Kulaga is one of those dishes of Russian cuisine that, although thoroughly forgotten, is not completely lost.

This is how this dish was explained in dictionaries of the 19th century.

From Vladimir Dahl: “salamata; thick, brew; raw malted dough, sometimes with viburnum; steamed malted dough."

Brockhaus and Efron have: “a common people’s sweet dish made from rye flour and malt; the best variety is Kaluga dough.”

In the “Dictionary of Church Slavonic and Russian Language” (1847): “malted rye dough.”

Here it is necessary to explain that in Russian traditional culinary terminology, dough is different from dough.

“Dough” in Russia meant not only the familiar yeast, shortbread or puff pastry, suitable only for baking or spinning.

A common delicacy was a special dough that was eaten directly. Including the famous Kaluga dough, mentioned in the Brockhaus dictionary. Two Kaluga merchant dynasties were once engaged in its production and supply throughout Russia, somewhere from the end of the 17th century until 1917.

And this was by no means a common people's Lenten dish, consumed only due to poverty.

In an interesting essay “The Stay of Empress Catherine II in Tula,” published in the magazine “Moskvityanin” in 1842, I found the following historical anecdote about Grigory Potemkin:

“- Mikhailo Nikitich, there is not one thing here that I am a big fan of and which you sent me by courier to Bendery.

“I can’t guess, Your Grace,” answered a somewhat amazed Krechetnikov.

— You, it seems, are also the Kaluga governor?

- Exactly, Your Grace.

— And they probably forgot that Tula barn rolls are hardly better than Kaluga dough...

The next day Potemkin was already eating Kaluga dough.”

It is with this delicious raw dough that kulaga is closely related.

In “Description of the Tver Province in Agricultural Relation” by Vasily Preobrazhensky (1854) there is the following comparison of kulaga and brewed sweet dough:

“Kulaga and dough are prepared from flour sown from rye malt and are part of the fast. They differ only in that the first can be cut with a knife, and the second is liquid, like a solution. Both are fermented, and mostly berries or lingonberries or viburnum are placed in both.”

And Dal gives this detailed recipe for kulagi, slightly different from the Tver one:

“..mix equal parts rye flour and malt in a korchag with boiling water until the thickness of kvass grounds, evaporate in a free spirit and put in the cold.”

There are actually many options for preparing kulagi. The most common ones are made from rye malt, buckwheat or rye flour.

Kulaga can be boiled or simply brewed with boiling water, fermented, or eaten unleavened. If kulaga is made from malt, then it itself has a sweetish taste. And those made from flour are most often slightly sweetened with honey or sugar.

And the berries in the kulag are simply necessary. The most suitable one is viburnum. Its taste and aroma go well with rye malt.

Now viburnum is in its best form - juicy, ripe, slightly touched by the first frosts.

I prepared some kulaga with her just now.

I took half a glass of ground rye malt, brewed it with boiling water, and let it brew. It turned out like kvass wort, but a little thicker. I poured a spoonful of my usual leaven into it and stirred. And a day later he added the same amount of steamed viburnum mashed and rubbed through a sieve.

Tasty. And my son, who is less than four years old, also likes it.

Such is the kulaga.

Recipe for making kulagi. Traditionally, in the old days, kulaga was prepared from viburnum berries. Healthy and tasty.

Number of servings: 6-9

A very simple recipe for kulagi of traditional Russian cuisine step by step with photos. Easy to prepare at home in 12 hours. Contains only 263 kilocalories.

• Preparation time: 14 minutes
• Cooking time: 12 h
• Calorie Amount: 263 kilocalories
• Number of servings: 8 servings

• Complexity: Very simple recipe
• National cuisine: Russian kitchen
• Type of dish: Blanks

Ingredients for eight servings

• Viburnum - To taste
• Rye flour - To taste
• Rye malt - To taste

Step-by-step preparation

1. In Rus', kulaga was prepared from rye flour, rye malt and viburnum. No sweet products such as honey and sugar were added here.
2. Preparation:
3. Dilute the malt with boiling water, let it brew for one hour, then add rye flour (twice as much), prepare the dough, and let it cool to a temperature of about twenty-eight to twenty-five degrees (temperature of fresh milk). To make everything sour, throw in the rye crust. Then close the container tightly and cover it with dough for complete sealing. After the dough has soured, we put it in a heated oven (Russian oven) - for about eight to ten hours, for example, we put it in the evening, and it stays until the morning. During the process of slow fermentation, kulag is created (at low heat and without air access). As a result of this, special enzymes are formed that contain many vitamins of various groups, which, together with other elements, give the product (kulaga) a pleasant taste and make it healthy.
4. Kulaga was popularly used to treat various diseases (nervous, colds, gallstones).

