We will begin our journey with a story about the tea traditions of the Muslim peoples inhabiting the territory of Russia, namely the Bashkirs and Tatars. What unites them besides belonging to the same religion? Firstly, they have lived in the same region since ancient times. Secondly, the fact that they speak languages belonging to one subgroup of the Kipchak group of Turkic languages. Each of these peoples has its own history, and, nevertheless, many of their customs and traditions are similar to each other, because they have common roots. This also applies to tea drinking. Now it’s hard to imagine both Bashkir and Tatar cuisine without a samovar and tea.
Having learned about the tea preferences of the Bashkirs and Tatars, the reader can give preference to one or another tradition, or he can take the advice of representatives of both nations and enjoy drinking tea, so that later he can continue our journey.
I WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING
One day I found myself at the representative office of Bashkiria in Moscow. One of the employees of this establishment, having learned that I was collecting materials for the “tea encyclopedia,” invited me to his office and promised to tell me about Bashkir tea. Unfortunately, his story was limited to only a few phrases about the widespread consumption of this drink in the republic. Having wished him success in writing the book, he left with a sense of fulfilled duty. Upset, I went down to the buffet, ordered a cup of green tea and began to think about who else I could ask about Bashkir tea drinking. They often say: “There would be no happiness, but misfortune would help.” The truth of this saying was soon confirmed.
The elegant couple at the next table immediately caught my attention. A fashionably dressed man of my age was enthusiastically telling something to his pretty companion. Having finished my tea, I sat down next to them, apologized and, explaining the situation, asked to say a few words about the Bashkir tea party. After looking at each other in surprise (as it turned out later, they were residents of Ufa), they reluctantly explained that they preferred coffee and were not keen on tea, so their story was unlikely to interest me. I said in disappointment:
– And they told me that Bashkirs drink tea for any occasion, and your famous poetess Katiba Kinyabulatova even wrote such nice lines:
The spoon shines in your hand,
Honey lingers on the tongue
I put lemon in tea
Oh, what good tea!
After these words, my interlocutor perked up and, smiling, said:
– Although I’m not a big tea expert, I’ll still tell you something.
And this “something” turned out to be surprisingly interesting.
OUR TEA PARTY NEEDS EXPLANATION
“There is an opinion,” my interlocutor began knowingly, “that Bashkirs like to drink tea with thick cream, which is collected from baked milk, as well as with honey and other sweets, for example, with dried fruits, nuts and s;k-s;k (chak-chak). But in reality this is not always the case. In the villages they drink tea with meat and hearty food. Some villagers say: “We don’t eat anything, we only drink tea.” This means that in Bashkir villages they eat meat in the morning, drink tea, and the same thing at lunch and in the evening. This is Bashkir tea. You can't go anywhere without him. If guests come, first there is a tea party, and only then the main feast. They also drink tea at weddings. When the groom goes to pick up the bride, he carries with him pancakes with honey. He is treated to tea, not vodka. And then the bride, heading to the groom’s house, brings her treat - s;k-s;k prepared with her own hands.
As for tea itself, Bashkirs prefer black tea with oregano (matrushka, m;tr;shk;). I heard the British joke about this: “There are two peoples who drink tea the same way: the British and the Bashkirs.” This is not entirely true. We need to explain what “drinking tea with oregano” means. In Bashkortostan there are many horses and kumys making is very developed. During the military campaign, when Napoleon's army was on Russian territory, foreign soldiers paid attention to kumiss. But the attempt to spread it in Europe failed, because in Bashkiria, as in the Urals, herbs and flowers grow in a special combination that is not repeated anywhere else. They tried to take our horses to France and get kumiss there, but nothing worked out. And the secret is very simple: feather grass and other herbs that grow in the southern regions of Bashkiria give a certain flavor to mare’s milk. However, the most surprising thing is that kumis using Bashkir technology is produced in Scotland. I'm sure the same can be said about tea. When we talk about matrushka, we mean tea, to which, in addition to the matrushka itself, we also add St. John’s wort, thyme, bergenia leaves, currants, cherries, strawberries, wild strawberries, and other plants and herbs. In different regions of Bashkiria, different plants are put into tea.
WE DO NOT PUT HONEY IN TEA
Ildar (that was the name of my new friend), seeing with what genuine interest I was listening to him, continued with pleasure:
– I have already said that the Bashkirs serve honey as a sweet for tea. We never put honey in tea, as the Russians do. After all, when honey is heated, it loses its beneficial properties. Therefore, you need to keep it in the cold, underground. The temperature of the honey should be slightly lower environment. Then it is well preserved from season to season. Many people take a spoonful of honey and immediately eat it, and this is also wrong. You need to take one third of a teaspoon of real Bashkir honey, spread it across the palate, feel the taste and only then drink it with tea.
By the way, Bashkir honey is a common name. There are as many types of flowers in nature as there are so many flavor shades in our honey. It is not without reason that the “bouquet” of prefabricated honey is based on many medicinal plants: rose hips, oregano, St. John’s wort, motherwort, valerian, sage, dandelion, plantain and chamomile. Therefore, when they offer me Bashkir honey, I immediately ask what region it comes from and what field.
We have a few more delicacies that are served with tea. This;;;m; (Syuzma) - fresh well-pressed cottage cheese mixed with honey, as well as korot - sour-salted cheese curds obtained from sour milk by prolonged boiling and squeezing the resulting mass. Kot is consumed fresh or lightly salted. Previously, it was often stored for the winter, dried in the sun and smoked with smoke.
– You know that horses at one time provided almost all the needs of our people. They served as a means of transportation, and their meat was the main food product. Kumis was made from mare's milk, and horse skin was used to make clothes and dishes. It is curious that many decent European restaurants even today serve dishes called “tartars”. When I was in Paris, I was treated to this dish several times. True, instead of horse meat they used beef.
And this dish appeared a long time ago, when the Bashkirs still led a nomadic lifestyle. Warriors often did not have time to cook food, so they threw meat under the saddle, and in this way it warmed up. The name of the dish and the minced meat came from the fact that all wild non-Russian peoples, including the Bashkirs, were then called Tatars. That's why the French consider this dish Tatar.
I could tell you a lot more, but, unfortunately, I have to go...
TEA PARTY IN HONOR OF... THE UMBRICAL CORD
There is something unusual about this drink, which is methodically gaining fans in different parts of the Earth. Having appeared several thousand years ago in China, tea continues its victorious march throughout the world. It organically fit into the culture and life of the Turkic peoples and became an integral part of their food system. The Bashkirs also fell in love with tea, who included it in their diet and consider it a ritual product. An expert in the history and ethnography of the Bashkir people, Aigul Rafkatovna Khabibullina, in her article “Traditional meals in the everyday life of the Bashkirs,” talks in detail about ritual food (including tea) during special festivities that were celebrated by all the most important points human life cycle. This is “b;pes s;ye” - a meal dedicated to the birth of a child, and “kendek s;ye” - a celebration in honor of the child’s first presentation to society, and “bishek tuyy” - on the occasion of putting the child in the cradle, “t;p ;y s;ye” – in honor of the child’s first step, “isem tuyy” – “name holiday”, “kyrkynan sy;aryu” – “bringing out of forty days”, “balany atka mendere;” – the first putting of a boy on a horse, “s;nn;t tui” – the rite of circumcision.
The first meal, dedicated to the main stages of a person’s life, is considered “b;p;s s;ye” (“tea in honor of the child”). After the end of the birth, all those present sat down to drink tea in honor of this event, celebrating the appearance of a new person. Here, over tea, they presented the midwife with a gift: a dress or scarf. During the meal, the women uttered words of good wishes: “B;hetle bulhyn” - “Let him be happy,” “Bala;y;” ;otlo bulhyn, ata-in;;en; grater; bulhyn” - “Congratulations on your child, let him be a support for his father and mother.”
The second festival associated with the rituals of the postpartum cycle is “b;pes tuyy” (“feast in honor of the child”). To do this, they prepared a rich meal and invited guests, saying: “Ul or Ky; tuilaibs;" - “We celebrate the birth of a son (daughter).”
On the third or seventh day after the birth of the child, another celebration was held in honor of his first presentation to society. It was called differently: “kendek s;ye” - “tea in honor of the umbilical cord”, “ep s;ye” - “tea of threads”, “b;pes ashi” - “tea in honor of the baby”, etc. Only women, often elderly, were invited. Guests brought treats: butter, sour cream, sweets and all kinds of pastries. After the meal, they were given skeins of thread - “fuck you”, which were obligatory white. They were wrapped 10, 33 or 40 times around the baby's knee and foot; the resulting skeins were distributed to those present as a symbol of the child’s longevity.
