Crimean Tatar cuisine recipes. National dishes of Crimea
Ingredients
Beef brisket 1 kg.
Onion 3 pcs.
Beans 200 gr.
Potatoes 3-4 pcs.
Garlic 100 gr.
Bulgarian pepper 3 pcs.
Carrots 2 pcs.
Tomato paste 2 tbsp
Cabbage 500 gr.
Vegetable oil 250 gr.
Salt 50 gr.
Set of traditional spices
Cooking method
The main difference from the traditional dishes of other cuisines is the frying of products in hot oil, which is characteristic of the Crimean Tatar cuisine.
We put the beans to cook in a separate bowl without a lid. Cut the meat into small pieces and fry in oil. In the process of frying, add chopped carrots (I usually cut into strips, but you can also grate), bell pepper (I used pickled bell pepper), onion ...
Crimean Tatar meal - what is it like?
Crimean Tatars are great masters of delicious cooking and no less lovers of a leisurely meal. Any meal begins with a cup of the strongest freshly brewed coffee. Then snacks certainly follow: feta cheese, cheese, olives, sausages, fresh vegetable salads. In winter, when there are few fresh vegetables, marinades: lecho, pickled and salted vegetables harvested since autumn, and other home-made canned food. And, of course, freshly baked tandoor cakes.
Only tourists are limited to one or two dishes. In Crimean Tatar families, meals are taken seriously: they put everything on the table at once: both snacks and hot dishes. For breakfast, in addition to snacks, they usually eat milk porridge, cottage cheese and dishes from it, for lunch - lagman, shurpa or yufak ...
Yufak - ash
Many dishes of the Crimean Tatars are a cross between a very thick soup or a second course generously flavored with broth. These are lagman, shurpa and ufak-ash
The word yufak-ash in translation means "small meal". And not because there is little food, but because the dish is a lot of tiny dumplings in the broth.
Women sculpt them all together quickly, quickly. But the work is almost jewelry, since each dumpling turns out to be the size of a fingernail, no more. In finished form, in a tablespoon they should fit six to seven pieces.
We will need the following products:
For test:
Flour - 1.2 kg
Water - 0.5 l
Salt - 1 tbsp. l
Eggs - 2 pcs
For minced meat:
Meat (beef) - 1 kg
Onion - 1 pc.
Salt and pepper -...
Nokhutly - ash
This is a fragrant beef stew with boiled chickpeas (chickpeas). In the Crimean Tatar language, chickpeas are called nohut, hence the name of the dish: food with chickpeas.
Meat (beef) - 1 kg
Chickpeas - 1 kg
Onion - 300 gr
Carrot - 200 gr
Vegetable oil - 600 mg
Salt - to taste
Red and black ground pepper - to taste
We carefully sort the chickpeas, wash them, fill them with cold water and leave to stand for 3-4 hours. You can also soak it overnight. Then we add meat edges and bones for broth to chickpeas, add water so that it is about twice as much as chickpeas, put on fire and bring to a boil. Remove the foam and continue to cook over low heat until the chickpeas are ready. This may take up to 2...
Baklava eastern Crimean
1 egg
50g drain oil
1 tbsp milk
0.5 tsp soda
a pinch of salt
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp honey
1l vegetable oil
2si.sugar
1 tbsp water
Melt the butter, add milk, egg, soda, salt, beat and knead a stiff dough. Roll it out thinly, wrap it on a rolling pin and grease the edges with protein so that they do not stick out. Cut into rhombuses, unfold and fry in hot oil. After frying, roll in syrup, bring to the table!
Bon appetit!
Sent by Meryem Osmanova
Crimean pasties
200 grams
salt 1/5 tsp
water 80 milliliters
minced meat 150 grams
onion 1 piece
vegetable oil to taste
marjoram to taste
basil to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
The quantity of ingredients is calculated on 6 pieces.
Sift the flour with a slide, add salt ...
...and add water.
Knead a stiff dough. Knead it several times into a layer and fold it.
NB! The dough is very cool, hard to work with, but it should be so. After proofing, this will change and it will become softer and more elastic.
