Pavel and Olga Syutkin: “Russian cuisine as a national idea. How was the LiveJournal Meetup about Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin history of Russian cuisine

Let me be clear. Many thought that Popados had sold out to the damned Turkoman infidels, went for a long kebab and, damn it, was blaspheming our native Russian pancake. He writes about how good foreign cuisine is, but turns up his nose at his native, domestic cuisine. And the Crimean cabbage soup is liquid for him, and the chickens are not cooked that way.

But in fact, there are few more food patriots like your humble servant. Even yesterday, sitting in the famous Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon in Paris, eating foie gras and reading Charlie Hebdo, I was not dreaming about French croissants and onion soup. I wanted, you know, a normal Ukrainian Russian borscht, but more rich, kulebyaki and cold kvass.

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Am I a padded jacket? In this sense - absolutely, the most terry. No matter where the fate of the rootless Russian-Tatar takes him, literally after a couple of weeks he begins to miss not the birch trees, but pancakes with cottage cheese, pickles and that buckwheat porridge with meat that my wife cooks so beautifully. And also some smoked fish...
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And here’s the paradox: in Moscow, in the heart of Holy Rus', it is much more difficult to eat real Russian food than Euro-American-Japanese and other fast food. A simple question: when was the last time you ordered kulebyaka, and when was the last time you ordered pizza or sushi? And why can’t you find the usual Guryev porridge in a Russian city during the day? I don’t have an answer to these questions, I don’t remember kulebyak on Moscow menus or on store shelves.
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In general, there is a strong feeling that Russian catering is a global conspiracy against our culinary traditions. But they also constitute national identity, along with language, fairy tales about Ivan the Fool and the strange holiday "Old New Year"". You are Russian in spirit if you cannot live without herring and potatoes with dill.
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Thank God there are people who care. The first steps in popularizing our cuisine are now being taken in Moscow. Right now, in the very center, from Tverskoy Boulevard to Chistye Prudy, there are 6 sites of the “Our Product” festival, where anyone can try fish smoked right there, in the ancient Russian way and by people dressed according to that era. And behind the Rossiya cinema, Alexey Ovcharenko’s warriors are reenacting the entire process of baking Russian bread - from grinding wheat to hot flatbread.
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All the products presented here are the simplest. After all, according to the same Alexei, in the old days it was much more important to preserve the product than to prepare a complex dish.
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But there was quite enough complexity in Russian cuisine. For this, you can turn from the festival grounds to the new and very interesting restaurant “Moskovskaya Kukhmisterskaya”, on Bolshaya Nikitskaya.
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The enlightened 19th century became our chefs' finest hour. On Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Mr. Olivier comes up with his legendary “Russian salad.” We call it by the author’s surname, although on different continents I have met it exclusively as Russian salad. Russian restaurants are appearing in Europe. From simple pickles to the most complex dishes! Alas, those traditions and recipes are completely forgotten. We don’t know what our great-great-grandfathers ate, what the food tasted like in Russian taverns and ordinary houses. We can only fantasize and swallow saliva while reading Gogol’s description of the dinner of an ordinary county merchant.
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That is why the initiative of the famous metropolitan restaurateur Kirill Gusev and my LiveJournal friend, historian of Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin p_syutkin so long-awaited and cool. You flip through the menu like a real history textbook. You can imagine yourself as a nobleman and order duck noodles with roots and quail egg. Merchant of the 2nd guild and demand a frying pan of pearl barley porridge with kid stew and honey mushrooms, just for warming up. An ordinary collegiate assessor from the "Overcoat" and modestly order spelled for yourself.
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Imagine, our ordinary spelled has become a rare delicacy product! This culinary holiday is just the first timid step in a long journey of struggle for our stomachs. So that you can eat spelled without an excursion to Bolshaya Nikitskaya, but in an ordinary eatery near the metro. And so that the neighboring cafe sells not burgers with overcooked fries and cola 0.3, but hot delicious pies with dried fruit compote.
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Then, quite possibly, the first Russian restaurant awarded a Michelin star will appear in Moscow. And Nemikhail and I will gladly go there and publish our incorruptible reviews.
Kirill and Pavel, you are doing a very good and tasty job!

p.s. By the way, read Pavel’s journal, it’s extremely good))

Interviews with food historians

Researchers of authentic Russian culinaria ars traditions, authors of a series of books about “Unimagined Stories” of Russian cooking, TV presenters, bloggers and simply gastronomic educators - all these are Pavel and Olga Syutkin.