Once upon a time, the Bashkirs had another special holiday - putting a child into a cradle - “bishek thuyi”. He was placed in the cradle immediately after birth, and the celebration was held later, on the third, seventh or fortieth day after his birth. Only women and children were invited to “bishek tuyi”. The women carried gifts with them. The midwife laid the child down, and then, under his cradle, scattered candy on the floor, which other children collected. The guests sat down at the table and treated themselves. Later, “bishek tuyy” began to coincide with other holidays: tea in honor of the child and the naming ceremony - “isem tuyy”, which was central to the cycle of rituals associated with the birth of children. This celebration was also held on the third, seventh or fortieth day after birth. Relatives and neighbors were convened for the naming holiday, and a mullah was invited. According to the description of the representative of Bashkir education M. Baishev, when guests gathered, the owner addressed them with the words: “Dear guests! Today is the day of my joy: God was pleased to make me a happy father. I have a son, and so I invited you to rejoice in my joy together and ask for your blessing, so that the Lord will give the newborn happiness, wealth and honor!”
Those gathered confirmed the words of the owner, saying: “Amen.” After this, the mullah gave the child a name determined by the parents. The child was placed on a pillow with his head facing the qiblah in front of the clergyman. The mullah, having read the “adhan,” said three times in turn into each child’s ear (first into the right, then into the left): “Let your name be such and such.”
On the occasion of such a celebration, meat dishes, noodle soup, porridge, pancakes, baursaks or other pastries, tea, honey, and kumiss were served.
First, the men were treated, and after the mullah read the “adhan,” they dispersed and women were invited to the house of the woman in labor. This part of the celebration was called “porridge in honor of the child” - “b;dog butka;y”.
The next treat associated with the birth of a child was held on the fortieth day of his life, since it was believed that it was at this time that the soul finally moved into the child, so evil forces gathered around the mother and child to harm them. This ritual is called “yrkynan sy;aryu” - “removal from forty days.” On this day, relatives, neighbors and peers of the woman in labor were invited. One of the women cut the baby’s hair and nails, scooped water from a cup with a spoon and poured it on his head 40 times (40 spoons of water) - “from indereu.” Silver coins, bracelets, and rings were always placed in a cup of water. After the ritual was completed, the women sat down to drink tea with baursak or pancakes. Participants in the meal had to bring gifts with them. The performer of the ceremony was presented with a cut on her dress.
Other important moments in the child’s life were also celebrated with treats. For example, in honor of the child’s first step, a “t;p;y s;ye” was arranged. The one who saw the baby walking with his legs gave him a gift, usually a dress. Women were invited to the celebration, bringing gifts and gifts (children's clothing) and offering well wishes to the child.
The child's first baby tooth must have been discovered by someone outside the family. The one who found the first tooth gave the child a dress. On this occasion, guests were gathered and meat was prepared for this celebration.
The cycle of rituals associated with the birth of a child also included the Muslim custom of circumcision - “s;nn;t” and the festival in honor of this event - “s;nn;t tui”. This ritual was performed from the age of 5-6 months to 7-10 years. After the end of the ceremony, those present were presented with money and food. Besides meat dishes prepared fresh baked goods. Relatives and neighbors came with gifts, and food was prepared for them. Children were not invited. The boy spends two days in bed. There is no special dietary regime for him, the only restriction is that he should not drink until the evening.
All these meals were considered ritual. Food products during such treats were used for a specific magical purpose.
ROOK PORRIDGE AND CUKUSHKI TEA
Islam began to penetrate the territory of Bashkortostan in the 10th–11th centuries thanks to missionary preachers and trade relations with the Muslim world, and finally established itself on this land in the 16th century. Despite this, elements of pagan beliefs still remained strong in Bashkir culture. The seasonal calendar of the pagan Bashkirs divided the year into two main periods - spring-summer and autumn-winter, the beginning of each of which was celebrated with holidays. New Year met in the spring. Based on signs of nature, predictions were made about what the year would be like as a whole. And until recently, echoes of those ancient customs and beliefs were still preserved in some places. In this regard, two Bashkir women's holidays are interesting.
In early spring, in every village they held a festival;ar;atui (Crow or Rook Festival) in honor of the reviving nature and the cult of ancestors. The holiday falls from the end of April to the first days of June. The origin of the ritual is associated with the cult of birds and was initially interpreted as the Crow Wedding. Subsequently, it began to symbolize the meeting of spring and was called the Rook Wedding. Rooks, the first to arrive from the south, in the minds of the Bashkirs personified the awakening (revival) of nature. The meaning of the holiday on the occasion of general awakening is an appeal to the forces of nature with a request to make the year prosperous, fertile, and to join the life-giving power of nature - trees, flowers, herbs, birds. Only women, girls and boys no older than thirteen years old took part in the holiday. They treated each other to ritual porridge and tea, danced in circles, played ball, competed in running, and had fun. At the end of the festival, the uneaten porridge was left on stumps and stones with the words: “Let the rooks eat, let the year be fruitful and life prosperous.” Feeding the rooks and crows with porridge, the women turned to them with a request to grant rain, preserve the beauty of the earth, and the purity of the water.
In some places, mainly in the western regions, this holiday is known as;ar;a butkahy (Rook or Crow porridge), after the name of the main ritual dish. It was celebrated the day before the next Habantuy (Sabantuy) holiday. Where butkas are celebrated, the celebration is much poorer, since most often it comes down to the fun and games of teenagers.
At the end of May, the Trans-Ural and southern Bashkirs annually celebrated another holiday - K;k;k s;ye (Cuckoo tea), dedicated to the arrival of summer, the beginning of which fell on the so-called k;k;k ayi (cuckoo month). At this time, women had a collective tea party in nature, sang songs, danced, played, and told fortunes. They gathered for tea at a certain place on the bank of a river or on a mountainside, and sometimes they held a treat on the lawn in front of someone's house. It was believed that the more cordiality the owner of this house showed, the more prosperous the year would be for her family.
In the east of Bashkortostan (Uchalinsky district) the same holiday is known as Yoma s;ye (Tea on Friday), in the northern regions of Bashkortostan and in the Perm region it is called S;y ese; (Tea drinking).
There was another version of the K;k;k s;ye festival, according to which female soldiers and widows gathered together to find peace of mind. The famous folklorist-musicologist R.S. Suleymanov writes about it this way: “In the spring, in the lap of nature, the soldiers organized a kind of picnic (ritual holiday). There they exchanged impressions. They sang songs and sometimes cuckooed, imitating the voice of the cuckoo. Having poured out everything that was boiling in their hearts at the holiday, they received peace of mind and returned home late in the evening.”
A little later I will return to Cuckoo tea again to give it detailed description, taken from a letter from one of my correspondents. 
REVIVAL OF TRADITIONS
When this book was already written, I received from Ufa email a letter with a funny “tea” joke, which I had previously heard in a slightly different interpretation from one of the residents of Tatarstan. The author of the letter, Guzal Ramazanovna Sitdykova, ended her short message with the words: “In general, the Bashkirs have a whole ceremony - drinking tea. We have a lot of customs related to tea. interesting stories, jokes. I would tell you, but there’s no time.”
Guzal Ramazanovna is a well-known person in Bashkiria. She is not only my colleague - a journalist, but also a famous writer and Honored Cultural Worker of the Republic of Bashkortostan. It’s true that she really doesn’t have enough free time. Since 2004, Guzal Sitdykova has headed the Republican Society of Bashkir Women. In addition, she was elected as a people's deputy of the Republic of Bashkortostan of the twelfth convocation, a deputy of the Legislative Chamber State Assembly– Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan of the first, second and third convocations.
Such an active life position always earns my respect, and I wrote to her, telling her in detail about my long-term passion for tea, and explained the reason why I collect information about tea from all over the Muslim world. After all, the book has a section “Tea Party of Old Neighbors.” Guzal Ramazanovna responded immediately: “Your letter touched me, and in the morning, at four o’clock, I sat down at the computer and wrote everything I know about my area.”
Then I received several more letters from her. Thus began a correspondence that brightly colored the palette of tea tastes of the Bashkirs.
SO IT HAS BEEN ACCEPT FOR CENTURIES
We love tea and also willingly serve it to our guests. Our people even have such a legend.
God announced that on a certain day he would distribute holidays to people. The news reached the Bashkirs late, since the mountains were not easy to reach. While they were getting ready for the journey, while they were getting to God, there were no holidays left. But seeing how sad the Bashkirs were because they did not get a holiday, the Almighty took pity and said: “Okay, I will send guests to you, and you should consider their appearance in your houses a holiday. You will treat them and receive them with all honors.”