Leave the dough at room temperature for 30-40 minutes, covered with a film.
In minced meat (beef, lamb), consisting of meat and fat in a ratio of 4: 1, add 0.5 finely chopped onions. Second half...
"Yantykh" with minced chicken or turkey
Yantykh are Crimean chebureks that are fried completely without oil. They differ from ordinary chebureks only in a lighter appearance and also in the fact that much more onions are put into the minced meat than in chebureks, and no water is added. My grandmother made two versions of chebureks and yantykhs: festive, according to a traditional recipe with lamb, and simpler, with chicken, explaining this by the fact that chicken is not greasy and is always perfectly baked. I always make chebureks and yantykhs with either turkey or chicken - although this is not quite traditional, it is very gentle. Since my recipe is not strictly traditional, I put the word YANTYKH in quotation marks.
Flour (1.5 cups - in the dough, and more, for sprinkling) - 2 stacks.
Salt - 0.3 tsp...
Ash-kashik
I remember this dish from my childhood. My mother is a Crimean Tatar, she cooked it incomparably! And my grandmother, my father's mother, said - your mother is economical, so she cooks such small dumplings! Although, in fact, this is a very painstaking work!
Flour - 300 g
Chicken egg - 1 pc.
Water (a little for the dough, the rest for the broth) - 1.5 l
Minced meat (any halal) - 200 g
Onion (medium, one in minced meat, 2nd in gravy) - 2 pcs
Carrot - 1 piece
Tomato (or tomato paste) - 1 pc.
Butter - 2 tbsp. l.
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (ground, to taste)
Let's start by preparing minced meat and dough, count on the number of people you are going to feed.
Add finely chopped onion to minced meat, salt and ...
Qalakai
Ingredients
Butter - 200 g, one egg, flour - 3 cups, a pinch of salt, 0.5 teaspoon of soda slaked with vinegar, turmeric (this is not necessary, but will give a bright yellow color)
Melt the butter, add one egg to the flour, add the slaked soda. Combine the resulting mixtures and knead a stiff dough. You can also add turmeric to the dough - this will give the product a bright yellow color. Put the dough on a baking sheet, bake for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180-200 degrees.
Recipe from Rustem Ibadlaev
Photo: Dilyara Sufyanova
Yantyk
Yantik is a cheburek made from unleavened dough, which is fried in a dry frying pan. It can be prepared with various fillings. We offer one of the cooking methods.
Ingredients
For the dough: water - 1.5 cups, salt - to taste, flour. For the filling: minced meat or cheese, herbs, water.
Knead the dough for pasties, leave for 15 minutes, then knead again. Divide into 8 parts, roll out thinly. Salt the minced meat, pepper, add herbs and a little water (less than in pasties). Arrange on a cake, seal the edges well so that water does not flow into the pan during frying. Bake in a dry, well-heated pan. Sprinkle with water, brush with butter and cover with a plate.
rus4all. en
Crimean Tatar pasties
Ingredients
flour - 500 g, minced meat - 300 g, water - 190-250 ml, onions - 150 g, meat broth - 4-6 tbsp. spoons, salt, spices - to taste, vegetable oil - for frying.
Sift flour into a bowl, add a pinch of salt. Mix well and pour in a little less than 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Rub the flour with butter thoroughly with your hands, knead each lump. Continuing to knead, gradually pour in water until the dough rolls into a ball. The finished dough will be quite tight and a little lumpy. Wrap it in cling film and leave it on the table for 40-60 minutes. During this time, the flour will be saturated with water, the dough will become elastic.
Place minced meat in a large bowl. Peel the onion and grate...
sarah burmese
Ingredients
Flour - 2-3 cups
vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp. spoons (for dough)
150-200 g melted margarine (grease)
water or serum
salt, spices.
Meat (beef or lamb is fatter, it is good to add fat tail fat),
potatoes - 1-2 pcs.,
onions - 1-2 pcs.
Prepare the dough: flour, water and vegetable oil, refrigerate.