This fall, their bestseller CCCP Cook Book was published in London, and the Russian publishing house AST published a new book, Russian and Soviet Cuisine in Persons.

In an interview with Orloff Magazine, Pavel and Olga Syutkin talk about culinary manifestos, culinary memory and Vatels of Russian cuisine.

Books that do not just collect recipes under their covers, but explore certain aspects of food culture, have recently attracted particular interest from readers. What do large-scale archaeological journeys into Russian gastronomic history mean to you, as authors?

Pavel Syutkin: While studying our “table” past, we never considered it in isolation from general history countries. Cuisine is as much a part of our culture as fashion, costume, language. In our books we try to talk not about “what” our ancestors ate, but “why”. It is knowledge of the general historical context of the era that allows us to draw correct conclusions about why our cuisine was the way it was. Talk substantively about its “pros” and “cons.”

Olga Syutkina: Old cookbooks, memoirs, memories of people who lived 300-500 years ago are, after all, a kind of time machine. But to understand what these people wrote about, you need to immerse yourself in that era. Otherwise, we are trying to judge the life of our compatriots of those years with our today's stereotypes. Life, which today we cannot always understand. This is precisely where we see our task - to explain the motivations, the secret and obvious springs that underlay our kitchen culture of past centuries.

You recently published a book “CCCP Cook Book” about Soviet cuisine (products) in the English publishing house “Fuel”. What experience was the most valuable in the process of working on the book?

Olga: Unlike our books devoted to earlier periods Russian history, this work was both easier and more difficult. It’s simpler because living people have survived - witnesses of that era. Veterans who still remembered Mikoyan and created that very Soviet cuisine and food industry. It’s more difficult because the big is seen from a distance, and too little time has passed for all the passions and emotions regarding that era to subside.

Paul: Let's speak frankly: the theme of the USSR for today's Russia is extremely ideological. Official discourse dictates that the collapse of the USSR be considered the greatest historical catastrophe of the 20th century. We do not hide our position. There are vivid and unforgettable memories of our youth, which we write about in our book. And there is nostalgia for the USSR and Brezhnev (or even Stalin), for the order that reigned in those years. This is what we are putting aside for lovers of this kind of historical “antiques”. And in our works we focus on the cultural component of our kitchen past. Leaving for fans of leaders and “national leaders” their platform for fantasies and reminiscences. In the end, everyone will be rewarded according to their faith.

But if we talk about cooking and Food Industry those years, there is a lot here that can be rejected and, on the contrary, closely studied. Finding this fine line between ideology and real life - perhaps this was the most difficult thing when writing our book.

Why do you think some domestic products, in particular Soviet ones (from herring under a fur coat to doctor’s sausage), still cause culture shock among ordinary people in the West? Is it a tradition or a certain way of culinary labeling as “foreign”?

Olga: Yes, indeed, let’s say, our jellied meat is perceived very ambiguously by foreign tourists. Well, so what? Yes, the Russian culinary experience is different from Western Europe. Just like Polish, Chinese or Turkish. I see no reason to draw far-reaching conclusions from this. For example, do you like the so-called “pickled fish” - cod marinated with almost no salt, which acquires a distinct smell of rot? But this is the same “surströmming”, festivals of fans of which are regularly held as national holidays in the Scandinavian countries.

Paul: Our (Russian and European) culinary cultures have historically been quite closely intertwined. But they cannot coincide to complete identity. It would be foolish to demand that our kitchen completely adapt to generally understood standards. After all, all world trade and tourism is based on the fact that one country grows better oranges and another has better penguins.

For some peoples, the concept of art prevails in food culture, for others - ritual, for others - a way of life. How do you see the attitude of Russians towards their cuisine? And is it possible to talk about the national quintessence of nutrition?

