. Fowl meat is also popular.

Domestic birds are cooked, smoked and baked. Game birds appear rarely in the Lithuanian kitchen. They are the domain of hunters.

SKILANDIS/ Skilandis Ingredients: 5 k (10 lbs) fresh, lean pork ham, 1 k (2 lbs) fresh pork side, 200 g (6 oz) salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, 5 cloves garlic, minced, 5 g (1 teaspoon) saltpeter, 50 g (2 oz) 96% alcohol (to remove excess moisture), 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 pork stomach Preparation: Chop meats, add garlic, pepper. Heat salt in skillet and add to meats. Mix well. Add saltpeter, sugar and alcohol. Mix gently. Stuff meat mixture tightly into prepared pigs stomach, so that no air pockets remain. When stuffing is complete, sew up opening and place between 2 boards and tie tightly. Keep in a cool, dry place for 8 to 10 days, then cold smoke, with alder wood for 3 weeks. Towards end of smoking, add juniper branches to give that special flavoring.

SMOKED PORK SAUSAGES/ Rûkytos kiaulienos deðros Ingredients: 5 k (10 lbs) ground pork, 1 k (2 lbs) fresh pork side, finely cubed, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 nutmeg, grated, 5 garlic cloves, minced, 10 g (2 teaspoons) 96% alcohol (to remove excess moisture), 180 g (3/4 cup) salt, 2 g (1/2 teaspoon) saltpeter, 10 g (2 teaspoons) sugar Preparation: Heat salt in skillet, cool and add to meats with seasonings, mix well. Stuff meat mixture into clean, natural casings, leave no air pockets. Tie ends to make a circle. Hang sausages on a pole and let dry and ripen in

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a dry area, for 4-5 days. Then cold smoke for 4-5 days using alder wood, with juniper branches towards end of smoking.

GRAIN/ Grûdai -Another basic Lithuanian food is grain. Lithuanian agrarian traditions are ancient, farmers have always planted a large variety of grain, such as rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, peas, beans and oil crops (hemp, poppies, flax seed). Rye was and still is the most important crop, used mainly for rye bread. Second place goes to barley which is used to make groats and flour. Wheat is in third place and oats in fourth place.

Buckwheat was and is grown in the hilly regions of northern and southern Lithuania. Peas and beans are eaten raw, cooked and are also ground into flour. Dishes made with peas and pea flour are popular in Aukätaitija, the northeast region. Among oil crops, hemp and poppy seeds have always been used to make hemp and poppy milk, which replaces cow's milk during fast days and special holidays. Flax seed is fried with different seasonings and this mixture is used as a flavoring for many foods, especially potatoes. Hemp seed is also used for similar flavorings. Peoples' well being always depended on the grain harvest. To assure an abundant harvest, certain traditions were observed. The farmer never went to work in the fields on an empty stomach, for then the ears of grain will grow empty. Even better, when preparing to sow barley, it is best to have eaten a pig's tail. According to legend then the barley ears will grow long, like the pig's tail. Groats have been used in Lithuania since olden times. Farmers used wooden mortars and pestles and hand grinders to make groats. Today groats are available commercially. The biggest gruel eaters are the Samogitians, eemai‹iai. Pancakes are also an ancient food and a popular breakfast food among the Highlanders, Aukätai‹iai. Rye and wheat flours are most commonly used throughout the country.

RYE PORRIDGE/ Ruginë koðë Ingredients: 1 cup rye flour, 2 cups water, 100 g (4 tablespoons) butter, salt to taste Preparation: Pour rye flour into salted, boiling water, cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Serve it in individual bowls with milk or fried bacon.

SOUR PORRIDGE DUMPLINGS/ Parûgëliai Ingredients: 2 cups rye flour; 1 1/2 cups water, salt to taste, piece of bacon to grease skillet Sauce: 200 g (3/4 cup) dry cottage cheese, 200 g (3/4 cup) sour cream Preparation: Blend both ingredients well until a smooth sauce is obtained. The night before, take one-third flour, mix with water, cover and let sit in a warm spot overnight. In the morning add remaining flour, salt and make dough, thicker than for pancakes. Heat skillet, rub with bacon and drop by spoonful into hot skillet. Bake in preheated oven at 300F/150C, until dumplings puff out and turn golden brown. Serve hot with cottage cheese-sour cream sauce for breakfast like the Highlanders, Aukätai‹iai do.