While the dough is infused, let's take care of the filling - grind the meat in a convenient way for us - with a meat grinder, blender, cut the onion smaller, potatoes into small cubes, mix everything. Add seasonings - pepper, cilantro, zra, you can have a couple of cloves of finely chopped garlic, etc.
Divide the dough into 2 parts. Roll out each part into a thin layer of round shapes, grease each with oil, lay them on top of each other - one of the options for puff pastry is obtained. Then lay out the filling, roll up, put in a frying pan, greased with oil.
Bake 30-35 minutes.
Baklava
Chopped walnuts - 1 cup
butter - 70 g,
sugar - 1 cup,
salt - a pinch.
Burmese pumpkin needs to be ripe, otherwise the filling will be dry.
Knead the dough, similar to what is done for dumplings, leave for 30 minutes. Peel the pumpkin, grate on a coarse grater, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth. Roll out the dough into a large circle, the thinner the better, literally 1-2 mm thick. To prevent the dough from tearing, you should regularly turn it over and sprinkle with flour.
Lubricate the rolled circle with melted butter, sprinkle with pumpkin, nuts and sugar. You can add cinnamon if you wish. Collapse...
Chebureki.
Chebureks are the most popular dish of the Crimean cuisine; they are cooked in almost every home. Both my mother and grandmother often cooked pasties, at least once a month - that's for sure. This ancient dish is found among many Crimean peoples under different names. Chebureki is a Crimean Tatar name, and among the Krymchaks and Karaites they are called chir-chir (consonant with sizzling oil when frying). Previously, they were prepared only from lamb and fried in lamb fat. Now they are boiled in hot sunflower oil, and in the menu of numerous Crimean chebureks, cafes and restaurants, you can often find variations of minced meat stuffing with cheese, tomatoes, and even sweet chebureks with cottage cheese. And all this is undoubtedly also very tasty.
Dough... Dough...
Every time you come to Crimea, you feel the unique spicy-meat aroma of local food. All kinds of pilafs and kebabs, pies, chebureks, lagmans, shoes and baklavas. Crimean Tatars cook dishes that we have long known and loved. Their cuisine was influenced by both Middle Eastern and Turkish traditions, as well as Central Asian neighbors. That is why eggplants and samsa are excellently cooked in Crimea.
The Crimean Tatars also have their own dishes, you won’t find them in other places, but you should definitely try them in Crimea. Or make your own in your kitchen.
Kubete
This meat pie appeared among the Crimean Tatars under Greek influence. Usually it is stuffed with meat, potatoes and onions, but sometimes there are chicken and rice fillings, or with the addition of cheese.
Dough:
4-5 cups flour
400 g fat tail lamb fat
1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
700 g lamb
5 bulbs
4 potatoes
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch green onions
2-3 tomatoes
Step 1. Sift the flour, pour it on a cutting board in a slide, make a recess in the middle into which to put the fat chopped in a meat grinder or blender. Thoroughly grind flour with fat.
Step 2 Gradually add salted water to the flour and knead a stiff dough. Divide it into two parts: for the bottom of the pie more, for the top - less. Grease your hands with vegetable oil and pull each part of the dough into a twisted tourniquet. And then lay the tourniquet in a spiral and leave to part.
Step 3 Cut the lamb into pieces, do not remove the cartilage. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices, the onion into thin half rings. Cut greens and tomatoes.
Step 4 Grease the form. Roll out the bottom half of the pastry to make sure it is enough for the sides of the pie. Turn the dough over as it rolls out. Put in the form.
Step 5. Put the filling on the dough in this order: onions, potatoes, meat, tomatoes and greens. Salt.
Step 6. Roll out the second part of the dough a little thinner than the first. Put on top, make a hole in the middle. Pinch the bottom of the dough along the edge.
Step 7 Pour 3 tablespoons into the hole. broth. Grease the top of the pie with an egg and place in a very hot oven (up to 250 C).
Step 8 When the top is reddened, pour another 2-3 tbsp into the hole. broth, reduce the temperature to 200 C. Bake for a total of about 1 hour.