Olga: In fact, National cuisine even more complicated than the parties you listed. First, let's just try to understand what it consists of. After all, to say that cuisine is dishes and recipes is the most primitive, upper level of its perception. What else?

Firstly, it must be said that national gastronomic products are often used as ingredients for dishes, preparations for them and seasonings. Cabbage soup with sauerkraut, pea soup with smoked brisket, pies with jam - it is no coincidence that all these dishes have a national flavor (at the same time, in terms of the method of preparation, they are no different from their foreign counterparts).

Secondly, food processing technologies are important. And in Russian cuisine they are truly original. The most obvious example is the Russian oven, which allows you to simmer a dish for many hours at a time at a relatively low temperature. Mention should also be made here of sauerkraut, soaking apples, and drying marshmallows...

Thirdly, the type and nature of food. The predominance of animal fats, cereal porridges, the presence of homogeneous salads and the widespread use of offal - these and dozens of other features together give our ancestral dishes an original character.

And finally, the customs of serving dishes. All those, sometimes elusive, features of a feast: sour cream in soups, horseradish for hot smoked fish, boiled potatoes with vegetable oil, herring with onions, and salmon with lemon...

Paul: We should not forget about one more circumstance - the variety of tastes within the kitchen itself. This point is often missed, but in vain. Moreover, the analogy with European cooking works here in full force. Agree, many of us only relatively recently began to understand that pizza, spaghetti and Chianti are not genuine Italian cuisine, but only some food constructs that were created not so long ago and are the “face” of this cuisine in the eyes of foreign countries. The authentic cuisine of Italy is a unique conglomerate of culinary habits and dishes of twenty historical regions and one hundred and ten provinces.

Same with Russian cuisine. Apparently, it’s time, instead of stubbornly defending its historical identity, to move on to a new, deeper understanding, the realization that a single Russian cuisine is also partly an artificial construct, generated by the desire to centralize everything and everyone, which developed back in the days of Russian Empire and lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Yes, Russian cuisine is the cuisine of the metropolis, which has absorbed thousands of dishes, habits, and dietary habits of its peoples. She created many unique dishes that are widespread throughout Russia and allow us to talk about common culinary tastes and preferences (from prehistoric pancakes and cabbage soup to the relatively “young” Pozharsky cutlets and beef stroganoff). But at the same time, this is a unique phenomenon that combines a lot of local brands, gastronomic and culinary products, which are not distributed everywhere, but only in those places where they historically originated. Smolensk ham and Kolomna pastila, Moscow saiki and Tula gingerbread, Khopyor fried crucian carp and Suzdal pickled cucumbers - here it is, the indescribable image of real Russian cuisine and the most promising way of its revival, based on supporting people’s initiatives, encouraging local production, and recreating a unique cultural space Russian cities, ancient names and culinary preferences. We are convinced that in this way, and not through the search for some other mythical national idea, Russian cuisine will be revived and become a real living heritage of hundreds of generations of our ancestors.

So, Russian cuisine as a national idea. Perhaps we are inclined to this definition of it.

Is the use of the concept of “haute Russian cuisine” legal, in your opinion?

Paul: Certainly. It is a big misconception to believe that Russian cuisine is only peasant cabbage soup, pancakes and porridge. The cooking of a wealthy society has been an integral part of it in all centuries. Another thing is, has she always been refined? Can boyar feasts with swans and mountains of fried meat be considered elegant cuisine? Unlikely.

This concept comes to us, most likely, by the end of the 18th century, when both public tastes and the culinary “offer” itself changed. New products and cooking styles appear, European chefs arrive. And by the 20-30s of the 19th century, this cuisine was established not only as a table for kings and nobles, but also simply as a bright direction of Russian gastronomy. It is turning into a part of our culture glorified by Pushkin.

It is important to note that this elegant cuisine is gradually returning to a domestic basis. Many talented Russian chefs put a lot of effort into creating this amazing “fusion” of European influence and our traditional menu. The classic once spoke in a satirical vein about this mixture of “French and Nizhny Novgorod.” But comic exceptions aside, this fusion has become a powerful and vibrant movement. Which, by the end of the 19th century, became the great Russian gastronomy, known far beyond the borders of our country.