This is probably why the Bashkirs will definitely offer tea to anyone who comes to their house. This has been the custom for centuries. Not treating a guest to tea means insulting him or showing your hostility. This tradition of hospitality has been preserved to this day even among the urban population.
Indeed, the Bashkirs will always put their best food before the guest, and if he stays overnight, they will put him to bed in the place of honor. Previously, any feast or treat began with tea, and food was served only after that. Dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, prunes) were often served with tea. We drank a lot of the drink, not one or two cups, but at least three (this is when you are in a hurry). Usually, the owners persuaded: “Come on, drink a second cup.” And no matter how many cups the guest drank after the second, that’s how they joked.
Tea occupied such an important place in the life of the Bashkirs that at one time the Bashkirs could even cede their lands for this drink. Here is what local historian V.A. wrote about this. Novikov: “As true lovers and connoisseurs of tea drinking, they often gave up countless amounts of land for an eighth of tea and sugar.”
BRIDE'S TEA
The Bashkirs have a ritual called “daughter-in-law’s tea” - “kilen s;ye”. I will tell you how the mountain Bashkirs perform this ritual. This ritual takes place especially colorfully in rural areas.
The daughter-in-law is invited to “tea” when the “kilen” (“daughter-in-law”) first arrives at the house of her husband’s parents.
First, the most respected relative of the older generation or younger sisters the newlyweds are shown the way to the spring, to the river, where they get water for drinking. “Nyuu Yuly” - “showing the road to the water” (this is how this ritual is literally translated from Bashkir) is accompanied by various rituals. An older relative, whose hands are considered light (that is, bringing good luck into the house) or a mother-in-law, with prayers, places a beautiful rocker on her daughter-in-law’s shoulder, on which equally beautiful buckets are hung. Then, with songs and jokes, they go to the source of water.
Previously, the daughter-in-law, before filling the buckets with water, threw a coin into this source and sang a ritual song wishing happiness to herself, her family and relatives. They took water with prayers and filled the vessels with water to the brim.
When the daughter-in-law returned from the source, the whole village watched how she carried the yoke: whether the water was splashing out - and gave the young woman an assessment: how ready she was for family life. If she managed to get home without splashing out the water, then she was predicted to have a happy, comfortable life. The daughter-in-law had to give gifts to everyone who accompanied her to the source.
After this, it was time to prepare “daughter-in-law’s tea.” They preferred to prepare tea in huge samovars so that there would be enough for all the guests. They usually used a copper samovar, polished with sand to a golden shine (usually the daughter-in-law also did this work). Water was poured into the samovar with prayers.
Relatives of the young husband and female friends of the family were invited to tea. The daughter-in-law made tea using herbs as an additive to tea leaves. These were leaves of currant, mint, oregano, St. John's wort, linden flowers and other plants.
Usually Bashkirs drink holiday tea with thick cream, which is obtained by passing milk through a separator. Therefore, the tea is very satisfying. And they don’t add cream anyhow, but first pour cream into the cup, then the tea leaves, and only after that add boiling water. Tea acquires beautiful color. There is even a figurative expression - ;uyan;any ke;ek, that is, thick, like hare’s blood.
The guests strictly watch the poor daughter-in-law, who is lost from such display of universal attention. Oh, and sometimes you come across strict judges! (We know, we know the woman’s court!) But the daughter-in-law is prepared for this in advance. As a rule, she copes with the task “excellently”. Moreover, after the first cup, older relatives begin to help her.
The daughter-in-law usually bakes pancakes for tea. They should be soft, ruddy, thin, so that, forming a lace pattern, they can be seen through. Bashkirs do not coat pancakes with butter, but dip them in boiling melted butter. Then put it in a heap on a tray or serve it directly on a hot frying pan.
Also served with tea are k;m;s (flat cakes), bauyrhak, and of course our famous Bashkir honey. On-board honey is highly valued. Beekeeping, an ancient craft, has been preserved by the mountain Bashkirs to this day. The best honey is considered to be linden honey, which is so fragrant that it seems as if you are in a linden forest, especially if you drink tea in winter!
It should be noted that the Bashkirs used to start their meals with tea. They will serve you a cup each to quench your thirst, and only then does balesh appear on the table (a round pie with goose, chicken, or less often with other meat). The bottom was considered the most delicious, since it was soaked in fat and broth.
They served yzyl eremsek (red cottage cheese) - specially prepared cottage cheese, to which sometimes they added dried wild cherries, ground to flour, or cherries, bird cherry, currants, preserved fresh in this oil; mayy, muyyl mayy, ;ara;at mayy. They also prepared dried bird cherry, the crushed fruits of which were served with honey or butter.
Talkan, a dish made from crushed grains or wholemeal flour, was widely used.
The mountain Bashkirs used flour for preparing dishes, since they were engaged in arable farming to a limited extent due to unfavorable natural conditions for this. Flour (rye, oat or a mixture) was fried until golden color, poured melted butter to the top, adding salt (some even sugar), ground nuts. Previously, roasted hemp seeds were sometimes added (there was no drug addiction, the Bashkirs did not even suspect that a drug could be made from hemp). The product was stored for a long time, so hunters often took it with them.
Mandatory for the “tea ceremony” is orot, a specially prepared cheese. The process of creating cheese is very labor-intensive, so now rural youth rarely prepare such a delicacy. The stomach easily digests any fatty food with its mouth, like festal, which is often used today for the same purpose.
Even a legend from the time of the Russian-French War of 1812 has been preserved about this most valuable product. Then, as part of the Russian troops, the Bashkirs reached Paris, and the French called our warriors, armed with bows, “Northern Cupids.” It is known that from time immemorial Bashkirs love horse meat and rich soups. According to legend, once Kutuzov went around the troops before one important battle and ended up in the camp of the Bashkirs. He praised them for their courage and said to Kakhym, the commander of the Bashkir regiment: “My dear Bashkirs - well done!” When fellow soldiers asked the commander what Kutuzov told him, he, finding it difficult to speak Russian, conveyed the words of the commander-in-chief: “Lubezniki, lyubizar, maladis, maladis.” And then Kutuzov saw that the Bashkirs were eating very fatty soup. Here he allegedly became worried that the stomachs of the soldiers would not withstand such “bullying” and that the next day the soldiers would be incapable of combat. However, they reassured him - they said that the broth was eaten with the mouth, which means nothing bad would happen. The military leader himself tried the soup, and subsequently praised this dish very much.
So, orot is served both fresh and dried (especially in winter). It is prepared with salt, but can be served separately and sweetened (with sugar, honey). It happens; the orot is smoked, red. Dried orot (if it dries out to a “stony” state) is soaked and served in pieces or ground into powder and made into a soft consistency, adding sweets and oil.
The meal ends with tea.
Guests come with their gifts for the daughter-in-law and then look at her dowry.
MEAL DEDICATED TO THE BIRTH OF A CHILD
This "tea ceremony" is held in honor of the newborn.
Usually several women agree to visit the woman in labor and come with gifts and all sorts of goodies to the house made happy by the baby. No special invitation is expected. They can come separately. And the hostess should treat each of them to tea. Guests usually bring prepared food themselves. This makes the woman in labor happy - there is no need to cook, and there is variety in her diet.
TEA PARTS
The Bashkirs drank tea from a bowl called “kasa”, or from a saucer into which tea was poured from a cup. The tea pair is called sonya; (literally “Chinese dishes”). Milk or cream for tea was poured into wooden utensils, and poured into tea cups made of tustak with a wooden spoon. It was considered indecent to rattle or clink dishes. To this day, wooden spoons (mostly painted ones) are often used in villages.
HEALTHY WATER
They try to use soft water for tea - it brews well, and the taste and aroma of the tea is better. People go to springs with such water, even if they need to travel several kilometers to do so. Now, of course, they are driving. Perhaps it was thanks to such water that the Bashkirs rarely suffered from kidney stones.
REVIVAL OF THE HOLIDAY
The already forgotten traditional holiday of the Bashkir people K;k;k s;ye, which is rooted in history, began to be revived at the end of the twentieth century. In ancient times, birds such as the rook and the cuckoo were considered sacred by the Bashkir people. Holidays were dedicated to them, which were celebrated every spring in the lap of nature, where only women and children became participants. They asked these birds for a generous summer, a rich harvest and prosperity. K;kuk s;ye was carried out in connection with the arrival of cuckoos.
The Bashkirs love the cuckoo very much and do not at all agree with Grandfather Krylov’s fable, in which he speaks disrespectfully of its voice.