Imam Baild
This dish is common in many cuisines of the East, in the Crimea it is also very popular. A legend is connected with him: guests came to a very stingy imam. He became emotional and allowed his wife to cook something from what is in the house. But there were only a couple of eggplants in the garden, and onions, peppers and tomatoes. And quite a bit of vegetable oil. Therefore, the eggplant had to be baked, and the rest of the vegetables fried. The guests looked at the treat and said: "Imam bayldy" - which means "the imam got rich." But we tried the dish - it turned out to be unusually tasty. Everyone makes this dish in different ways, stuffing eggplants with other vegetables, making something like casseroles or stews.
4 eggplant
2 onions
4 bell peppers
8 tomatoes
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
frying oil
Salt pepper
Step 1. Wash the eggplant and cut into circles, put in salt water for half an hour.
Step 2 Then take out, dry with a towel, put on a baking sheet, greased with a drop of oil, and bake in the oven.
Step 3 Peel and finely chop the onion, fry it in oil.
Step 4 Dice the tomatoes and bell peppers, add to the onion, stew, salt and pepper. Finely chop herbs and garlic
Step 5 Arrange hot eggplant on a plate. Top - part of the vegetables, a little garlic and herbs, then eggplant and vegetables again. Alternate layers in this way until the eggplant and vegetables run out.
Step 6. Sprinkle with herbs and garlic on top. Cover the dish with a lid and let the vegetables cool.
Yantyk
It is very similar to cheburek, but is fried without oil.
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 glasses of water
Step 1. Form the flour in a bowl with a slide, break the egg into the recess at the top and pour in the water and salt. Then add oil and knead the dough. Then leave it for half an hour.
Step 2 Grate cheese.
Step 3 Cut the dough into small balls, about half a fist. Each ball is rolled out separately into a large circle.
Step 4 Put grated cheese on half of the circle, cover the minced meat with the second half and pinch the edges.
Step 5. Bake in a dry frying pan, first on one side, then on the other side. Brush the top with melted hot butter. Put in a deep bowl and cover with a lid. You can eat after 15 minutes.
Karaite lamb
500 g lamb
1 kg tomato
1 cup beef broth or water
2 onions
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp Sahara
Step 1. Wash the meat, cut into pieces.
Step 2 Peel the onion and fry in oil, then add the meat to it and fry until pinkish.
Step 3. Wash tomatoes, blanch and peel. Finely chop and spread over the meat. Salt and pepper, close the lid and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Step 4 Gradually pour in the broth and simmer over low heat. When the meat becomes soft, add greens, add salt and put sugar.
Sheker kyiyk
The name is translated from Tatar as "sugar handkerchiefs". They look a little like brushwood.
2 glasses of milk
2.5 cups of milk
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp Sahara
2 tbsp grape vodka
1 glass of vegetable oil
4 tbsp powdered sugar
Step 1. Mix milk, sour cream, egg yolks, sugar, salt and vodka. Gradually sift flour into the mixture.
Step 2. Knead a stiff dough.
Step 3. Roll it out as thin as possible. Cut into triangles.
Step 4 Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve hot.
Buza
500 g oatmeal
100 g butter
30 g yeast
2 cups of flour
2 cups sugar
Step 1. Mix cereal and flour in a large bowl.
Step 2. Bring butter to a boil and add to flour. Mix thoroughly.
Step 3 Pour in boiling water and stir until a homogeneous mass is formed, similar to thick sour cream. Then tightly close the bowl, you can wrap it with a blanket and leave for half an hour. And dilute the mass with boiled water.
Step 4 When the dough has cooled to room temperature, add diluted yeast, a glass of sugar and leave to ferment for 1-2 hours.
Step 5 Then add more water, mix thoroughly and strain through a sieve or gauze. Then add water to the pomace and strain again. But the buza should not be very liquid, the normal consistency is liquid kefir.
Step 6. Add the remaining sugar and leave to ferment. When the buza rises and becomes sour, you can drink it.