Olga: Another thing is that in Soviet times this part of cooking was strictly removed from our lives. So decisively that even attempts to revive it for the party elite in the 1970s today cause a sad smile. Indeed, decades of socialism dealt a huge blow to our elegant cuisine. First of all, due to isolation from the whole world - in the form of a lack of exchange of experience in cooking techniques, ignorance of new products, spices, and a shortage of basic things. Perhaps it is only today, almost thirty years after perestroika, that we can say that “exquisite Russian cuisine” is not the pages of historical novels, but our life today. Anatoly Komm, Vladimir Mukhin, brothers Ivan and Sergey Berezutsky - this is not a complete list of talented people working on this site.

The rhythm of life of a modern person is characterized by extremeness and speed. Is domestic cuisine shaped by conservatism in this regard, or is it also subject to industrial tempo?

Paul: This is a rather serious dilemma in Russian cuisine. The fact is that, with few exceptions, she was never adapted to fast food. A leisurely measured meal - here perfect option our cooking. Naturally, it involved an equally lengthy preparation. After all, baking - one of the main techniques of the Russian menu - is clearly not fast process. Especially in the oven.

That is why it is impossible to transfer the Domostroevsk menu unchanged to today. Yes, to be honest, it’s not necessary. Tastes, the rhythm of life, and the concept of healthy food have changed. And healthy conservatism should not manifest itself in making the early feudal table the ideal of our modern diet. And to “reinvent” old dishes on new way, preserving historical tastes, regional products. But to make everything clearer and closer to modern man. Naturally, if we want to build a harmonious kitchen of today, and not just another tourist restaurant-museum.

Sometimes a disruption to the culinary routine can change the way of life of a particular community. Could you give examples of the dramatic influence of gastronomic phenomena on national culture?

Olga: It is unlikely that the importance of gastronomy as a factor in historical development should be exaggerated. But we shouldn’t downplay it either. You just need to understand that cooking is a product of the general culture of the people, a sharp breakthrough in which becomes a real stimulus for general progress. For example, did shaving beards and the introduction of European dress under Peter I influence Russian culture? Obviously yes. But we must not forget that it was under this Russian emperor that the so-called “Chukhon” butter came into our lives - an analogue of today’s butter, which was salted, and in general, prepared more carefully and purely than before. Needless to say, all the haute cuisine that we subsequently adopted in Europe would have been impossible without this basic product. Just like all the St. Petersburg restaurants and social dinners sung by Pushkin.

Or, for example, potatoes. In addition to pure taste, we should be grateful to him for getting rid of widespread hunger. After all, the last mass “epidemic” of hunger in Russia was the 1840s. That's when they try Russian authorities introduce this garden crop among peasants middle zone- remember the “potato riots”. Let it be through violence and “over the knee,” but they introduced it. Since then, there have been famines in the country, but they never reached such epic proportions (until the Soviet period, of course).

Paul: Among the examples closer to us is the introduction of ocean fish into the mass cuisine of the USSR. In the 1970s, its production became a huge help for the socialist economy, which was already falling into a shortage of basic food products. Nowhere in the world have such experiments been carried out involving the transfer of millions of people to food that is not historically typical for them. People of the older generation may remember with what wariness buyers in stores greeted “seafood” with unusual names - hake, pristipoma, merou, bluefish, pagrus. But it’s okay, we got used to it. So the customs of culinary culture are a fairly flexible phenomenon. And it is hardly worth exaggerating the population’s commitment to certain manifestations of “national historical heritage”. Especially today, when TV allows you to “switch” these principles to the opposite ones in just a couple of days.

Who do you consider to be the Vatel of Russian cuisine?

Paul: What do people remember about Francois Vatel? Yes, it was the skilled cook of the Prince of Condé. But he went down in history with one act. Receiving King Louis XIV in Chantilly, he spends days and nights in the kitchen. And here is the apotheosis - a gala dinner. In the morning, Vatel is horrified to see that the suppliers have failed him and did not deliver the fish. “I won’t survive this shame, I have honor and reputation,” he tells his assistant. Then he goes up into the room, puts the sword against the door and pierces his heart. A kind of sacrifice based on devotion to the profession.