Forgotten Russian sweets

A meal that begins with pleasure should also end with pleasure. That's what dessert is for! When there were no confectionery factories in Russia, each cook prepared sweets for a dinner party according to his own recipe, which he kept in the strictest confidence. Therefore, many recipes for traditional Russian sweets have remained secrets for new generations.

Lefties

Lenten Russian delicacy: crushed berries (viburnum, rowan, raspberry), dried in a heated oven in the form of flat cakes. They were used as snacks for drinks, as traditional medicine against colds and vitamin deficiency. The aroma of summer berries - raspberries, strawberries, currants in dry layers persisted for a long time. What better time than in the winter to feast on lefties during the Nativity Fast.

“Descriptions of a Journey to Muscovy” by Adam Olearius (1634) Left-handed people cooked on special left-handed boards, which can now be seen in some regional history museums. “And make left-handed blueberries, and raspberries, and currants, and strawberries, and lingonberries and all sorts of berries: cook the berries for a long time, until they are boiled, rub through a sieve, and evaporate thickly with molasses, while steaming, stirring without ceasing, so as not to burnt. As soon as it is thick enough, pour it onto the boards, and then anoint the board with molasses until it sits; pour into others and into others. Don’t sit down from the sun, or dry it against the stove, and when it sits, turn it into the pipes.” “Domostroy” Levasha is a self-contained delicacy for tea.

Leftists

Friday, September 09, 2016 12:29 ()

In Rus', sweets were called the sweet word SLASTI. Sweets, like all the food of our ancestors, were simple but healthy. There were no confectionery factories then, and each pastry chef prepared sweets for each dinner party according to his own recipe, which was kept in the strictest confidence. This did Russian sweets a disservice: when cheap sugar appeared, and factories followed, the secrets of traditional Russian sweets remained secrets, but for a new generation.

Saturday, August 17, 2014 00:33 ()

Academician Pavlov argued that a meal begun with pleasure should also end with pleasure. Thus, he explained the physiological need of a person for a sweet dessert. There were no confectionery factories in Russia, and each pastry chef prepared sweets for each dinner party according to his own recipe, which was kept in the strictest confidence. This did Russian sweets a disservice: when cheap sugar appeared, and factories followed, the secrets of traditional Russian sweets remained secrets, but for a new generation.
What we have many names for today was called by our ancestors with the simple word Sweets. And these sweets were not only extremely tasty, but also healthy.

1. Kulaga

Kulaga is an almost forgotten delicacy of the Slavs. Once upon a time - one of the most beloved in Rus'. Kulaga was not only a treat, but was also used for colds, nervous, heart, kidney, gallstones, and liver diseases. At the same time, kulaga had an exceptional sweetish-sourish pleasant taste.
Real kulaga is prepared from rye malt, rye flour and viburnum, without any added sweet foods: sugar, honey. The malt is diluted with boiling water, allowed to brew for 1 hour, then double the amount of rye flour is added, the dough is kneaded and allowed to cool to the warmth of fresh milk (28-25 ° C), then it is fermented with rye bread crust and after the dough has soured, it is placed in a heated oven (Russian ) for several hours - usually from evening to morning (that is, for 8-10 hours). In this case, the dishes are tightly closed and covered with dough for complete sealing. Kulaga is created in the process of so-called held fermentation without access of air with low heat. As a result, special enzymes are formed, rich in B vitamins, and with active viburnum vitamins (C and P), which give the amazing effect of the “all-healing” product.

2. Lefties


Lenten Russian delicacy: crushed berries (viburnum, rowan, raspberry), dried in a heated oven in the form of flat cakes. They were used as snacks for drinks, and partly as traditional medicine against colds and vitamin deficiency. The aroma of summer berries - raspberries, strawberries, currants - persisted for a long time in dry layers. What better time than in the winter to feast on lefties during the Nativity Fast.