Crimean Tatar cuisine
Firstly, you can’t try the dishes of the Crimean Tatars anywhere except Crimea, except perhaps for certain places in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where these people were deported after the war. Secondly, this is the most inexpensive and at the same time the highest quality food on the peninsula. And finally, it is so delicious that, having tasted one dish, it is impossible not to try the whole menu.
The rich subtropical nature of the Crimea is so densely mixed here with the traditions of the Tatars that the cuisine turned out to be unusually diverse. Here and meat in all forms: fried over an open fire and on coals, stewed, boiled, cooked on a spit, dried and salted. There are thick soups, and pilafs, manti, dolma, and milk-cheese delights, and pastries that amaze with their variety. In addition, over the centuries, the culture of the Crimean Tatars has come into contact with the cultures of other peoples, and the traditional cuisine has absorbed many of their eating habits. Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasian peoples, Turkey and even Greece influenced it and modified the traditions of cooking certain dishes. One has only to look at the sweets that the Crimean Tatars are now preparing. Next to the traditional airy lace baklava, originally Crimean Tatar, now it is obligatory Baku, Turkish baklava and even chak-chak, characteristic of Kazan Tatars. And miniature yufahash - why not ravioli!
True, even in the Crimea itself, the traditions of the cuisine of the steppe Tatars differ from the passions of those representatives of the people who settled along the Black Sea coast. The former have respect for meat and dairy dishes, while the latter generously flavor their table with fruits and vegetables.
The main occupation of these people is to treat. From the very morning there is preparation for the reception of guests. Daughter tanned and weather-beaten, people heat wood-burning stoves, heat cauldrons on them, chop vegetables and chop meat. Many do it in strict silence, waving away the camera. “I don't talk while I'm working,” one of the chefs explains. - Don't take it off, you're distracting me. Cooking does not like fuss."
Tourists and vacationers climbing the mountain are immediately confronted with an onslaught of touts who vied with each other to praise their restaurant or cafe. If tourist groups come up, then the chef or the owner comes out in person and gives a whole lecture, talking about the dishes and immediately showing them in all their glory. Artistry these people do not hold, and go to every second restaurant. It is customary to cook here right on the street, in huge cauldrons installed in the hole of a wood-burning stove. Aromas of spices mix with the resinous smells of the grove on the heated mountain slopes, and subtly draws wood smoke and honey. They and dried mountain herbs are sold here both from stalls and from cars. Moreover, the owner of any restaurant is ready to gladly bring you golden and amber jars.
Of course, Crimean Tatars also cook salads, and many cereal and bean dishes that are not found in the restaurant menu. They do not belong to the festive feast, these are dishes for every day that are eaten at home. As true Muslims, the Crimean Tatars do not recognize pork and use only beef, lamb and poultry. They know a lot about meat here! It is not for nothing that the commonly used word kebab comes from the Crimean Tatar “shish lik”, “shish” - skewer, “lik” - for, that is, what is intended for the spit. Various types of kebabs are also cooked on coals.
The real king of the feast is pilaf. It is cooked here strictly traditional, without dried fruits, as in Uzbekistan, without chickpeas, as in Tajikistan. But with what solemnity they approach its manufacture! This is a whole sacrament that does not tolerate not the slightest liberties. Everything must be done on time, to the nearest second. And the onions will brown exactly to light gold, and the carrots will give juice, but not soften. Under no circumstances should meat be salted. Salt and spices - only when the rice is already laid in the dish and boils a little. The author of the dish masterfully maintains exactly the kind of heat in the oven that is needed at every stage, otherwise everything will be spoiled. And no talking during work, so as not to miss the right moment to bookmark the next serving of ingredients.
Crimean Tatars are big tea lovers, including those infused with herbs. Drink it strong, hot, often adding milk. Tea drinking lasts a long time, and the guest is given water from tiny bowls so that the tea does not have time to cool down, and the hostess constantly showed attention to the guest, adding a fragrant drink. Tea is served with baked goods and honey. This is my favorite sweet.