In general, your question was surprisingly timely. At the end of the year, our book “Russian and Soviet Cuisine in Persons” was published. It is about them - those who dedicated their lives and destiny to our cooking. There are a number of lessons we have learned from this work. Some of them are simple and obvious. To understand others, it was necessary to go through a considerable path of research, meetings and conversations with dozens of participants in the events described or their descendants.

The first and main feeling we experienced was the closeness of history. Yes, yes, despite the passing years and centuries, all this is nearby. Time after time, we have come across ancient details and events that have a direct response to our present-day reality. We walk along the Moscow streets and come across an old house where the Hermitage restaurant was located. The same one where the famous Olivier salad was invented 150 years ago. We take “Vologda” oil from the shelf and remember Nikolai Vereshchagin and Anastas Mikoyan. Those thanks to whom this product became known throughout the world. And having heard on TV another statement from the chief sanitary doctor, we involuntarily think that one of those who laid the foundation for this control was Mikhail Ignatiev.

But the story is close not only to these elusive details. Those who made it are still alive. Many veterans we encountered while working on this book remember both Anastas Mikoyan and Nikolai Kovalev. The old yellowed photographs are carefully preserved by the relatives of Pelageya Alexandrova-Ignatieva. And the descendants of the Tolstoys remember with gratitude their great-grandmother, who wrote the family “Cookbook.” This is the immediate memory of generations. And while it is passed on from mother to daughter, from teacher to student, our culture and its traditions are still alive.

But these memories are not always light and sunny. We are surprised at how difficult the fate of our heroes was at times. What difficulties did they have to endure and what did they overcome? And then suddenly we understand the truth of the phrase of the Soviet poet: “Walk not on the edge, but on the main road - and you will meet everyone who is near and dear to you!” And then it becomes obvious that the hungry serf childhood of Nikolai Kostomarov and Mikhail Ignatiev was only the beginning of a brilliant career as scientists. And the hardships experienced by Gerasim Stepanov and Vladimir Filimonov in their life path, became only a consequence of this very principle - “walk the main road.”

And here, probably, it would be very appropriate to say one simple thing, the validity of which we ourselves are convinced. Dozens, hundreds of talented people created this kitchen, not obeying fashion trends. They did not work for money and fame, which they clearly did not receive in due measure. Not in search of a position at the royal court or in the party nomenklatura. Each of them simply did their job - the way they understood it. To the best of your talents and beliefs. Without looking back at stupid criticism and envy of mediocrities. For some of them, life became a small feat, for others it was just an honest and difficult road. But that doesn’t make it any less important, does it?

Pavel and Olga Syutkin / photo kuhnyatv.ru

Food and genetic memory are a separate chapter of the historical past and present of the country. Are you planning to highlight unknown pages of the culinary culture of the Russian emigration?

Olga: Naturally. This is probably impossible for an unbiased researcher. Moreover, we come across these examples at every step. Here, let's say, Olivier salad. It is also known as “Russian salad” - as it is called in many countries of the world. And here's the real one life example, told by our friend from France. At their work, it is customary for employees to treat their colleagues with their national dishes from time to time. And then one fine day a woman who came from Iran brings her National dish- ... Olivier salad! Only long historical “excavations” allowed us to assume that it was brought to Iran at the end of the 19th century by expeditions of Russian Cossacks. Since then, it has taken root there and become a local folk dish.

Paul: Or take chicken Kiev. Thanks to Pokhlebkin, we were sure that they arose in Kyiv after the Great Patriotic War. Not so. Soviet history is very one-sided. This applies no less to culinary history. She seemed to pretend that the world around her simply did not exist. Life, it turns out, is richer than Soviet stereotypes. And Kyiv cutlets lived quietly outside the USSR even when they were forgotten in their homeland. The earliest mentions of Chicken Kiev, for example, can be found in American newspapers from 1937. It mentions a certain Colonel Yashchenko, the owner of the Yar restaurant in Chicago, created based on the famous pre-revolutionary Moscow restaurant. And in the archives of The New York Times for 1946, I found an interview with the Ukrainian chef of the New York restaurant Casino Russe, Sidorenko, in which he talks about how to cook those same Kyiv cutlets.