POPPY SEED CAKE/Pyragas su aguonomis Ingredients: 1 k (2 lbs) flour; 1 1/2 cup milk, 4 egg yolks; 1 whole egg, 50 g (2 oz) fresh yeast; 6 tablespoons sugar

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Filling: 300 g (10 oz) poppy seed; 150 g (5 oz) sugar, 1 egg; 4 tablespoons finely chopped nuts, filberts or walnuts; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 50 g (4 tablespoons) candied orange peel, finely chopped Preparation: Make dough with 1/3 flour, warm milk and yeast dissolved in sweetened warm milk. Blend all ingredients well, sprinkle top of dough with flour and let rest in a warm spot. 2 hours later, add remaining flour, salt and egg yolks beaten with sugar. Mix well, and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rest for a second rising. Blend poppy seeds to a paste in food processor or blender. Mix poppy seed with nuts, orange peel, egg beaten with sugar and vanilla. Mix all ingredients. Divide dough into two pieces. Roll out each piece on floured surface, spread filling evenly over each piece and roll up as for a jellyroll. Place each on a lightly greased baking sheet, let rest for another rising. Paint with egg wash and bake in preheated oven at 375F/190C, for about 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool covered with linen cloth, so that the cake does not dry out.

Nursery – Kindergarten “Giliukas” –Kaunas Zeppelins (cepelinai) We need: 10 kg raw potatoes, 1,5 kg boiled potatoes, Salt For filling we need: 1,2 kg of pork mince, 1 onion, salt, peppers The preparation:Peeled potatoes are grated, strained off. The liquid is not poured out, but left for some time till starch from potatoes stays on the bottom of the dish.

Only then the liquid is poured out and starch that stayed is put into grated potatoes say and mixed. Boiled potatoes are ground with meat grinder. Then grounded boiled potatoes and grated raw potatoes mixed with starch are put together, some salt, vitamin C can be added, all should be well kneaded. For filling we have to prepare pork mince with onion, salt, peppers and mix all the ingredients very well. From the prepared mass of potatoes we take little piece, make it flat, put the meat filling in the middle.

Then edges of the piece are closed together, and an oblong dumpling is made. The dumplings are put into boiling salt water and have to be boiled for 20-25 min. stirring very carefully. Zeppelins are very favorite food in Lithuania. The filling can differ; mushrooms, ham and greaves, curds can be used. Zeppelins are usually eaten with greaves and sour cream souse.

White salad (of boiled vegetables) We need: 6-7 boiled potatoes, 10 boiled carrots, 1 jar of canned green pees (approximately 750 ml), 5-6 acidified cucumbers, 2 onions (if preferred), 4 boiled solid eggs, salt, peppers, mayonnaise

The preparation: All vegetables are cut into small pieces, salt, peppers added, mayonnaise is put in; and everything is mixed.

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Oat cookies We need:400 g. oat flakes, 3 raw eggs, 200 g of sugar, 200 g of butter, 300 g sunflower seeds, 100 g sesame seeds, 100 g rasins, 3 spoons of flour, 1 tea spoon of vanilla sugar The preparation: Dissolve the butter, pour it into oat flakes, put in sugar, eggs, vanilla sugar, sunflower, sesame seeds, rasins, flour and mix everything well. Grease the baking dish with butter and put in the prepared paste by little amount into the dish and bake in the oven for approximately 15-20 min. till they become brown at temperature of 180200 degrees.

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LATVIAN TRADITIONAL FOOD

Latvia is located in a temperate climatic zone with fairly long and cold winters and warm, short summers. Due to the harsh climate and relatively poor soil quality Latvians have always worked hard to provide food for themselves and their families. Food has thus always been assigned great value by Latvians. Bread has a special place in the Latvian consciousness, and respect for it is encouraged from early childhood.

Although Latvian cuisine has traditionally been based on agricultural produce, meat also features prominently in the Latvian diet. People living along the 500 km of Latvian coastline have always been involved in fishing, and fish has been an integral part of their diet. Fish are also caught inland, but these freshwater species are considered more of a delicacy, in the same way as crayfish is.

Women were the cooks in traditional Latvian homes and responsible for feeding the household three times a day. Longer days in summer meant that people worked for longer, and thus ate four meals a day. At first, food was prepared in clay pots which were placed in the fire or on the open hearth. Over time, cauldrons hung above the hearth and bread ovens for baking leavened bread became popular.

Latvian foods are characteristically bland, without a use of strong spices, and have a reasonably high fat content. As a result of the territory of Latvia being ruled by the German aristocracy for seven centuries, Latvian peasants learned to use new ingredients and to prepare food in different ways. For example, one of the most popular Latvian foods today - sautéed sauerkraut - is a tradition inherited from the Germans.