Most Crimean Tatar restaurants are halal. Alcohol is not sold here. But with all their hearts they love to feed deliciously and know a lot about it.
Tatyana Rubleva
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Getting to know the local cuisine is an exciting part of every trip. However, many tourists who come to rest in Crimea believe that since we live in the same country, then our national dishes are the same, which means that you should not even look for establishments that offer something special. And absolutely in vain! Crimean cuisine will offer many unusual dishes, and some of them may well become your favorites!
What to try in Crimea?
The most original dishes of the Crimean cuisine are Tatar. Nowhere except the Crimea you will not try the national treats of the Crimean Tatars. Meanwhile, even well-known dishes prepared by professional local chefs will acquire a new taste. Another argument in favor of the Crimean Tatar cuisine is its cheapness: you are unlikely to find more affordable food prices in Crimea in 2016.
What will Crimean Tatars pamper tourists with? The main dish on the menu is pasties. These “meat pies” (namely, this is how the name is translated from the Crimean Tatar) are prepared by us according to a special recipe. They are made from flour without yeast, with onions and peppers. According to the classic recipe, lamb is taken for the filling, but pasties with beef and cheese are also very tasty. They are fried in oil heated to 200 ° C. For those who like less fatty food, Crimean cuisine will offer yantyk - this is the same cheburek, but fried in a dry frying pan without oil.
Another interesting dish is kubete. This is a juicy lamb pie with onions and potatoes. Yufahash - tiny dumplings, again with lamb, which are eaten with broth. Sarma is a local analogue of cabbage rolls: the meat is wrapped in grape leaves. Lagman is very much loved in the Crimea - rich lamb soup with vegetables and special noodles.
Driving along the highways in the direction from Simferopol, you will certainly see large barrels by the road: here they sell tandoor samsa. Be sure to try these pies filled with lamb and onions, generously seasoned with spices. Prices for such food in Crimea in 2016 are very affordable, and a hearty and tasty lunch is provided! By the way, the quality of the food is one of the best.
If you are looking for where to eat national cuisine in Crimea, we can recommend visiting cafes and restaurants in Bakhchisarai - for example, next to the Khan's Palace.
Arriving to rest in the Crimea, be sure to try the Black Sea fish and seafood. Even if you are not a fan of such dishes, we assure you: prepared from fresh ingredients, they will be much tastier.
The most "Crimean" can be called julienne from rapan and mussels. They are grown or caught right off the coast and delivered to restaurants without freezing. In terms of usefulness, it is difficult to compete with these dishes of the Crimean cuisine: they contain protein, collagen, and mineral elements in an easily digestible form. The main secret of cooking seafood is minimal heat treatment. It is enough to keep them in water or in a pan for just a few minutes longer than they should - and they will become rough.
But from fish dishes, you should definitely try red mullet in the Crimea. Its high palatability was appreciated by the ancient Romans, buying it "by weight" for silver. The tastiest of all is simply fried and seasoned with spices, so food prices in Crimea in 2016 will pleasantly surprise you. Great choice there will be Black Sea flounder and mullet. Where to eat delicious fish in Crimea? We recommend visiting Balaklava: in numerous restaurants on the embankment you can taste delicious dishes of the Crimean cuisine, watching the fishermen and enjoying the magnificent view!
What about sweet? The most obvious answer is baklava. Puff pastry with honey and nuts is sold everywhere in the Crimea (although you still shouldn’t buy it on the beaches, there is a risk of getting sick - read how). You can drink lunch with buza - a low-alcohol drink made from raisins, or aromatic tea from Crimean herbs.
The contribution of the peoples of the peninsula to the national cuisine
The Crimean peninsula is inhabited by a huge number of nationalities: Karaites and Greeks, Ukrainians and Russians, Jews and Armenians, Crimean Tatars and Azerbaijanis, Germans and Moldovans live here ... And each of the nations brought something different to the culinary traditions of these places. About the cuisine of Taurians and Scythians , who once inhabited sunny Taurida, little is now known. It is customary to count down the culinary delights, formed thanks to the inhabitants of the peninsula, from the moment the Crimean Khanate was formed.
