Delicious to formulate: how the standard of Russian cuisine will affect its popularity

The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to develop a standard for Russian cuisine and record a detailed description of this phenomenon at the state level. About the difficulties this initiative may encounter and how chefs, gastroexperts and culinary historians treat it, see the Izvestia article.

What does the Ministry of Industry and Trade propose to do

The statement of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia on the need to create a standard of Russian cuisine appeared at the beginning of last week. Thus, the regulator of the catering industry is going to support the national gastronomic heritage and contribute to its popularization and promotion.

— Currently, there is no single, clearly formulated and generally accepted definition of "Russian cuisine" in Russian legislation, — the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade replied to a request from Izvestia. — In this regard, it was decided to create a working group within which it is planned to develop a GOST on Russian cuisine, a kind of glossary on terminology. GOST will be advisory in nature.

The ministry added that such work will create a clearer and more attractive picture of Russian cuisine, both domestically and abroad. In addition to representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and Roskachestvo, the working group will include leading experts and historians on Russian cuisine.

"It's not so much about standardization as about definition in terms," Vladislav Piskunov, one of the participants in the working group, brand chef of the Matryoshka restaurant, told our publication. — We — both professionals, catering workers, and just lovers of Russian cuisine — must speak the same language. The goal is to come to a common meaning, and not to introduce a certain GOST, for violation of which a fine is due.

According to our interlocutor, many official events, forums and congresses take place in the country every day, where Russian food is poorly presented, and could make up at least half of the menu. To do this, it is necessary to clearly define what Russian cuisine includes — what dishes, drinks and pastries. It is important to take this into account both when drawing up the tender documentation and when forming the list of courses for state dinners.

"You can cook as you like, as you have done before, but if you call yourself a Russian cuisine restaurant, then at least you must adhere to certain rules inside the shop. As is customary abroad, where these approaches have already been developed and serious attention is paid to national gastronomy. I hope we can do it too, wisely, with respect for the experience of other countries and our own heritage," concludes brand chef Piskunov.

Archiving and inventory of gastronomic wealth

Recently, many restaurants with Russian cuisine have been opening, because this particular area is considered one of the most in demand, as more and more people have become interested in their own heritage. Market experts evaluate the initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in different ways.

So, according to Igor Bukharov, head of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers, GOST will not affect the recipe, it may develop rules on what can be called a restaurant of Russian cuisine. The document should ensure that such establishments use domestic products, certain technologies and adhere to traditional recipes.

The purpose of the future document is to provide terms and definitions, outline and clarify the very concept of Russian cuisine, and form a coordinate system for chefs, restaurateurs, and guests of catering establishments, agrees Maxim Marusenkov, PhD, culinary historian.

The standard will help to avoid the deceived expectation of guests who come to a Russian cuisine restaurant and find rye burgers and turnip pizza on the menu instead of the daily cabbage soup, he believes. Thus, according to Marusenkov, with the help of GOST, mutual understanding in the field of public catering can appear.

— Chefs and restaurateurs will know which dishes should be on the menu if they want to open a restaurant, cafe or a culinary with Russian cuisine. At the same time, compliance with this GOST will be purely voluntary," the expert noted.

To develop such an important standard for popularizing Russian cuisine, you should first determine what to do, and then how. According to Leonid Gelibterman, Vice President for Cooperation with International organizations and gastronomic Tourism, the glossary planned by the Ministry of Industry and Trade will explain what to call beef stroganoff and what is the classic recipe for this dish. He believes that in the process of work, archiving and inventory of Russia's gastronomic wealth should be carried out.

What do chefs think about the standardization of Russian cuisine?

The new initiative is also being actively discussed among chefs of modern Russian cuisine restaurants. Experts interviewed by the publication believe that it will not be easy to standardize Russian cuisine, as it includes very different dishes.

According to Ilya Travkin, chef of the Nizhny Novgorod Ribs restaurant, standardization is generally not mandatory for catering companies, but it is extremely necessary for educational institutions. At the same time, he pointed out that the idea of introducing a "thick pancake" standard, similar in uniqueness to Vologda lace, looks promising in tourist regions.

— It is worth returning the standards of names and recipes of borscht: Moscow, Kuban, Ukrainian. Using correct, traditional names in the menu can be an important step," Travkin said.

In contrast to this opinion, Alexander Nikolaenko, the ideologist of the restaurant "19" in Nizhny Novgorod, spoke out. According to him, standardization is rather necessary for large holdings and network catering outlets. Standards can slow down creative development, which is actively supported by gastroenterologists, historians and chefs today.