If we look back over 1000 years, then we learn that the Baltic and Finno-Ugric tribes inhabiting the territory of Latvia subsisted mainly from grains - rye, wheat, barley, oats, millet and hemp. Porridges, patties and leavened bread were made from these grains. People also ate peas, beans, turnips, black radishes, linseed and its oil, wild carrots and garlic. Stock farming developed alongside agriculture, and the Latvian diet thus also consisted of fowl, beef, horse meat and pork. Of course, game meat - beaver, deer, wild boar, duck, goose - and over 25 different species of fish were also eaten. As there are no sources of salt in Latvia, it was obtained through trade or barter and was used sparingly. Food was also made more flavorsome through the use of caraway seeds, onions, garlic and white mustard. It is probable that if we tasted these ancient foods today, they would seem to us to lack salt and other spices. The only sweetener used was honey, but the most popular desserts were probably wild berries and hazelnuts. More detailed information about the traditional Latvian diet stems from the 19th century. At this time a plant from North America was spreading quickly - the potato.

Thanks to potato farming, Latvian peasants no longer had food shortages in winter and spring, when stores of grain had been depleted. It is believed that the most common meal for Latvian coastal fishing families in the 19th century was boiled potatoes with cottage cheese and herring or pilchards. Today potatoes, prepared in different ways, are still a very popular component of the Latvian diet.

In autumn, the cellar of each farm was used to store dried sausages and pork, and barrels of salted cabbage, cucumbers, mushrooms, meat and herring. These were used as ingredients for meals throughout winter. In summer, when there was a lot of outdoor work to be done further away from home, people would eat a moderate breakfast, for example, milk porridge. Lunch consisted of food brought from home such as rye bread, cottage cheese, rūgušpiens (curdled milk), and sometimes also fried meat or patties. After lunch, people would usually have a nap before beginning work again. On returning home in the afternoon, soup or porridge was eaten with a drink of rūgušpiens. On Sundays the diet consisted of stewed meat, white bread, pīrågi (bacon rolls), pancakes, sweetened cottage cheese or berry jelly with milk.

(Text and concept: Ieva Pīgozne)

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Beet Soup with Beef Ingredients: 1 Pound Beef – Cubed, 1 Stalk Celery – Chopped, 2 Medium Carrots – Chopped, 1 Bunch Parsley – Chopped, 1 Medium Onion – Chopped, 1 Pound Beets – Grated, 1 Tablespoon Flour, 1 Tablespoon Sour Cream, 1 Tablespoon Wine Vinegar, Salt And Pepper -- To Taste, 10 Cups Beef Broth Directions: Bring beef to a boil in the broth. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add celery, carrots, parsley, onions and beets. Simmer for 30 minutes. Mix flour with sour cream and add to the soup. Add vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Saltibarsciai Ingredients: 38 g. pickled, coarsely diced beets, 19 g. beet marinade (pickling juice), 6 g. chopped dill, 25 g. chopped fresh cucumber, 150 ml sour milk, 18 g. sour cream, Pinch salt, 3.5-4 g. sugar, 3-4 hard-boiled egg slices, 3 g. chopped green onion Preparation:In a bowl, add salt to sour milk, and mix well; also add beets, cucumber and dill. To the marinade beet, add the sugar and mix well until the sugar dissolves (the less sweet the marinade, the more sugar you will need; this will call for taste-testing). Add the sweetened marinade and sour cream to the sour milk mixture, mix, and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready to serve, pour into a serving bowl, float egg slices on top and sprinkle with green onion. Serve with boiled potatoes on the side.

Latvian Sauerkraut Soup Ingredients: 5 Cups Beef Broth, 2 Cups Sauerkraut – Drained, 1/2 Cup Sour Cream, Salt And Pepper -To Taste, 6 Small Potatoes - Cubed And Cooked Directions: Bring broth and sauerkraut to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add sour cream and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes and bring to a serving temperature.

Piragi (Latvian Bacon Rolls) Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon dry yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 5 to 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened Filling: 4 slices bacon, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 pound fully cooked ham steak, diced in 1/4-inch cubes (2 cups), 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste Glaze: 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water Directions: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup of the water; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Cut in the butte, and then add the yeast mixture and remaining water. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make soft dough.Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a large

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greased bowl, turning to grease the top, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Prepare the filling while dough is rising.

Filling: In a small pan over medium heat, cook the bacon. Drain it, chop, and set aside. Saute the onion in the butter until it is soft, but not brown. Add the ham, stirring until it's combined with the onion. Stir in the caraway, pepper and bacon, and remove from heat.

Assembly: Punch the dough down and divide it into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time (cover the remaining pieces with plastic wrap) roll each piece of dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle. If the dough "fights back" give it a 5-minute rest, and resume rolling. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into 2 3/4-inch rounds.