When the cuckoo arrived, wild edible plants appeared: hogweed, sorrel, uskun (wild garlic), yua (wild onion), lungwort, lambswort (wild primrose). By spring, food supplies usually became scarce and vitamin deficiency began, so people happily went to fields and forests in search of natural goodies. But they did it for a reason, and turned their campaign into a holiday.
Usually there was an elderly woman in the village who was respected by everyone. She was called a;in;y, literally - white (pure) grandmother. It was she who led the entire “sacred rite.” They took a cauldron and food into the forest (whoever was rich in what). Arriving at the place, the elderly women read prayers (an amazing interweaving of Islam and paganism!) and began collecting edible plants with ritual songs.
The cauldron was put on fire. Then, with prayers and good wishes, they dipped cereals (a mixture of cereals), collected hogweed and sorrel into boiling water. Season the soup with wild onions or garlic. It was served with sour cream or;ata; (genus of fermented baked milk). Brewed herbal tea from young leaves of wild currants and raspberries. The tea party ended with prayers and ritual songs. Competitions were organized for children in running, jumping, k;r;sh (belt wrestling). They composed ditties and danced. The boys made bows and arrows and shot, competing in accuracy.
On this day, they used to tell fortunes by the cuckooing of the sacred bird, trying to find out who would live how long. And armfuls of nature’s gifts were carried home to please the I;yash (fathers and grandfathers) with new food.
By the way, the Bashkirs try to preserve their own traditions not only on the territory of their republic, but also wherever they live.
For example, in the Kurgan region, in the village of Sharipovo, Almenevsky district, since 2004 they began to celebrate “Kakuk saye” (“Cuckoo tea”) and other ancient holidays: “Kar heuye” (“Melt water”), “Kaz omekhe” (“Goose down” ) and “Karga tui” (“Rook porridge”).
A young guy, Dayan Shakirov, who lives outside of Bashkortostan, also wrote to me about respect for the traditions of his people.
Dayan Shakirov, programmer, p. Khalitovo, Kunashaksky district, Chelyabinsk region, Russia
NATIONAL DRINKS: KOUMYS AND TEA
I am a Bashkir, although the blood of the Ural Bashkirs and Kazan Tatars flows in my veins. I am interested in the history of my people, and my favorite drinks - kumiss and tea - well illustrate the life of the Bashkirs and Tatars and help to better understand our traditions.
As you know, several centuries ago the Bashkirs led a semi-nomadic lifestyle - they bred horses and cows. Accordingly, meat and dairy products predominated in their cuisine. The most favorite drink of the Bashkirs was kumiss.
In former times it was prepared in linden or oak tubs. The process of preparing kumys was as follows: first, a fermented starter was prepared, which was mixed with mare’s milk and allowed to brew. The Bashkirs ferment for kumis using sour cow's milk. Sometimes millet boiled to the consistency of porridge with standing mare's milk or millet with malt was used as a starter.
From the moment of fermentation, kumiss is divided into weak (one day), medium (two days) and strong (three days). When weak koumiss is prepared, the next fermentation is strong koumiss. By the way, back in the last century it was established that kumiss microorganisms form grains that can be washed, dried and stored. Sourdough made from such grains is the best. These are pure cultures of bacteria.
Koumiss made from unpasteurized mare's milk is considered natural koumiss. This one-day kumiss has dietary and medicinal properties.
The Bashkirs also have a drink that is no less popular than kumis - tea, of course. It plays an important role in Bashkir life, as it not only quenches thirst, but also demonstrates respect and hospitality, and is able to decorate the conversation between interlocutors. A guest who comes to the house is always offered a cup of tea.
Water for tea used to be heated in samovars, the volume of some of which reached fifty liters.
Tea was especially respected by women. Muglifa Bikbaeva from the village of Sary-Kulmyak told me how seventy years ago tea parties took place in their village:
– When relatives and neighbors gathered for a ceremonial meal on some occasion, women, observing Sharia law, sat in a separate group from men. After finishing dinner, which consisted mainly of meat dishes, the men drank kumis, and the women drank only tea - they were forbidden to drink kumiss, since it contained alcohol.
Often villagers replaced tea leaves with various herbs and drank a decoction infused with strawberry, cherry, and oregano leaves.
Red strawberry leaves were suitable for making this tea, not green ones, so they were collected in the middle of summer. In winter, when the strawberry brew prepared in the summer ran out, the villagers brewed mashed and dried carrots or dried potato peels and drank this decoction.
Previously, Bashkirs drank not one or two cups of tea, but much more. If several people gathered, then a large samovar was placed. They spent many hours drinking tea. Each guest was given a clean towel so that he could wipe away sweat during tea gatherings.
The village where I lived was very poor. Those who were unable to maintain a herd of horses bought tea to replace kumiss. Therefore, it was believed that tea was a drink for the poor. However, in the hungry post-war period, it was difficult to buy tea.
I remember how my mother and several other people collected money, penny by penny, in order to buy one bar of pressed tea. After this long-awaited pack was delivered, it was divided equally into pieces using a thin thread. Each one gets a small part.” 
ABOUT OUR HOLIDAYS
Each nation has its own customs and holidays, which clearly characterize their way of life. The Bashkirs also have such holidays.
People's Assembly of Bashkirs - yiyyn. Since ancient times, issues of war and peace were resolved here, the boundaries of tribal territories were clarified, and disputes were settled. TO XVIII century yiyn turned into a holiday held at a certain time of the year.
Residents from distant villages were invited to yiyyn. This was done to establish friendly relations with other clans. Among the Bashkirs, marriage within a clan was strictly prohibited, and dating on yiyyn made it possible to choose a bride from a neighboring clan.
Another holiday - Nabantuy (Sabantuy) - in ancient times was celebrated directly on the day of migration from winter to summer pasture. Much attention at the holiday was paid to military sports games, which made it possible to identify young warriors, defenders of the clan, tribe and the entire people. The celebration was led by elders, who occupied the most honorable places on the festive Maidan. The warriors of the former Sabantuys brought scraps of fabric to the holiday, which they received for winning last year’s competitions. In the event of a new victory, the patches sewn onto the ribbon were shown to the audience. This is how victories were counted. On the day of the holiday, the old people went to pray in the mosque, asking God for a rich harvest. There were no strict rules at Sabantuy, old people usually sat down to drink kumiss, and the rest had fun - each according to his age.
The first spring holiday was celebrated in early spring, a day or two before migrating to summer pastures. It was called the Crow Festival or Crow Porridge. This holiday was dedicated to the awakening of nature and the coming of spring. Only women and children (boys under twelve years old) participated in it. Women fed birds, hung bare tree branches various items, as if predicting nature’s well-being, lush flowering. The artistic part of the holiday was also of considerable importance: crowded round dances, games, competitions, songs, and dances. It is noteworthy that the songs and dances at the festival were composed from generation to generation by the women themselves.
I'm sorry I ate. On this day, girls made wishes for the groom. Signs were written down: if there are many stars in the sky on New Year's Eve, then berries and poultry (geese, ducks, turkeys, chickens) will be good.
;mar hyuyna “For the melt water” – celebrated in March and April. The day before, a red ribbon marked the place from where water or snow could be taken. Everyone took part in the holiday: horsemen trampled the path, and girls with rocker arms went to fetch melt water. Grandmothers say that this water was very useful: they rubbed themselves with it up to the waist and washed their faces, as they believed that it removed witchcraft spells and improved health. On this day we danced, drank tea, ate pancakes.
K;k;k s;ye “Cuckoo tea” is a Bashkir ritual of the spring-summer cycle. Distributed in the south of Bashkortostan and in the Trans-Urals. “Cuckoo tea” is a kind of meeting of spring and falls on the so-called month of the cuckoo. This is a collective tea party, accompanied by games, songs, dances, and fortune telling.
"The Festival of Sorrel" This holiday is held in the spring, when nature gives the first food - sorrel. A person also has a time when his first tooth appears, his first word, his first step, when he sits on a horse for the first time - all this is accepted as a holiday. So spring has its first fruits, its first greenery, rain, thunder, and rainbow, which are fixed by custom. Therefore, when in the spring you try wild onions, sorrel, wild radishes, and borscht for the first time, you express gratitude to nature. The Bashkirs thanked Spring, Autumn, and Summer for the food products (plants) that they received from nature. Wild onion and wild radish soup is also about giving thanks to nature. Eat the first greens of spring and you won’t get sick. “Six May herbs save you from sixty diseases,” the ancestors said.
The people valued the medicinal benefits of herbs, berries, and tree fruits provided by Mother Earth, nature. Nettle - for heart pain, elecampane - for stomach pain, birch bark - for joint pain.
