Belarus

This week the cake voyage continues in a European country, part of the former USSR, Belarus. For a long time this country is part of other countries: the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the British Community, the Russian Empire, and the USSR. It is now an independent state. Inside it, however strange it sounds, two religions live together. Belarusians celebrate Catholic and Orthodox Christmas as well as Easter twice.

When the Chernobyl accident occurred in 1986, everyone was concerned about Ukraine, but it is a fact that 70% of the radioactive cloud falls right in Belarus. This changes the lives of all – abortions are increasing, the number of people with oncological diseases increases, more children with disabilities are born. This tragedy makes everyone realize that the military and the peaceful atom are equally dangerous. The worst thing is that the CPSU then conceals the real situation and many people fail to protect themselves.

The nature of Belarus is wonderful. On its territory there is the oldest forest in Europe – the Belovish Pusha. There are still European bison – zuber’s. Definitely a pleasant place for recreation, walking and cycling. In many places there are wood-carved figures that are obviously traditional for Belarus.

Belarusian national cuisine has been developing for centuries. The culinary traditions of the Belarusians lie in the simplicity of folk recipe and the refinement of dishes for the aristocrats, the varied use of local produce and the unusual ways of cooking. Local products are widely used in Belarusian dishes: vegetables such as cabbage, turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, potatoes, cucumbers, onions and garlic, sorrel, nettles, kinoa; legumes – beans, peas, lentils; cereals – rye, barley, oats, buckwheat; mushrooms – salted, dried, powdered; fruits, apples, pears, plums, cherries, currants, blueberries, raspberries, mountain ash, walnut, wild rose; typical spices are cumin, coriander, linseed, horseradish, mustard, juniper, cherry and oak leaves.

For many centuries, Belarusians have used a limited amount of meat in their meals, usually in festive dishes, in the form of salty and dried foods. But over time the meat ration has increased. The most popular are pork, lamb, beef, poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys), game (moose, roe deer, boar, beaver). Of the dairy products most often are used cottage cheese (from cow or goat’s milk), sour cream, butter. A special pride of the national cuisine is traditional Belorussian bread, which is baked with no yeast rye flour, with special starter cultures. For healthy eating, this is a very useful product. Belarusian bread is heavier, with a pleasant “sour” taste. In the old recipes are used various additives: cumin, linseed, seeds.

The cake today has a basic and traditional product in Belarusian cuisine – curd cheese. I have prepared for you “Belarusian pie with curd and raspberries”.

About the pie:

200 grams of flour

200 grams of butter

100 grams of sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

For the stuffing :

500 grams of curd

100 grams of cream

100 grams of sugar

300 grams of raspberries

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

1 egg

vanilla

Steps of preparation:

Flour is sieved with baking powder. Cut the butter into pieces with a knife and add it to the flour so that crumbs are obtained. Mix the egg with the sugar, add the flour with the butter and mix the dough. Leave it in the refrigerator for half an hour. The curd is crushed with a mixer. Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla and cream and add to the cottage cheese. Put the dough in a greased dough pan, and the edges are formed on the walls. Place the stuffing on the dough, spread the raspberries on top.

Bake 45 minutes at 180 degrees. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Very light and emphasized milk dessert. Raspberries add a slightly sharp- like touch as a counterpoint to the oil taste of dough and stuffing. Extremely suited for those hot summer days at the moment. A simple dessert, but full of taste. I would repeat it, even though I avoid repeating desserts. This, however, is neither difficult to make, nor does it have a lot of products that are hard to find. The afternoon coffee is a very good with it. Try it too.

Next destination – Belgium.