Thursday, May 23, 2013 12:42 pm ()

Kulaga- an almost forgotten delicacy, once one of the most beloved in Rus'. However, in Belarus and the Pskov region it is still being prepared, but in a slightly different version. In the wonderful book of the philologist I.S. Lutovinova, “A Word about Russian Food,” the story of an old woman from Pskov is given: Saladukha was called kulaga, they grow together the rye, they paryut in a stalemate, ana saladeit tada, the slatka becomes and the yagat is put down. Bring yagat, fsypish rye flour, mixish, pavarish and ish kulagu.

KULAGA, recipe: Sort out fresh blueberries, rinse and boil. Add sifted rye flour, diluted in a small amount of water, honey or sugar, mix and cook until tender over low heat, stirring. Blueberries can be replaced with fresh raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, blueberries, etc. Serve pancakes, bread, fresh milk or kvass separately.

But this is, after all, precisely the Pskov-Belarusian kulaga. The original Russian kulaga was prepared only with viburnum!

KULAG and. salamata; thick, brew; raw malted dough, sometimes with viburnum; steamed malted dough; mix equal amounts of rye flour and malt in a korchag with boiling water until it becomes thick kvass, evaporate in a free spirit, and put in the cold; This is a delicious Lenten dish. Kulazhka is not a drunk, eat to your heart's content.

The most accurate comparison of both kulagas is from Pokhlebkin, here you can’t subtract or add:

KULAG. Russian national sweet dish. There are two versions: real kulaga with viburnum and Belarusian berry kulaga.

Real kulaga is prepared from rye malt, rye flour and viburnum, without any added sweet foods: sugar, honey. The malt is diluted with boiling water, allowed to brew for 1 hour, then doubled the amount of rye flour is added, the dough is kneaded and allowed to cool to the warmth of fresh milk (28-25 ° C), after which it is fermented with rye bread crust and after the dough has soured, it is placed in a heated oven ( Russian) for several hours - usually from evening to morning (that is, for 8-10 hours). In this case, the dishes are tightly closed and covered with dough for complete sealing. Kulaga is created through a process of restrained fermentation without access to air with little heat. As a result, special enzymes are formed, rich in vitamins Br, BB, B12 and Bi5f, which, together with tocoferls arising during yeast fermentation, and with the active vitamins of viburnum (C and P), create the amazing effect of an “all-healing” product. It is not for nothing that kulaga was used for use against any diseases - colds, nervous, heart, kidney, gallstones, liver, invariably giving an excellent effect. At the same time, the kulaga had an exceptional, discreetly sweetish-sourish pleasant taste. But both the taste and the healing effect were the result of very special preparation conditions, and not the composition of the raw materials.

Belarusian kulaga is prepared much faster and easier, without malt, by mixing 100 g of rye flour with wild berries (any, including strawberries, blueberries, lingonberries in the mixture) and a small amount of sugar or honey (a glass of sugar or 1-2 tablespoons of honey ). The mixture is then kept in an oven or simply heated and then cooled. Belarusian kulaga is very tasty due to its berry composition, but does not have the effect of real kulaga and is far from its taste.

I prepared both types of kulagi. Wild raspberries and viburnum berries frozen in summer and autumn were used. For the Belarusian kulaga, bring the raspberries to a boil in a small amount of water, add brewed rye flour and steam briefly in a water bath. And he fermented the Russian bread with rye bread, using rye malt, flour, honey and excellent forest viburnum for it. And kept it all night under a dough lid at T ~ 35 C. During spring vitamin deficiency, such kulaga is indeed very useful.

But this one is Belarusian, made from raspberries, very aromatic and tasty:

hoddion

Kulaga

A Russian and Belarusian sweet dish, there are two versions: kulaga with viburnum and berry kulaga in Belarusian.

