Merry Russian Christmas!
Well, sure, it has almost past. But I wanted to wish it anyways since you could use it as an excuse to feed people gross and ungross vegan foods!
You see, the Russian orthodox calendar is "behind" the Gregorian one, so Christmas isn't until the 7th of January. The big meal is served on Christmas eve and is supposed to be meat and dairy free! Now, depending on your feelings on honey (as long as it's locally/responsibly collected, it is cool in my book) and how crafty you are at dodging eggs, the meal shapes up nicely.
You serve 12 foods, one for each apostle. Here's how my menu went:
1) Bread
2) Honey
3) Garlic
4) Whiskey (though some use vodka)
5) Chana Masala as a substitute for fish (okay... totally not Russian... BUT! India is in Asia, as is Russia. And Jesus probably ate a lot chickpeas back in the day...)
6) Parsley Potatoes
7) Mixed Vegetables
8 ) Pirogies (some serve a kidney bean potato dish instead of these)
9) Mashed Peas (some substitute nuts)
10) Babilki (a.k.a. Dirtballs! These are dough balls baked and the doused in boiling water, then covered in honey and poppy seeds)
11) Mushroom & Saurkraut soup
12) Stewed prunes
You start the meal by lighting a candle. Then you eat your garlic clove (for the bitter in life), followed by bread dipped in honey (for the bounty and sweetness in life). You then toast to god with the whiskey (best if you pass the bottle around so each can pour their share from the communal amount).
Then... dig in! By Googling "Russian Christmas" you can find out a lot more.
I just wanted to share an (almost) vegan holiday with everyone here!
That's such an awesome tradition. Thank you for sharing something new with us (well it's new for me at least) :)
That sounds really cool and_it_spoke ! Is your family Russian?
I'll read your post in a minute. I just wanted to say hi! Missed you!
I'll read your post in a minute. I just wanted to say hi! Missed you!
Hi! Ditto!
lotus42, part of my mom's side of the family came from there, though they became Roman Catholic. That never stopped this tradition, though. And I find it cool to share with my family now.
I'm interested in babilki. ( No one is surprised that I'm interested in the item with the word "balls" in the name.) Of course, forget the honey... I'm all about agave.
Have a recipe?
Here's the cheaters version:
Get a loaf of frozen white bread dough. Thaw and roll it into balls. Tee hee. Bake it according to the directions (time and temp) and in a strainer, then pour a liberal amount of boiling water over the result. You don't want soggy balls - tee hee - but don't be afraid to soak them.
Your balls.
Tee hee!
Then liberally apply sweetener and poppy seeds.
Y'know.
To your balls.
Balls.
Here's the cheaters version:
Get a loaf of frozen white bread dough. Thaw and roll it into balls. Tee hee. Bake it according to the directions (time and temp) and in a strainer, then pour a liberal amount of boiling water over the result. You don't want soggy balls - tee hee - but don't be afraid to soak them.
Your balls.
Tee hee!
Then liberally apply sweetener and poppy seeds.
Y'know.
To your balls.
Balls.
*swoon*
Well now look what I done did... :o
Oh, And_It_Spoke, there you go again, making me laugh out loud! Nice to see you.
Mushroom and sauerkraut soup sounds intriguing.
4) Whiskey (though some use vodka)
You then toast to god with the whiskey (best if you pass the bottle around so each can pour their share from the communal amount).
In my family's observation of the x-mas if you didn't want to drink the whiskey it was poured on your head instead. That's probably only our way way since most of us are smart-asses.
Mushroom and sauerkraut soup sounds intriguing.
It's horrible.
It's tradition!
1 cup chopped mushrooms boiled in 3 cups water for one hour. Then add a cup of sour kraut juice. Saute half an onion in Earth balance until browned, then add a tablespoon of flour. Cook until a bit browner and add to soup. Simmer a bit more.
Eat.
Wretch.
Tradition!
(This is also a cheater version. My grandma would work all day at making a soup 18 times more disgusting. Alas, that art may be lost...)
4) Whiskey (though some use vodka)
You then toast to god with the whiskey (best if you pass the bottle around so each can pour their share from the communal amount).