While collecting and mapping gastronomic practices and images, have you thought about your status - ethnographers, collectors or educators?

You are only listing different aspects of what we do. We are far from considering our work to be deeply academic. Although our books are distinguished by much greater attention to the scientific apparatus and real sources than many studies published in recent decades (for example, by the same William Pokhlebkin). But still, we see our audience much wider. These are not narrow specialists studying the life of the peoples of Russia. And the widest circle of readers interested in the past, its culture and everyday life. It is no coincidence that our books are positioned as “non-fiction” - popular science literature. And this role has a very important function. Being at the intersection of different sciences, it is designed to awaken interest in Russian history and generate discussions and debates. This is exactly where we see our task. The term “enlightenment”, in the very understanding of the 18th century, is very close to us. Only, unlike those Russian enlighteners - Novikov, Levshin, Bolotov - we do not strive to show the achievements of the present century. And to give an unbiased picture of our past, completely littered with all sorts of historical myths and ideological stereotypes.

text: Artem Kalnin

Alas. I didn't want this, but I have to. Once again write a post about Pavel Syutkin and Olga Syutkina. About this family couple of sweet liars, charming mediocrities and envious people, who have already tired the entire culinary community with their lampoons and intrigues.

Let me get straight to the point, without further preamble. Because the matter turned out so interesting that what kind of prefaces are there...

So first of all.

Pavel Syutkin and his dear wife want to recover money from me through the court for “material damage” allegedly caused to them by my humble person.

What exactly is the damage? Here's the thing.

I laughed at the Syutkins. I have provided a link in my posts to a brilliant expose of their “creativity” made by a third party - which leaves no stone unturned in their “historical” activities. He gave a link to an analysis of their little books, which consisted largely of borrowings from other authors - without references or quotation marks. Who hasn’t read this analysis yet, please go here:

What do you think happened next? And then, according to the Syutkins, they began to suffer terrible material losses. IN statement of claim the terminated contract between this enterprising family and a certain farmer Klimov is mentioned. Who is Klimov? But just yesterday he distinguished himself again:

Klimov and the Syutkins have been friends for a long time, this is known to everyone who is at least somehow familiar with them.

And suddenly, imagine - such a surprise - the termination of some serious contract (between the farmer and the “historians”, yeah).

How could this happen?

There are two versions. One is based on the Syutkins’ version. Farmer Klimov, having accidentally read my post, broke off all relations in indignation, as an honest person, not wanting to further cooperate with such persons.

The second one is a little different. And it presupposes some kind of agreement, followed by the distribution of dividends...

But no, you and I have not yet lost faith in humanity and we will never believe in such a terrible conspiracy between honest people! Although they say that the Syutkins and Klimov are still very friendly, despite...

Do you know how much the Syutkins lost from my revelations and how much they are now demanding from me in court? Almost three million rubles. Klimov’s comrades did not give them exactly that amount, recklessly believing what I wrote about the Syutkins.

Dear farmer Klimov, I am addressing you personally! Touched, so to speak, by trust! It's no joke - to break up with old friends and cheat them out of money because of the mention of these losers in a couple of my publications. Cheer up, Klimov! On occasion, I will send you a bowl of personally prepared lentil soup.

But that is not all.

In the end, everyone earns a living whatever they can. For example, I work a lot - in different cities of Russia. I’m trying to revive and multiply Russian cuisine (the same Russian cuisine that the Syutkins themselves declare insignificant and unnecessary). And someone chose a fraudulent path, that’s also not new.

This is what surprised me the most.

The Syutkins, having decided to remove me from the site, turned to an old and fail-safe method.

They track all the places on the map where I appear and immediately write political denunciations against me (you won’t believe it).

They provide links to the websites of the administration of the Primorsky Territory, Tver Region, television channels, etc. about my political unreliability. Confidently reporting my political views, not caring at all about confirming his denunciations with at least some evidence.

Yes, God be with them, with evidence.