Since the 10th century, Islam has been spreading among the Bashkirs, becoming the dominant religion in the 14th century. The most significant holiday for Bashkir Muslims is Kurban Bayram. All celebrations related to Islam are celebrated according to Muslim lunar calendar. The holiday of Eid al-Fitr begins on the 10th of the month of Dhul-Hijjah. It coincides with the day the pilgrimage to Mecca ends. The holiday of Eid al-Fitr was established in memory of Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son to God and is celebrated for four days. The beginning of the holiday is determined by the appearance of the new moon. Previously, the appearance of the Moon was monitored in various ways: in some places they looked at the water (in a pond, lake, river), in others they went down into a deep well or hole and looked out for the moon from there. The person who was the first to come to the mullah with a statement that he was able to see the crescent of the young moon received a reward. On the first day of the holiday, only close relatives and neighbors are invited to visit, and then the visiting of guests begins, first by invitation, and then they simply go to whomever they want. The host himself does not eat with the guests, but is on his feet all the time, moving from one guest to another until he is invited by them to take part in the meal. On this day, Muslims prepare traditional national dishes, friends and relatives are given gifts, and they do not have to be expensive. A spirit of such hospitality and generosity reigns in every home that anyone who enters there will not leave without tasting the holiday treat.
So why do we still need these holidays?
Compliance with traditions is an important matter for any people. No wonder one philosopher said: “The person who is sure that he can live without society is mistaken, and those who think that society cannot live without him are doubly mistaken.”
And for me personally, holidays are a good reason to once again meet with relatives and friends and pay attention to them. Don't forget about your friends and closest relatives who will always support you and are ready to accept you for who you are, because, as the old saying goes, the main thing is not the gift, but the attention.
Although Dayan posted this article on one of the Internet sites, he, nevertheless, asked me to publish it in a book: “Valentin Anatolyevich, you are doing a useful thing,” Dayan argued his request, “you are inviting representatives to a virtual tea party different nations who, in a friendly conversation, introduce each other to their traditions and customs. I hope that my article will also contribute to this good initiative and help draw the attention of readers to the history of the Bashkir people.”
I think it's hard to disagree with this.
The author of the following tea story is Bashkir journalist Sadit Galiullovich Latypov. His articles on history native land, about the peculiarities of life of residents of national villages always arouse genuine interest among fellow countrymen. It’s nice that my colleague paid attention to the traditions of Bashkir tea drinking in his work, reminding how important it is to preserve what was created and accepted by our fathers and grandfathers.
A COMFORT FOR THE SOUL, A GIFT FOR THE HEART – A SAMOVAR SINGING IN THE HOUSE
Once, at one of the Ufa markets, I met my fellow countryman, a pensioner, who had come in search of “some goods.” We shook hands and started talking. Tired, the veteran says, of the bustle of people and walking through shopping arcades, looking for somewhere to drink tea. Let's go, let's look for a place to sit and talk. You know, we walked around the entire market with him, but we never found the desired drink. Beer, soda, various juices - please, in any quantity. But no tea!
I recalled these fruitless walks around the market more than once, both in the summer heat and winter cold, finding himself in the course of his journalistic work at bus stations, canteens, and cafes. In most cases, those who are thirsty from the heat or chilled from the cold can only be offered vodka, beer, or, at best, juices or coffee. There is no need to talk about tea servers in such places. And this is a characteristic sign of the times: in cities, towns and regional centers a huge number of wine bars and beer bars have proliferated, but an establishment with a sign “teahouse” or “teahouse” is hard to find during the day. Why?
YOU DON ' T DRINK TEA - WHAT IS THE POWER?
I remember that at one time Zuleikha Gazizova was valued at the Ermekeevsky printing house, where she worked as a typesetter, not only for her virtuosity and diligence. On top of that, she was also an unsurpassed culinary expert. She was the best at national dishes. And the tea she prepared had a special taste and aroma. Work colleagues often asked Zuleikha Mavlievna: tell me the secret, how do you brew it? She laughed it off - pour more tea leaves into the kettle! Recently, we were lucky enough to again drink tea prepared by this wonderful hostess, in the company of her neighbor Farida Faskhutdinova, the head of the Ermekeevsky village council Alfiya Ganeeva, and the Gazizovs’ son and daughter-in-law, Ildus and Olga, who, as usual, dropped in to see their parents for the evening light. The owner of the house, a distinguished beet grower of the Ermekeevsky district, now a labor veteran, Varis Kharisovich, at that time supported his health in the capital's sanatorium.
When we asked why tea is not held in high esteem these days, everyone sitting at the table responded in their own way. But in their thoughts I found answers to many of my questions. But we were united in one thing: for the owners of buffets, cafes, and canteens, working with tea does not promise much benefit. But the reasons for the disappearance of this drink, which is healthy and perfectly quenches thirst, are not only its relatively small commercial benefits. It’s a shame that due to new preferences and fashion for various soft drinks, saturated with preservatives, flavors and other chemicals, our national tea traditions are becoming a thing of the past.
Alfiya Ganeeva: “We know from history: in former times business people to resolve important issues they gathered over the samovar. Remember the tea evenings and tea parties that existed in Russia in the past. They encouraged people to enjoy pleasant, relaxed communication, interesting conversations, and relaxation. When gathering for such evenings, guests should not expect too much food, especially alcohol! Nowadays, preference for conducting business conversations is given to a restaurant, bathhouse, sauna, and alcoholic drinks are required. And in everyday life, it somehow became established by itself: a guest has arrived - take out the glasses. It seems that without alcohol the table is empty.”
Zuleikha Gazizova: “Along with the good tea traditions, fire-heated samovars, which, as you know, run on charcoal, dry logs, wood chips or pine cones, which were the best fuel for them, also disappeared from sale. Nowadays, few young housewives know what this is - a real samovar is also a water softener; scale from it settles not only on the bottom, but also on the walls of the pipe and body. That’s why tea made from it is delicious. And I consider electric samovars to be false samovars. These are, in fact, electric kettles that simply boil water without having a beneficial effect on it.
And it's not just that. You know what songs the samovar has! It has the ability to make sounds that reflect the state of boiling water: at first it sings, then makes a warning noise, and finally begins to “get angry” - seethe.
Ildus Gazizov: “Thankfully, there are still families where good tea traditions have been preserved. Like, for example, our parents. Olga and I also try to adhere to the old rules at home. Gatherings over the evening samovar are especially close and desirable for us. In such an environment, the realities of the day are somehow perceived more optimistically, and family and everyday issues are easier to resolve.”
Farida Faskhutdinova: “My house is nearby, next door. The way the Gazizovs lived and live is an example for many. Behind Zuleikha’s ability to prepare and serve tea is the culture of family life, honest relationships between spouses and children. There was never a scandal, drunken company, or rollicking songs in this house. I’ll also say: our Zuleikha is a good adviser. Our whole family goes to her for advice. It’s not for nothing that they nicknamed her the “Sharlyk president.”
Zuleikha Gazizova: “Of course, Farida was joking about the “president”. And so our whole street is like one family, we live together, helping each other. And tea traditions have been preserved in almost every family. By the way, tea drinking is not only a form of feast or a tribute to tradition, but also a health procedure. True, a lot here also depends on how, in what, with what and... in what mood you brew the drink. In short, every housewife has her own characteristics and secrets when preparing and serving tea. My method, so to speak, comes from my grandmother and mother. Be that as it may, I am convinced that among the many different drinks - refreshing, nutritious, healing - not a single one compares with tea. People of all ages drink it, with all diets.”
Alfiya Ganeeva: “Families like the Gazizovs are green islands that preserve good traditions, on which morality, the culture of the people rest, and the youth are educated. How can we make sure that there are more of these islands and their beneficial effect on people becomes stronger? The search for answers to these questions led us (I mean the municipal administration) to new initiatives. Let's say a tea room is open in the district market. Tea days and holidays began to be held in public catering establishments...”
“MILYASH” AND “AYGUL” ARE INVITED
Two cafes operate under such lyrical names in the village of Ermekeyevo. Days of Mordovian and Udmurt cuisine are successfully held in “Milyash”, and in “Aiguli” - Bashkir and Tatar cuisine. At every holiday, His Majesty the Samovar takes pride of place on the table. (But indeed, this once integral attribute of Russian life was held in high esteem and respect by all the peoples inhabiting our republic - the Bashkirs, Tatars, Chuvash, Mordovians, Udmurts, Ukrainians...). Today, a whole program has been developed here to revive tea traditions in the area.
The owner of the Milyash cafe, Tamara Chukaeva, says: “We recently held a tea party. Experienced and young housewives from our village took part in it. Of course, there was music and songs. But the main emphasis at these gatherings was still on introducing women to the history of tea, tea traditions and the samovar, and the basic rules for preparing the drink. Then the participants of the holiday listened to the specialist’s advice and shared their experiences. They all came to the cafe with their culinary products, so there was plenty to choose from for the winner of the competition.
