Portrait of Catherine II by Rokotov Fyodor Stepanovich 1770
The State Hermitage Museum
“A woman on the throne — the crazy house”, — said about Catherine II, Mikhail Lomonosov.
This famous German was able to make the Russian Empire a great power.
But in the food “the mother of Russian Motherland” loved not thornbut passirovanny with wild cancer, not roulades of rabbits, and the food is Russian and the ordinary.
During the reign of Catherine the great recognized trendsetter became France, a trend which rapidly spread to all:
the manner of dress,
chat,
to cook.
In the noble houses of Moscow and St. Petersburg instead of the traditional Russian cakes, cheesecakes and bagels, at the tables began to appear all kinds of cakes, mousse, jelly and blancmange.
Catherine II planted to high-light the love to overseas dishes
The chefs tried hard to amaze, amuse and, of course, to feed their noble owners with unprecedented, unusual and unusual dishes.
For example, the list of dishes one of the meals of Catherine II:
“Turkey with Shio,
teeny with wings and pure green,
ducks with juice
marinade of chickens,
perch with ham,
poularde with truflame,
grouse in Spanish
turtles,
cirata with olives,
Gato Compiegne,
twelve salads,
seven sauces,
bread tartally”.
Still life with a basket of fruit. Frans Snyders, 1635 — 1639 years
But the menu of the “small” lunch of the Empress:
soup; boiled chicken with cauliflower;
meat and potatoes;
a quarter of a roasted lamb,
the duck and the snipe (on one dish).
In addition on the table were definitely razvarnaya beef,
burgers, sausages, lobster, and various side dishes of braised and grilled mushrooms and vegetables.
For dessert they served oranges, apples, peaches, cherries, puff cakes and biscuits.
Morning Catherine II started with a pair of cups of strong coffee
That is to say, in those years not only loved, but also know how to eat well.
However, Catherine A. all preferred delicacies sauerkraut, and in any form.
The fact is that for many years in the morning she washed cabbage brine, because they believed that this procedure will keep longer her face from wrinkles.
Visit of Mikhail Lomonosov to the Empress Catherine II. Woodcut, late nineteenth century
Their tastes the Empress did not conceal.
There is an interesting story about how one day, after a quarrel she came to put up with Lomonosov, who at that time had lunch.
Mikhail Vasilyevich invited her over to the Desk and complained that the meals he has today, not the king’s — sour soup and porridge.
What Catherine said that he loves these dishes.
Portrait of Catherine II in Russian dress of the brush of an unknown artist
But as usual proceeded in a day of mother-the Empress: she woke up very early, at 6 o’clock, she dressed and lit a fire, then brought her coffee with cream and croutons.
Almond French toast
200 grams of peeled almonds grind into a fine crumb, slightly dry and fry in a pan, add one tablespoon of butter, 2 egg yolks, a Cup or a half Cup of sugar and warm the mixture on fire.
To prepare 6-8 slices of bread or loaf.
Slice of bread spread with almond ground and cover with the second slice.
So to cook all the French toast.
Every toast to dip from two sides in whipped with milk egg and fry in butter until Golden brown.
Coffee Catherine II saw an extraordinary strength. It was prepared so.
Strong coffee
A pound (400 grams) of coffee beans lightly roasted and finely ground.
In the ground coffee is added sugar to taste and poured a liter of cold water.
With constant stirring the drink is brought almost to a boil, remove from heat and infuse.
Part of coffee is poured into cups, the remainder several times to the boil.
Tea set of Catherine II
The Empress drank a couple of cups in the morning, and the rest was given to the servant who gladly relished remaining in the coffee pot Royal drink, diluting it with boiled water.
A favorite dish of Catherine II was razvarnaya beef with pickles
Lunch was served at one o’clock. A favorite dish of Catherine the great was razvarnaya beef with pickles or sauerkraut.
Razvarnaya beef
Prepared a piece of beef lard lard and dipped in the prepared marinade for 2 — 3 days.
Marinade water, sugar, salt, vinegar, black pepper, cinnamon, Bay leaf and cloves to boil and cool.
Marinated meat dipped in form, fill the same marinade to the middle, instead of the cover to use fresh dough.
Form meat to put in heated to 200 degrees oven and simmer for about 3 hours.
Feeding beef whole or sliced with pickles and boiled potatoes.
However, sometimes the mother Empress wanted the exotic.
And then the Royal cook prepared for her favorite sauce of dried reindeer tongues.
At dinner Catherine drank a glass of hock or modernizing and washed down the food with clean water.
She loved and currant juice.
For dessert they served fresh fruit, courtesy of gardener Jacob Reclinin from the gardens and greenhouses of Tsarskoye Selo.
Razvarnaya beef with pickles
Happened to Catherine and “intimate dinners” in which “guests should not be less than the number of graces (3) and not more than the number of muses (9)”.
At these gatherings, the table was full of baked in the ashes palatal part of beef with truffles, veal tails Tartar, fat “girlish” cream, Naulivou for doves and snipe with oysters, grouse soup with Parmesan and chestnuts, geese, shoes, doves by sultansky” and so on.
Perhaps the most original dish of this variety were eye beef in sauce, wittily named “waking up in the morning”.
For dinner, Catherine the Great ate the Apple, and sometimes even ignored the food
As for the evening meal, for the Empress it was a relative concept. English on the advice of Baron Dimsdale, to calm a headache, Catherine refused dinner. Sometimes she could afford to eat one or two apples or drink a glass of water with ice and a drop of berry juice. In his room, the Empress usually retired at 10 PM.
German thoroughness and moderation in all things gave Catherine to go the distance for years to come. Even being at a Mature age, she retained a great complexion, incredible attractiveness and performance.
Author — Anna Zarubina