Just think! In our time. In order to silence an opponent, a denunciation is sent to his place of work, saying that such and such, invited to your territory, is a supporter of political ideas with whom our current government is not on the same page. And we’re not talking about a political strategist, but about a chef, just that...

Someone asked about those who wrote thousands of denunciations in the thirties? Yes, these are the Syutkins who wrote them. Then - in order to knock out a position for yourself, to get someone else's apartment, or simply out of revenge. And now the Syutkins write about my unreliability for the sake of appearing on television, that makes all the difference. And these are the most liberal people, eternal visitors to democratic rallies - flesh and blood creative class, haters of all dictatorships.

Of course, I cannot be sure that the magistrate’s court will understand everything thoroughly. It is possible that, based on his decision, I will have to give this family some money for the next plastic surgery. And even post a formal post with some ritual words.

But you can pay for everything, including the pleasure of publicly calling liars and informers liars and informers.

1. Red Square. Temples, monuments, people

Alexey Pevnev from Kaliningrad takes an active part in all thematic weeks of LiveJournal. For the #wordofMoscow section, he prepared reports from GUM and Red Square. Walk with the author through main square countries. Each building here is a unique historical monument.

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2. How does the Moscow Zoo live?

Another regular participant in LiveJournal thematic weeks is Elena Haro. She talks about one of the oldest zoos in Europe - Moscow. It was opened in 1864 and still remains a favorite place for family outings.

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3. Ice cream made from kvass. Recipe for City Day

Famous LiveJournal blogger and specialist in Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin took a direct part in organizing Moscow City Day. Pavel and Olga Syutkin acted as consultants in preparing the gastronomic part of the holiday. Thanks to them, Muscovites and guests of the capital were treated to ancient dishes, recreated according to recipes from different centuries.

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4. Taganka through the eyes of a tourist

Andrey Rumyantsev is a guest of the capital. Having very little time in the city, he visited one of the most ancient and beloved districts of Muscovites - Tagansky. In ancient times, the Tatar Settlement was located here, where artisans lived. Today Taganka is one of the most developed areas of Moscow.

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5. Moscow. View from the water

Every city looks completely different when viewed from the water. Sergei Talykov published a report from a walk along the Moscow River. Neat, well-kept facades, bridges, high-rise buildings, old and new places in the capital - familiar but unusual Moscow will appear to you in these photographs.

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6. Moscow legend. Children's World on Lubyanka

Victoria Kandaurova sometimes comes to Moscow from Barnaul with her family. Her story is about visiting the Children's World on Lubyanka. Biggest children's store The USSR was opened in 1957. This was the first retail facility in the country that met international standards. Today at Children's world Ancient and modern toys are collected, there is an observation deck, a cinema, cafes and restaurants.

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Moscow is always open to guests. Come to the capital, walk the streets, enjoy the unique atmosphere ancient city. The stories of bloggers in the “Word to Moscow” section will tell you what to see and where to visit.

This is a common thing on the Russian culinary Internet. When a pack of mongrels suddenly rally and attack anyone who is different from them. Whoever these small creatures chose as targets for their attacks. IN different years this “close-knit team” attacked Stalik Khankishiev and Maxim Syrnikov, Nika Belotserkovskaya, Elena Aizikovich, Elena Chekalova. And now everything has turned upside down. And famous culinary authors - Olga and Pavel Syutkin - began to use this pack for their PR.

Indeed, in recent months the mongrels have had a new goal - Olga and Pavel Syutkin. Every day, every week, another portion of dirt and lies spills onto the Internet. The recipe for these posts is simple, as are their authors themselves. It is cut according to one pattern. Any quote from the Syutkins is taken. Taken out of context, it is reinterpreted as the author pleases. And then the “exposure session” begins. For example, the Syutkins write about rye bread. We quickly google and find any text - from Marx, Engels, minutes of the English Parliament, Carl Linnaeus - it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that it doesn’t coincide at least a little. Something to grab onto. And then there is scope for the sick fantasies and eloquence of the author.

The Syutkins write about the fact that cooks used to be called “cooks.” - Like cooks, does the mongrel squeal? They don't respect Russian women! The Syutkins write that Russian cuisine has not always been outstanding and has its shortcomings. “Like shortcomings,” another mongrel cries. Yes, Russia fed all of Europe! They slander our history!