We will try to make such holidays permanent, and each of them will have its own specific theme. This is not only cooking, knitting or sewing, but also raising children, relationships between relatives and neighbors. Based on this, the composition of the participants in the gatherings will be determined.”
The head of the Aigul cafe, Guzel Tukhvatullina: “Serving tea is becoming an obligatory item in the program of such public events as sports competitions, folk festivals, trade fairs, etc. There is a tea room at the regional center market on market days. With the beginning of the summer season, tea servers will enter the market area. Following the example of our colleagues from “Milyash”, we are preparing to hold tea days and holidays. But we have our own approach to this undertaking - we will work with visits to individual residential neighborhoods or to organizations and enterprises.” 
TEA IN SONGS AND POEMS
PAID WITH FOREST FOR TEA
Bashkir folk singers did not ignore tea either. There are two songs (joyful and sad) to the creation of which the wonderful drink is related. Let’s dwell on one of them – “Sharly Urman”, which translated means “Dense Forest”.
Bashkir folk singers have interesting tradition: Before performing the song, they tell the story of how it came about. Here is the legend that precedes this song:
“From ancient times, on the Kaikimbird River, the Bashkirs of the Yaik-Syby clan owned a forest called Sharly Urman. But these lands, they say, were chosen by the boyar Deev and he built a palace on these lands. Gradually, he began to collect forged documents in order to completely and forever take possession of Sharly Urman. The Bashkirs of Yaik-Sybinsk, having learned about this, turned, they say, to the king with a complaint, who accepted it, and Deev retreated. Several years have passed. The boyar, having gathered the Bashkirs from the surrounding villages, organized a large Sabantuy. He gave all the women octams of tea, and treated the men with vodka and collected their signatures on some papers. The Bashkirs naively thought that they were signing for tea and vodka received, and these were papers on the sale of the treasured forest of Sharly Urman to boyar Deev.”
So the Bashkirs of Yaik-Sybinsk lost their ancestral lands for next to nothing. This is what the song says:
In Sharly Urman, oh, the oak tree is good,
The leaves rustle, sway, hum.
If the bees choose that oak tree,
Bee honey will then delight us.Sharly Urman! There is no more beautiful forest!
Kaykym River! Where is the best water?
Sharly Urman is now a stranger to us,
He will never delight us with honey...Sharly Urman, aspen peg,
Under every aspen tree there is garlic.
If we hadn’t lost Sharly Urman -
Yaik-syby could not be united.
Tea is also mentioned in dance songs. In one of the songs of the Bashkirs of the Abzelilovsky region there are the following lines:
Cleaning the samovar
Cleaning the samovar.
If your love is false,
I'll turn yellow.The white samovar is boiling,
Easy to turn.
It's easy to live together
It's hard to leave
LAZY DAUGHTER
The ability of a young daughter-in-law to treat her husband's parents and guests to the house well with tea is perceived by many Turkic peoples as her dignity. If the daughter-in-law is lazy and does not strive to show herself off the best side, then her behavior causes fair criticism from her family and elders.
The Bashkir poetess Lyudmila Malyutina vividly expressed her attitude towards careless young housewives in the following lines:
Our land is marvelous with miracles:
Rivers, cliffs, hills.
Bashkir endowed with names,
That they are full of great meaning.Here the stone froze lonely
On the slope of a wooded mountain,
Above the fast, deep river -
The mystery of hoary antiquity.What does it look like, lonely
And even dejected in appearance?
Peering with a smile, not strictly:
“A girl,” the horseman will say.“With a bucket,” the old lady will add.
“Daughter-in-law,” the old man grins.
And now, as if alive,
The daughter-in-law is standing in front of us.She was obstinate and lazy.
At the request of the gray-haired mother-in-law
Burk and walk away proudly
He will walk with his head raised.If he goes to fetch water, he won’t wait,
At least run after her.
“You won’t have enough tea until nightfall,”
Then the old people grumbled.One day my mother-in-law couldn’t stand it,
Having waited for the daughter-in-law from the spring:
- May you turn to stone! –
The old lady said in her hearts.And this should happen:
Her wish came true!
And my daughter-in-law would be glad not to be lazy,
Yes, I had to dress like a stone.It has stood for edification ever since
To the sloths here,
And that local statue
That's what they called her: daughter-in-law.
DITTS-CHORUS DURING A FRIENDLY TEA PARTY
We drink delicious, sweet tea,
Like aromatic wine
Singing along quietly,
There is a reverent, warm feeling in my soul.
This refrain, as a rule, is sung by the person who pours tea from the samovar.
Georgian tea is very tasty,
With the addition of mint herb,
I drink and drink, I won't get drunk.
He is like medicine to the heart.
For dessert, Bashkirs most often serve strong tea with milk or cream, and accompany it with sweets: honey, s;k-s;k, bauyrhak (donuts), uramu (spiral brushwood-roses), and osh tele (brushwood). Among the soft drinks, bool, ayran and blackcurrant (;ara;at) are also the most popular.
Alhyu s;y (rose tea in Bashkir style)
Put a little more into the teapot than usual, good tea, pour boiling water over it, let it brew so that the color is thick (very strong tea, but not chifir), and then whiten it a little with cream (you can use milk, but it’s better with cream) so that the color of the tea becomes pinkish-brown, that’s pink for you ! In the village everything is simpler - boiling water from a samovar, instead of cream - village milk. In the hayfield, tea is especially tasty when fresh matrushka, St. John's wort, spring water are added to it, and whitened with fresh cream - it's simply amazing how delicious it is!
Valentin Bayukansky. “Why does a Muslim need tea?”
Excerpt from the book
On the territory of Bashkiria there are many plants that are beneficial for health. Among them, one of the most famous is angustifolia willow tea.
People call it differently: fireweed, miller, breadbox, plakun, dremukha, skrypnik, mother liquor, Koporye tea and many others.
Where to look?
This perennial belongs to the fireweed genus and grows from half a meter to two. In Bashkiria, fireweed is found everywhere, in almost all regions. Most often it can be found in wastelands, burnt areas after fires, near forest roads, along forest edges and clearings; it prefers sandy, almost dry soils. A lot of fireweed grows in the Southern Urals and nearby foothills, in the Trans-Ural and Cis-Ural zones, in the northeast of the country.
Therefore, such areas as Beloretsky, Karaidelsky, Salavatsky, Kiginsky, Arkhangelsky, Khaybuldinsky, Baymaksky, Gafuriysky, Burzyansky, Abzelilovsky, Duvansky are quite rich in fireweed. Residents of Bashkiria most often collect it near the villages of Mrakovo and Krasnoulskoye, in the floodplain of the Sakmara River, in Kumertau, in the area of Akyara and Zilair, etc.
Description
Ivan tea has an erect, tall stem, densely leafy. The pointed, straight leaves are most often dark green on one side, and can be pink or dark red on the other.
Large pink, purple, dark red or purple flowers have spike-shaped inflorescences. The fruit has the shape of an oblong narrow capsule covered with hairs, in which the seeds ripen in August. The inflorescences are racemes, the length of which reaches from 10 to 40 cm. Fireweed blooms from June to July.
The whole plant has high healing properties: roots, shoots, leaves, and flowers. It is necessary to prepare them in Bashkiria in different times. It is better to collect the roots in September, after flowering. They are dried. Flowers, according to the recommendation of experts, are collected at the beginning of flowering, not yet fully bloomed.
But the leaves are suitable for collecting throughout the summer, but those collected during flowering will be most useful. They are dried, fermented, and consumed fresh.
Ivan tea in Bashkiria is used in the form of tinctures, decoctions, infusions, and delicious healing Koporye tea is prepared.
Compound
Ivan tea is unique in its composition. It has a calming, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, sedative, tranquilizing effect, increases the body's defenses, and improves blood. Ivan tea is rich in pectin, fiber, tannins - tannins, mucus, micro and macroelements, bioflavonoids, vitamins, etc.
Tannin is found in large quantities in the roots and young leaves of the plant and acts as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drug. Tannins bind toxic substances in case of poisoning and remove them from the body.
In addition, tannins have an anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effect.
The leaves contain a high content of fiber and mucus. They normalize and restore intestinal function and have a beneficial effect on the body as a whole, reduce pain, relieve inflammation, soothe and relieve cramps.
Properties
The function of pectin is to normalize metabolic processes, removing toxins and heavy substances, reducing cholesterol levels.
Flavonoids, present in sufficient quantities in fireweed, are designed to prevent the development of atherosclerosis, premature aging, the risk of cancer and maintain the plasticity of blood vessels. They also have antispasmodic, diuretic and choleretic effects.