Place 1 teaspoon of the filling mixture into the center of each round, fold in half (to make a half moon shape) and pinch the edges closed.Place the piragi on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets, rotating them so that the seam-side is down. Shape them into crescents, and brush with the egg wash. Bake the piragi in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Breaded Roasted Potatoes (Rivmaize Cepti Kartupeli) Ingredients: 2 Medium Eggs, Beaten, 2 Cups Bread Crumbs, Toasted, 6 Medium Potatoes, Boiled And Peeled, 1 Can Tomatoes, Chopped, 3 Tablespoons Butter, Salt And Pepper, to taste Preparations: Mix eggs and bread crumbs together. Roll each whole potato in the egg mixture. Bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Saute tomatoes in butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top potatoes with tomatoes and serve.

Fish Cooked in Milk with Boiled Potatoes Ingredients: 500 g (17.5oz) fish (mackerel, perch, pilchards, etc.),140 g (4.9oz) flavoring vegetables (onion, parsley, carrot),260 g (9.1oz) milk,2 tablespoons vegetable oil,2 tablespoons sour cream, chopped parsley or dill, Salt, Pepper, Bay leaves Preparation: Cut fish into pieces, cut onion into rings, coarsely grate carrot, chop parsley. Layer fish pieces with vegetables in a saucepan, sprinkling each layer with vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Pour over hot milk, add bay leaf and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add sour cream at the end of cooking. Serve fish with the cooking liquid and boiled potatoes. Sprinkle with chopped herbs before serving.

Pea Pats Ingredients:200 g gray peas, 100 g potatoes, 1 onion, 25 g smoked bacon, 50 g hemp, Salt Preparation: Boil soaked peas until they are soft. Then mince peas together boiled potatoes. Cut smoked bacon in cubes and fry them together with chopped onion. Add some salt to the minced peas and prepare smoked bacon and hemp. Knead and roll round balls with your hands. Dry them up and put in a pottery. You can serve them with kefir or buttermilk.

My little Cuisine May 2011

Whipped Cranberry Dessert with Milk (Debessmanna) Ingredients: 75 g (2.65oz) cranberries or other berries, 200 g (7oz) water, 50 g (1.75oz) sugar, 30 g (1.05oz) semolina Preparation: Rinse cranberries. Crush and squeeze out juice. Place cranberry solids in a saucepan, cover with water, boils for five minutes and strain. Add sugar. Gradually add semolina, stirring constantly. Heat it until semolina thickens and then add cranberry juice. Pour mixture into a bowl and cool rapidly. Whip mixture until it becomes light and airy and has doubled or tripled in volume. Serve in deep dessert dishes with cold milk.

Layered Rye Bread Dessert Ingredients: 75 g (2.625 oz) dry rye bread, 50 g (1.75 oz) loganberry jam, 20 g (0.7 oz) sugar, 60 g (2.1 oz) cream, cinnamon, Vanilla essence Preparation:Finely grate rye bread, mix with cinnamon and half of the sugar.

Beat cream, adding sugar and vanilla essence gradually, until mixture forms stiff peaks. On a shallow dish arrange layers of bread, jam and whipped cream, finishing with a layer of bread which is decorated with whipped cream. Serve with a drink of milk.

Pre-primary School Educational institution “Spodriba�-Dobele

The salty buns Dough: Give the milk a warm, add some flour and yeast, salt and sugar (taste how much you need). Mix everything and knead the dough. Add some oil and knead the dough. Leave for some time to ferment a warm place. In about 30 min. the dough is ready.Make small buns. Put some ketchup, cutter vegetables (tomatoes, pepper and onions), sausages and mushrooms. Cover it with the grinded cheese. Put the buns into the stove and bake until they are ready.

Gingerbread Brown the sugar, add some boiled water and some margarine. Mix it. Add the special spicery for the gingerbread and some flour. Mix it together. Chill it. Add some eggs, mix again. Add some flour while the pastry is quite hard. Put the pastry into the fridge for at least 1 month. Then make the gingerbread.

Preparation: Roll out the pastry, make rather shapes, put the biscuits into the oven and bake until they are ready.

My little Cuisine May 2011

The salad of vegetables Ingredients: boiled potatoes, boiled carrots, fresh or pickled cucumber, onions, boiled eggs, a sausage, tomatoes, mayonnaise, sour cream, green peas, salt and peppers.

Preparation: Cut all vegetables, eggs and sausages. Put them into the bowl, add some green peas. Add some mayonnaise and sour cream. Mix it. Add some salt.

Bon AppĂŠtit! :-)