V Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2013

Every nation has its own way of life, its own customs, unique traditions, dances, sons, and fairy tales. In each country there exist favorite dishes, special traditions in table decoration and cooking. Many of them are historically conditioned by the appropriate national tastes, lifestyles, climate conditions, etc. Such a way of life has been in formation for thousands of years and these habits have assembled the collective experience of our ancestors.

In the Middle Ages (11-13 centuries) the greater part of food was rather unvaried. Bread and wine (grape juice) were the staples of the unprivileged population of Europe and Russia. The poorest would drink fresh water; in order it did not corrupt they put marsh plants in it, which contained ether, arum, flagroot and the like. Moreover, people cultivated rye, oats, wheat, barley, millet and learnt how to make flour. For instance, Russians had the skills to cook different things from fermented dough; that’s why Russian diet used to comprise and now comprises a whole variety of dishes made of dough and pastry, namely: pies, rasstegais, pancakes, kulebyakas, thick pancakes, and fritters.

On the contrary, in France they regard food as a way of life or an art of life (art de vivre). In the Russian language there is no such expression which characterizes a person versed in food. The French say “avoir un bon palais”, which can be translated as ‘to have a good palate’; that means a person has highly-developed gustatory receptors. The cult of food in France is like a holiday filled with delight and calmness. Hurrying while eating or thinking about work is considered bad manners.

On the whole, food manifests itself as an indirect link between people while they have a meal. They faster and better understand each other; they establish good relations and friendship. Feast is a transmitter of cultural traditions of hospitality that go from one generation to another. Acting as a value, food is spoken about in various situations where such topics as duty and honesty, good and evil, responsibility and thoughtfulness arise.

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