Macro and microelements are important for humans.
Fireweed leaves contain trace elements of copper, iron, manganese, zinc, boron, molybdenum, useful and necessary for living beings, in quantities that are safe but necessary for human life.
Macroelements were also found in this plant, such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, etc. In addition, fireweed tea contains traces of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, organic acids and carbons, which perform energy, plastic and storage functions.
But the most valuable thing that any medicinal plant- these are vitamins. Ivan-tea contains ascorbic acid, vitamins A, K, E, P, B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6, B9. A complex of vitamins will strengthen your work nervous system, will improve the condition of the skin, strengthen the work of internal secretion in the walls of blood vessels.
And most importantly, Ivan tea does not contain oxalic, puric and uric acids, caffeine, which have a detrimental effect on the metabolism in the body.
We can’t help but mention the miraculous drink – Koporye tea, which has a beneficial effect on our health. Koporye tea is not only a wonderful disinfectant, anti-inflammatory, laxative, tranquilizing, anticonvulsant, anti-cancer, anti-ulcer agent, but also an excellent drink that increases immunity and improves health.
Bashkir tea drinking The most common, everyday drink of the Bashkirs of the 19th century was “family”* (baikhovy) tea, less often brick**. They drank tea lightly seasoned with milk, rich tea - sometimes with lemon. They consumed little sugar; they often drank it with honey. It is noteworthy that the Bashkirs never drank the so-called Kalmyk tea - thickly brewed brick tea, seasoned with milk, salt and lamb fat. In some places, in the absence of real tea, the poor Bashkirs used its surrogates from the leaves and flowers of fireweed (bolan uty) and oregano (mәtrushkә), the infusion of the latter was drunk, however, more often as a medicine. The Bashkirs usually ate three times a day: in the morning at six or seven o'clock - irtange ash, at noon - toshko ash and in the evening - kiske ash. We drank tea at every meal, and drank it long and a lot. Various desserts were served with tea, among which the most common were: Yyuasa, bauyrak - finely chopped pieces of rolled unleavened dough, usually wheat, boiled in boiling oil, lamb or horse fat (tun mai). Yyuasa was prepared for future use and stored in bags; it was always served to guests for tea. Sәk-sәk is a festive dish, wedding, which has become widespread among rich people in the Urals. Unleavened dough was kneaded from coarse flour on eggs; rolled into thin rolls, it was cut into pieces the size of a hazelnut and boiled in oil. Once cooled, these boiled balls were filled with honey, which cemented them. ҡoimaҡ - ordinary pancakes, which were fried in oil in a frying pan; this was not everyday food, but was prepared when receiving guests. Shangi is a type of Siberian cheesecake (shangi). Dairy products, which once occupied such an exceptional position in the diet of the Bashkirs, did not lose their importance by the beginning of the 20th century. The following was served with tea: һөt - ordinary raw cow's or goat's milk - the Bashkirs rarely consumed it as food; boiled milk was always served with tea. Kaimak, which was also served with tea as a condiment, was baked milk with sour cream or thick and dense foam skimmed from boiled milk. The cold, dense foam made from foam was a delicacy. Katyk - a kind of Varents - was prepared from boiled milk, which, after cooling to normal air temperature, was fermented either with old, already acidified Katyk, or ayran. әzhekei was prepared in the following way. Milk was added to the finished Katyk, and this mixture was boiled in a cauldron over low heat until dry; the result was a yellow mass, which, before eating, was seasoned with fresh (not baked) milk and served with tea. Prepared for future use, for the winter. һөҙмә is a delicacy that was also served with tea. It was fresh, well-pressed cottage cheese (eremsek), mixed with honey. The Bashkirs produced sour cream (aҡ may) and melted (һary may), the latter was mainly used for sale. For themselves, the Bashkirs churned ordinary sour cream; they churned it in a tall, small-diameter linden butter churn (silәk) using a special mixer (beshkәk). Cake or bread were served with tea along with butter. The Bashkirs collected all sorts of berries: field strawberries (er elәge), wild strawberries (kaiyn elege), raspberries (ҡurai еlege), red and black currants (ҡyҙyl and ҡara ҡaraғat), blackberries (tal borҙөgәne), stone fruit (borҙөgәn), field cherries (seyә ) and especially large quantities of bird cherry (muyil). The berries were consumed both fresh and in the form of a special kind of marshmallow (ҡаҡ). ҡаҡ was prepared from berries that were rubbed through a sieve or squeezed through a rare cloth. The porridge-like juice was poured onto a smooth board, previously greased with butter or sour cream, so that the marshmallow did not stick to the board, and dried in the sun. After two or three days, thin sheets of ready-made marshmallow were removed from the board, rolled into a roll and served in this form for tea. Pies (balesh, bokken) made from dough filled with various berries, whole or ground (cherry, bird cherry), can also be considered dessert. This dish was known everywhere in Bashkiria. * - tea with the name of the planters who vouch for its quality. ** - low grade tea, pressed in the form of bricks
This year Bashkortostan is celebrating a big anniversary. Exactly one hundred years ago, the “Agreement of the Russian Workers' and Peasants' Government with the Bashkir Government on the Soviet Autonomy of Bashkiria” was concluded. In honor of this date, we will talk about Bashkir cuisine, which is still considered one of the most original and traditional in the Southern Urals. The hospitable residents of this republic know how to organize sumptuous feasts and pass them on from generation to generation. old recipes traditional baked goods, soups and sweets.
A MIR 24 correspondent spoke with Ufa restaurateur Sabit Baimbetov. The cook shared the secrets of preparing proper Bashkir tea, meat pastries and spoke about the traditional holiday dishes of his people.
Proper Bashkir tea
According to ancient tradition, Bashkirs drink tea twice during one meal: 10 minutes before serving the main dish and 30 minutes after the end of the meal. First, guests are offered a bowl of black tea with honey, the second time the drink is served with warmed milk and a dish of traditional sweets.
The ingredients for making tea are taken in the following proportions:
- 3-5 g dry black tea
- 800-1000 ml water
- 20 g flower liquid honey
- 50 ml warmed milk or cream
The secret to preparing a tasty and aromatic drink is using the right raw materials, water and utensils. So, tea should be black, large-leaf, without the addition of herbs, berries and fruits, artificial flavors and dyes. Dry tea should be stored in a wooden jar with a tight-fitting lid, away from direct sunlight and foreign odors.
Water for tea is used fresh, boiled only once, otherwise the finished drink will have a metallic smell and a chalky taste. It is better to brew leaves in porcelain or earthenware, but not in metal containers.
According to Sabit Baimbetov, before brewing, an empty teapot must be warmed up - to do this, it is rinsed with boiling water two or three times. Then dry tea is placed at the bottom of the kettle and 200-300 ml of water is poured into it. If the water is soft, let the drink brew for 3-5 minutes; if it is hard, up to 15 minutes. After this, add the remaining water to the kettle, cover it with a linen napkin and leave for another three to five minutes.
A sign of properly brewed tea is the foam that forms under the lid of the teapot. It appears when the tea is brewed strong enough and at the right temperature. At this point, you can add heated milk and cream to the kettle, and if the guest drinks tea with honey, it is served separately.
The finished drink is poured into bowls; instead of sugar, the tea is sweetened with honey. A cup of properly prepared Bashkir tea is no less invigorating than strong coffee and can be more invigorating.
Bilmane, or Bashkir dumplings
No fewer cities and nations are fighting for the right to consider themselves the homeland than for the right to consider themselves the homeland of the poet Homer. This dish is prepared according to its own special recipe in our country, China (baozi), Israel (crepes), Nepal (momo), Korea (mandu), Italy (ravioli), Mongolia (buuza), Vietnam (ban bot lok). In Russia alone, there are about 50 recipes for dumplings, and one of them is the traditional Bashkir dumplings bilmane.
Unlike Ural dumplings, they are prepared with the addition of a small amount of potatoes, so they turn out larger and juicier. To ensure that as much juice as possible remains inside the dumpling during cooking, the bilmene are also pinched in a special way, making them more elongated than, for example, Siberian dumplings.
To prepare minced meat you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 kg lamb (you can add a little beef if you wish)
- 2 onions
- 1 potato
- 3 tablespoons butter
To prepare unleavened dough you need to take:
- 500 g flour + 50 g
- 3 eggs
- 100 ml cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Freshly washed and dried meat of medium fat content is minced in a large meat grinder together with raw onions and potatoes. Place the meat in a deep bowl, add softened butter, add salt and pepper to taste.