That is, the method is clear. And it works flawlessly. But there is one drawback to it. It works on fools and mongrels who recognize their brothers with a joyful squeal. And the Syutkins’ audience, those for whom they write, are smart people who are able to understand the matter without “dog” tips. That's why in Lately This mongrel fuss brings nothing but smiles to them.

Do you know why? Because the reason for all this fuss is obvious to everyone. It is in the enormous popularity of the Syutkins’ books, which traditionally occupy places in the top sales of bookstores (“The Uninvented History of Russian Cuisine” and their new book about Soviet cuisine have long been hits). In radio and television programs in which these people systematically appear.

That's why the unexpected happened this time. The mongrels, without even realizing it, act as PR agents for the Syutkins. Indeed, each fit of their squeal increases the audience of readers of the books of these authors. Pavel's blog on LiveJournal - http://p_syutkin.livejournal.com/ (which became super-popular in two months), and Olga's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sioutkina(which has hundreds of readers and subscribers). The authors, it seems, will really soon be thanking the unknown pack for free PR. After all, as you know, any public mention attracts the attention of readers. Which, of course, will figure out what’s what themselves.

But still, the country must know all its heroes. That's why this community will systematically talk about those very mongrels. Calling them by name. By collecting information about them online and posting them for everyone to see.

Have you noticed what this community is called? -LOSERS. This is exactly the word that characterizes the entire “mongrel” breed. Unable to find a place in life, they throw out all their anger and hatred on their unfortunate fate on the Internet. And like mold, they try to cover all living things around with their disgusting greenery.

So who are they? Let's go through the list:

Bufetum- a married couple of provincial Nashists. Who are these Nashists, you ask? Well, Google it and everything will become clear to you. Without days off or sleep, in four hands they scribble their comments all over the Internet denouncing the enemies of Russia - America, Jews, democrats, journalists, etc. Below in the materials there will be a repost, which explains in detail the simple fact that bufetum is just a paid Internet troll, earning extra money for 85 rubles per comment. Read, enjoy.

Iz-za-pechki- a roguish “talented young writer,” as the mongrels boastfully call him. And he doesn’t mind - slightly lowering his eyes, nodding - “Come on. So what? Well, talented." In fact, this no longer very young gentleman cherished the dream of becoming the great founding father of culinary journalism. But no luck. He did everything he could - he threw mud at Andrei Dellos and Moscow restaurants, made posts about his “non-existent” travels to Michelin-starred establishments that he had never been to. Lately I’ve slipped into openly paid posts. For which he earned a reputation quite worthy of him - a “culinary swindler”. This is exactly what this person is called in hundreds of Google and Yandex links.

chrizantema-8- another colorful character. A former moderator of culinary communities, who was kicked out from everywhere for complete incompetence. An aging lady living in the Baltics and clearly suffering from a lack of communication (come on, the lady is almost a grandmother). He has an amazing writing style where one idea is confused with another even in one paragraph. Many readers rightly believe that her nightly glass of Baileys is the source of her inspiration. But we will keep the intrigue for now.

Eryv- the laughing stock of all culinary forums, starting with the unforgettable Kitchen-nax. The star of Tunisian cuisine, even after this, always managed to make even more ridiculous statements. The denseness of this character even in matters of the school curriculum is such a well-known topic in the culinary community. Now he is urgently studying the history of Russian cuisine, the existence of which, it seems, he had no idea a year ago. On the userpic, you will laugh, it’s the same mongrel.

Irenka2501- a lady of post-Balzac age. Serving as a great expert on everything under the sun, especially cuisine. IN real life- a penniless tour guide from Le Mans (France). A native of Ashgabat, due to stupidity and wild life, she married in her youth with the goal of emigrating. Raising her husband's child and biting her cellulite elbows in envy of her more successful friends. Trying to make extra money by luring Russian tourists (“I’ll tell you better than anyone about France!”) and selling her own paintings, which no one really needs, even at the station for 30 euros.

You will get acquainted with these characters, as well as a couple of them, in the materials of this community.

Enjoy reading.