— Standardization should be linked to a specific region, with the participation of a responsible person — a representative of this region, who should promote local cuisine and, most importantly, believe in what he does. Otherwise, nothing will work," Nikolaenko said.

How to take into account regional peculiarities

The situation is complicated by the fact that Russian cuisine in each region has its own characteristics: there are many branches and local features. All this leads to the fact that the same dish in one region may differ from its variant in another.

This opinion was expressed by the chef of Ruski restaurant Alexander Volkov-Medvedev. According to him, Russia is too huge a country to introduce any examples of standard dishes that are prepared in each family in its own way. He is sure that it is necessary to talk about the cuisine of the regions of Russia, and not about Russian cuisine.

At the same time, geographically, Russian cuisine is characterized by a high degree of homogeneity or uniformity, according to culinary historian Marusenkov. According to him, there are many regional variations of classic Russian dishes in Russia, while unique local dishes are not so common.

— Moreover, the attempt to instill regionality along Soviet administrative borders in Russian cuisine is groundless. The maximum we can talk about is large clusters, like the Russian North, Southern Russia, the Volga region, Siberia, and the Far East," he points out.

Russian Russian Cuisine, published in 1796 by Vasily Levshin, the first collection of recipes for Russian national cuisine, remains relevant in our time, according to Marusenkov's calculations. And, according to him, this list was significantly expanded in the 19th century.

Over time, many cuisines have become intertwined and mixed with Russian cuisine. After all, dishes from other national traditions have been prepared in Russia for many years according to an adapted recipe. Therefore, if we agree and give some legitimacy to dishes that have been prepared according to an unchanged recipe for a certain number of years, then they can be classified as Russian cuisine, says Leonid Gelibterman, president of the International Center for Enogastronomy and director of the RANEPA Center for Gastrodiplomacy under the President of the Russian Federation.

Indeed, in the case of regional diversity in Russian cuisine, it all comes down to terms. For example, many dishes have the prefix "Moscow-style," but Muscovites themselves sometimes do not even know what it is, Piskunov believes. The situation is similar in different regions: the Don, Siberia and the Far East.

— But it doesn't interfere, on the contrary, it helps. Diversity does not contradict the system, it enriches it. We just need to fix it properly. Not a single comb, but with an understanding of the nuances," noted Vladislav Piskunov.

Russia has a unique gastronomic map consisting of cuisines of different nations, and through this association it is possible to promote the country, sums up Leonid Gelibterman.

What can be included in the standard of Russian cuisine

The general approach is important in the standard of Russian cuisine, as the cuisine of Russia is rich and diverse. So, for example, there are a lot of forgotten dishes that deserve attention.

— There are endless regional versions of the same recipes. These standards should not be pushed into a framework, but rather help to navigate this wealth, to show the whole palette, — says Piskunov.

For example, a dish like cabbage soup has faded into the background due to the dominance of borscht, says Ilya Travkin, chef of the Ribs restaurant.

"It is also necessary to include fish soup, pies, and even, perhaps, fried potatoes in a frying pan in the standard — this may cause an unexpected public outcry," Travkin said in a conversation with Izvestia.

Daily cabbage soup with buckwheat is another dish that should be included in the list of the standard of Russian cuisine.

— My personal dozen: daily cabbage soup with buckwheat, sterlet's ear, turnip soup, fire cutlets, grouse in sour cream, mutton side with porridge, pike meat, sturgeon in Russian, kulebyaka, fried pies, rye gingerbread, Guryev porridge, — said historian Marusenkov.

Speaking about what can become a standard of Russian cuisine, chef Alexander Nikolaenko recalled that one of the most traditional, historically established categories of dishes that are still loved and in demand are pickles and pickles.

International experience in standardization of cuisine

Experts believe that the popularization of cuisine occurs through gastronomic tourism: both internal and external. In addition, another example of the promotion of national cuisine is gastrodiplomacy, which is used by more than 30 countries around the world.

Certain products that are exported have a kind of quality mark. Due to this, a stable association between a country and a product is emerging in the world. For example, Indian spices and tea, Colombian coffee. Such popularization of national cuisine is well developed in European countries, Peru, Singapore, North and South America, Mexico, South Korea and Thailand, Leonid Gelibterman noted.

Therefore, Russian chefs participating in international competitions and gastronomic dinners should focus on the quality of Russian products, according to Ilya Travkin, chef at Ribs.

— It is important to develop domestic agriculture: fish, dairy products, meat. Exporting our products means not trying to import them," he said.