In my family's observation of the x-mas if you didn't want to drink the whiskey it was poured on your head instead. That's probably only our way way since most of us are smart-asses.
Ha!
Never heard that one. That's awesome. In our family, all unmarried persons got a dab of honey on their foreheads. To keep them sweet until marriage. My daughter found this very silly.
5) Chana Masala as a substitute for fish (okay... totally not Russian... BUT! India is in Asia, as is Russia. And Jesus probably ate a lot chickpeas back in the day...)
My dear, I was born in Russia. I take offense at you saying that Russia is in Asia.
Sure, SOME of Russia is in Asia, because it is a huge country. But Russia is a European country, and I am from St. Petersburg, which is certainly not in Asia.
My dear, I was born in Russia. I take offense at you saying that Russia is in Asia.
Sure, SOME of Russia is in Asia, because it is a huge country. But Russia is a European country, and I am from St. Petersburg, which is certainly not in Asia.
And let me guess....Asians CANNOT marry Europeans, EVER!!!!
J/K (RIP ST)
Over here in Europe, Russia is considered in Asia. I think in Russia, they consider themselves 'European', so it's a perspective thing, no? Russia certainly isn't part of the EU yet anywho.
You were born in St Petersburg? Coool. Must be one of the very few Russian veg*ns in the world.
Mushroom and sauerkraut soup sounds intriguing.
It's horrible.
It's tradition!
1 cup chopped mushrooms boiled in 3 cups water for one hour. Then add a cup of sour kraut juice. Saute half an onion in Earth balance until browned, then add a tablespoon of flour. Cook until a bit browner and add to soup. Simmer a bit more.
Eat.
Wretch.
Tradition!
(This is also a cheater version. My grandma would work all day at making a soup 18 times more disgusting. Alas, that art may be lost...)
Your description reminds me of "lutefisk"...a traditional Danish Christmas food no one really likes....Garrison Keillor once remarked that he was told to eat "just a little" lutefisk. His response was that "a little lutefisk" was, like vomiting "a little", as bad as "a lot"! ;D
Dearest AIS, we have missed you. This thread was a gift in itself.
When I was small we used to call Jan 6 "Little Christmas." I don't know why. Here in Spain it is Three Kings Day (as in the Wise Men, don't know why Spain promoted them to the rank of kings). Kids get their presents on Jan 6, and return to school on Jan 7 or 8...don't know if that's just bad planning (since they have the 22 Dec-7 Jan off school) or a way to make the new stuff last longer...
I was born in Russia also. Privet, gnarls_baudelaire! This means "Hi" in Russian for those of you who is confused by this word. I was born in Khabarovsk which is in Asian part of Russia. I guess by most people Russia is considered to be European (Eastern European) country.But geographically it is also Asian. That's what makes Russia so unique: combination of progressive west and traditional east.
From Russia with love,
Yuliya
Merry Chritmas!
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p2/munchmuch/russian_dolls.jpg
The food does sound pretty good...well, some of it!
I was born in Russia also. Privet, gnarls_baudelaire! This means "Hi" in Russian for those of you who is confused by this word. I was born in Khabarovsk which is in Asian part of Russia. I guess by most people Russia is considered to be European (Eastern European) country.But geographically it is also Asian. That's what makes Russia so unique: combination of progressive west and traditional east.
From Russia with love,
Yuliya
Privet, fellow Russian veg*n!
You know, my mother's name is also Yuliya.
When was the last time you visited Russia? I visited family there during the summer of 2005. Being vegetarian there was easy enough, but I was still ovo-lacto at the time and ate so many blinis that I ended up turning into a fatty within a week. I can't imagine going back as a vegan, because they use so much dairy and eggs in most of their cooking.
Last time I went home was in 2004, I was still an omni then. Even though I ate my butt off while I was there I actually lost weight. I think it is because Russians use less meat in their cooking, then Americans and eat less portions. I also walked everywhere.
I have not gone back there being vegan. When I told my mom that I am vegan, she was like "why"? "Meat is good for you!" ??? Yeah...Vegetarianism is not very popular over there... Yet! ;) Here is a Russian veg website I found, playing on the net:http://www.vegetarian.ru/
Are you in the US?
Yeah, I am in the US.
I'm going to check out that site right now! Very excited.
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