What dishes to try
The traditional dishes of the Crimean Tatars include: noodle soup "tokmach", dumplings (they are usually served only with broth), pilaf, bean soup "bakla shorbasy",. Sub-ethnic groups of Crimeans often eat in their own way: residents of the steppe regions mainly prefer meat and dairy products, while residents of the “southern coast” prefer fish, fruits and vegetables. Despite the differences, there is something that unites the Crimean Tatar cuisine - dough, pumpkin, beans, lamb and coffee.
The Karaites are also a people who have inhabited the lands of Crimea for a long time. Their cuisine is dominated by meat and dairy foods, as well as pastries. Even today, many housewives are familiar with the kubete pie recipe. And traditional dishes for the Karaites were: kavurma meat stewed in its own fat, dry-cured (in the past it was brought to readiness under the saddle), sujuk sausage, baked and fried meat in dough (“yantyk”, “chir-chir” and etc.). I must say that all kinds of sauces could be served with meat, including beans, quince, apples or plums. All kinds of pies are also an adornment of the Karaite cuisine - with cheese, meat, mulberries, cherries, plums ...
Of course, the contribution of other peoples and nationalities to typical Crimean cuisine is also very tangible. For example, the Bulgarians enriched the diet of the inhabitants of the peninsula with such a dish as stuffed peppers, the Armenians - with rich meat soup "khash", the Ukrainians - with borscht with donuts and krucheniki, the Russians - with okroshka and pancakes, the Greeks - with the famous vegetable salad with the addition of olives and fresh soft cheese, and the Georgians - cabbage rolls rolled from grape leaves ...
A very popular dessert in the Crimea is baklava. This oriental sweet is made from puff pastry, nuts and honey. Similar confectionery products can be found in the Crimean Tatar, Arab, Armenian, Turkish, Azerbaijani cuisines...
Sarma (aka Dolma) is also widespread - these are cabbage rolls, but only the filling is wrapped not in cabbage leaves, as we are used to, but in grape leaves. The unique combination of meat filling with grape, slightly sour, leaves will not leave indifferent any gourmet.
Being in the Crimea, you should definitely try fish and seafood from the Black Sea. It is worth trying juliennes from mussels and rapana, they are grown or caught off the coast and delivered straight to restaurants. This dish is very healthy, rich in mineral elements, collagens and proteins, very well absorbed by the body.
What drinks are popular among Crimeans?
For a long time, the Crimean Tatars used healthy sour-milk drinks: koumiss (it is made from mare's milk), katyk, yazmu, ayran. In winter, when there was not enough fresh fruit on the table, it was customary to cook khoshaf (a kind of compote from dried fruits).
Of course, coffee and tea are drunk in the Crimea - however, these drinks in these places acquire their own flavor. In many establishments, visitors are offered invigorating and fragrant Turkish coffee - this is the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, which once dominated the Black Sea region. As for tea, there are no tea plantations on the peninsula. But fragrant herbs and fruits grow here in abundance - Crimeans make the most useful herbal teas from them.
The traditional Crimean drinks include numerous wines made from local grapes. Today, there are specialized enterprises on the peninsula that create a huge amount of excellent products - strong and liqueur wines, white and red, ordinary and collection, dry and sweet, sparkling and still ... Meanwhile, it is known that a heady drink made from grapes not only helps to diversify the taste of this or that dish, but also strengthens the cardiovascular system. One of these enterprises is the Inkerman Fine Wine Factory, which is a whole underground city.
So in Crimea, admirers of delicious food will find a mixture of Russian and Greek, Ukrainian and Tatar, Armenian and Karaite cuisines ... And the harmonious interweaving of Eastern, Slavic and Mediterranean culinary traditions gives a truly magnificent result!
Sarma (aka dolma) is also widespread - these are cabbage rolls, but only the filling is wrapped not in cabbage leaves, as we are used to, but in grape leaves. The unique combination of meat filling with grape, slightly sour, leaves will not leave indifferent any gourmet.
Sarma