The flour for the dough must be thoroughly sifted so that it is saturated with oxygen. Pour the flour into a heap onto a dry table, make a small depression in it, beat three eggs and salt into it. Start kneading the dough with your hands and gradually add water 50 ml at a time. The dough should be cool and dense. The finished dough is allowed to “rest” for 10 minutes at room temperature.
The finished dough is rolled out to a thickness of 2.5 - 3 mm and cut into small squares. Place a teaspoon of minced meat in the center of each plate, then pinch the edges three times so that the dumplings are shaped like a boat. Ready-made bilmanes can be boiled in meat broth for 15–20 minutes or steamed for 30–40 minutes. This dish is always served with a bowl of broth and kaymak.
Katlama
This name was given to a soft dough roll with meat filling in Bashkiria. The dish is very suitable for festive table– it is convenient to prepare it in large portions and serve it to guests.
First of all, you need to prepare the sauce for the future katlama - Bashkir housewives call it “Steppe” or “Eastern”. 200 g of sour cream are mixed with chopped garlic, a spoonful of mustard, salt, pepper and chopped herbs - parsley, dill, green onions. The sauce is poured into glass jar and let it brew for 1 - 2 hours before serving.
Then you need to prepare regular dough according to the same recipe that was described in the recipe for Bashkir dumplings. While the dough is “resting”, prepare minced meat from the following ingredients:
- 500 g lamb (tenderloin)
- 1 large onion
- bunch of green onions
- 3 boiled eggs
- salt, pepper, herbs to taste
The meat is passed through a large meat grinder, finely chopped onion, salt and pepper are added to it. The dough is thinly rolled out into rectangles measuring 15 by 20 centimeters, minced meat is placed on the surface of the dough, and finely chopped onion and boiled eggs are sprinkled on top. The dough is tightly rolled into rolls, pinching the edges.
Next, the katlama is placed in a double boiler, greased with vegetable oil and cooked for 30 - 40 minutes. The finished rolls are cut into round slices, sprinkled generously with herbs, and served with sour cream sauce. For spiciness, you can serve chopped onions, garlic or peppers separately.
Sәk-sәk
This legendary sweet made from dough with honey is prepared throughout the Southern Urals. In Tatarstan it is called chak-chak, in Kazakhstan – shak-shak, and in Bashkiria – sәk-sәk. No matter how the name of the dish sounds, its taste and recipe are universal: these are pieces of dough fried in oil and generously sprinkled with honey syrup. What size pieces of dough to make and how to decorate the finished dessert is left to the discretion of the housewife.
To prepare the sweets you will need at least three hours of free time and the following products:
- 200 g flour
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons water
- 300 ml vegetable oil for deep frying or 200 g butter
- 300 g thick flower honey
- Dried fruits, raisins, poppy seeds, nuts and candied fruits for decoration
In a deep bowl, thoroughly beat the eggs with water. Add flour to the egg mixture and knead into a soft dough. Roll it out into a layer no more than a centimeter thick, then cut into thin sausages 1 centimeter long.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Deep fry the pieces of dough until golden brown for 3 - 4 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a napkin.
Heat thick honey in a ladle, add candied fruits, dried fruits or raisins. Pour the honey mixture over the cooled pieces of dough, mix with a spoon and place on a plate in the form of a slide. To make shaping the dessert easier, you can wet your hands with water and sculpt the desired shape with your hands. The dessert is sprinkled with poppy seeds and crushed nuts on top. Then it is sent to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, after which it can be served with strong Bashkir tea.
A few words about traditional hospitality
Bashkirs are one of the most hospitable peoples of Russia. Any guest here is welcomed with traditional sweets and long conversations over Bashkir tea. Local residents even have their own joke about this: when you are invited to “have tea,” the owner will serve not only sak-sak and jam, but also pies, boiled meat, fresh bread and butter, and even manti!
Most local dishes are very nutritious, with the addition of meat, dough and butter. This is due to the fact that in the winter months the temperature in the region drops to 30-40 degrees below zero. To treat colds, local housewives always stock up on several three-liter jars of honey for the winter - the best remedy to strengthen the immune system in harsh conditions weather conditions you can't imagine.
The main rule of Bashkir table etiquette is that the host begins and ends the meal with his guest. What speaks most eloquently about the local mentality is the fact that if the guest remains hungry at the table, the owner must limit himself and give the guest the best of his bins. This is what hospitable Bashkiria is like!
Collage by Larisa Vetlugina.
05.09.2013 18:25:24
The day before, a lecture was given by herbalist, vice-president of the Association of Herbalists of the Republic of Bashkortostan, member of the Presidium of the Russian Society of Herbalists, chairman of the public organization “Health of the Nation” Mikhail Gordeev at the House of Friendship of Peoples of the Republic of Bashkortostan. He gave a lecture “I know how to live long and joyfully.” It is impossible to retell his entire lecture in one material; you need to listen to Mikhail Viktorovich, he speaks very vividly, accessiblely and imaginatively. It was about proper sleep and proper intake of food and fluids. In particular, he focused on important issue— the dangers of black and green tea for residents of our region. We will try to cover this topic today.
Teas - Indian, Georgian, Chinese, Krasnodar - are harmful to residents of Bashkiria, says Mikhail Viktorovich. - Both black and green. Harmful for many reasons.
Firstly, tea contains a lot of tanning agents. They tan the vessels. We have a continental climate - large temperature differences - from very high to very low. And our blood vessels must be very elastic in order to expand when it’s hot and contract when it’s cold. If you drink tea, the vessels become “oaky”; they are unable to contract or unclench.
In some cases, of course, we need tannins. For example, if the kidneys are inflamed, protein is found in the urine, or the intestines are upset. But if there are no inflammatory phenomena, then we don’t need tanning substances.
Secondly, black and especially green tea contain large number fluorine Fluorine is very active chemical element and displaces other halogens, including iodine, from cellular compounds. And in our area there is already a lack of iodine. There is no natural iodine deficiency in the homeland of tea. In the inhabitants of those places it is extremely rare to find diseases associated with decreased thyroid function; there this function is excessive, hence the natural energy of the local people. To bring themselves to harmony, they drink tea, thus partially binding the incoming iodine, and become calmer, in some cases even melancholic. In our climate, with iodine deficiency, we do not have high energy levels. We are characterized by hypofunction of the thyroid gland, very often hidden under the guise of autoimmune thyroiditis. Therefore, drinking tea is a disastrous path for us. For us, iodine is not superfluous. We must treasure every molecule of iodine.
Thirdly, tea contains caffeine - an alkaloid, a psychoactive substance that temporarily stimulates the heart. During this doping, a person feels good for some time, since caffeine is a drug, and gets used to it. Then he can no longer live without tea.
In addition, tea negatively affects the kidneys and water-salt metabolism in general. It contains a huge amount of oxalate salts. Unlike soft phosphate stones and smooth urate stones, oxalate stones are very hard, rough, and easily injure the epithelium of the renal tubules. Tea-oxalate daily supplementation eventually leads to calcium oxalate supersaturation in the urine when the concentration of oxalate in the urine begins to exceed its solubility. Reduced calcium absorption causes hypocalcemia, creating conditions for stone formation.
Tea in large quantities overloads the liver. This impairs metabolism, and therefore the supply of energy, and slows down the elimination of toxins.
Even at the beginning of the 19th century, imported tea in Russia did not enjoy its current popularity; moreover, many educated people They saw in it a threat much more serious than vodka. A number of 19th and 20th century scientists were very critical of tea leaves.
We have an alternative to imported teas in our homeland. This is Koporye tea, or Ivan-tea - a traditional Russian tea prepared from angustifolia fireweed. This drink began to be called Koporye after the name of the city of Koporye, where it was produced in large volumes, mainly for export abroad, where it was known as “Russian tea”. It improves the condition of the nervous system, it contains many useful microelements - iron, copper, magnesium, nickel, titanium, molybdenum. This is a good anti-inflammatory agent that disinfects the organs of the genitourinary system - kidneys, bladder, urethra. Koporye tea is a mild laxative, anticonvulsant, antiulcer and an excellent tranquilizing agent. Thanks to Ivan tea, the activity of the prostate gland is normalized and prostatitis is prevented. When taking it, men retain their potential opportunities until old age. Ivan tea is a powerful antitumor agent. The high molecular weight anti-oncological compound hanerol was isolated from it. Koporye tea relieves food and alcohol poisoning, prevents stone formation in the liver and kidneys, eliminates headache, normalizes blood pressure, increases immunity to respiratory viral infections.
It is very important that anyone can prepare fireweed on their own. It is distributed almost throughout Russia, growing in forest clearings, clearings, forest edges, wastelands and dried peat bogs.
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