Russian is prepared from rye malt and rye flour, viburnum, without the addition of sweet foods (sugar, honey). The malt is diluted with boiling water, allowed to brew for 1 hour, then doubled the amount of rye flour is added, the dough is kneaded and allowed to cool to the temperature of fresh milk (28-25°), after which it is fermented with rye crust and after the dough has soured, it is placed in a heated oven (Russian) - usually from evening to morning, that is, for 8-10 hours. In this case, the dishes are tightly closed and covered with dough for complete sealing. Kulaga is created through a process of restrained fermentation without access to air and low heat. As a result, special enzymes are formed, rich in vitamins B;, Bg, B 12 and B 15, which, together with other components, provide the product with a pleasant taste and healthfulness. Among the people, kulaga was used to treat colds, nervous, heart, kidney, and gallstone diseases. This healing effect and taste were the result of extremely special cooking conditions.

Belarusian kulaga is prepared without malt, mixing rye flour with any wild berries (usually strawberries and blueberries) and a small amount of sugar or honey.

Kulaga, one might say, is the sister of malt. It was also made from rye malt, which is also a dessert. In appearance, kulaga resembles porridge; it is so thick that it can be cut with a knife. The color of kulaga is from golden-pinkish to dark brown, the taste is sweet and sour, the aroma is honey.

The preparation of kulaga, like malt, is based on the enzymatic conversion of flour and potato starch into glucose. That's why kulaga has a sweet taste. To prepare kulagi, potatoes are boiled in their skins, cooled, peeled, and chopped so thoroughly that not a hint of lumps remains. Then a semi-thick dough is kneaded with malt (sifted rye flour), transferred to a clay pot and, closing the lid, placed in a heated Russian oven, raking hot coals from all sides to the pot. After an hour, remove the pot, beat the mass well with a beater (whorl), close the lid again and put it in the oven for another hour. After this, remove the pot from the oven, remove the lid, and cool the kulaga. Place in a wooden bowl (small bowl), cover with a towel, and place in a warm place (on a Russian stove) for a day to sour, making sure, however, that it does not become too acidic. Then they put it back into a clay pot and, closing it with a lid, put it in the oven for baking. Kulaga is ready. They eat kulaga cold, then it is even sweeter, more aromatic and tastier.

Kulaga Belarusian

Any fresh forest berries go into the kulaga - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bird cherry, lingonberries, blueberries, viburnum. To prepare kulagi, pitted plums and cherries can also be used. The vessel for the kulaga (clay pot) is filled half with berries, half with water and boiled. When the berries are boiled, add rye flour to them and stir until it acquires the consistency of jelly. But before the kulaga is ready, in the middle of cooking, after adding flour, it is seasoned with sugar and honey. Sugar can be completely replaced with honey. In this case, the proportion of flour increases by 1–3 tablespoons, depending on the consistency of the kulaga, which should resemble a slurry.
Berries 1 kg, boiling water 1 l, rye flour 80, sugar 200, honey 60.

Fragrant and rich kulaga in Belarusian is a healthy and incredibly tasty dish, which in our times is almost forgotten. The berry delicacy can safely be considered a dessert, but should not be confused with the Russian version, which was prepared with the obligatory addition of malt. Rich kulaga is prepared using any berries: you can use viburnum, black currants, and raspberries. Moreover, the fruits can be frozen, dried, or fresh. There are no strict restrictions in the Belarusian recipe, as well as on the addition of seasonings. Here you can put vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, rosemary, which were not in the original recipe, but they have a right to exist.

Cooking time – 15 minutes.Number of servings – 4.

Ingredients

To make kulaga you need to take the following components:

• water – 1 tbsp.;
• berries – 1 tbsp.;
• rye flour – 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• honey - 2 tbsp. l.;
• spices - to taste.

On a note! Any berries are suitable for making dessert: lingonberries, currants, blueberries. By the way, a very tasty sweet is obtained from assorted berries.

How to cook kulaga in Belarusian

Even a cook who practically does not know how to cook can cope with the preparation of kulagi.

1. First, you should prepare all the components that make up this sweet, which can be eaten by vegetarians and those who adhere to fasting.

1. Mix rye flour with a small amount of water.

1. The mass should be mixed.

1. Next you need to start cooking the berries in water. They should be brought to the boiling stage. If desired, you can add lavender, star anise, vanilla, and a cinnamon stick to the preparation. But the taste can be made traditional, that is, no seasonings or spices are added.

1. When the water with the berries begins to boil, you will need to pour the rye mass into it in a thin, neat stream. Heat should be reduced. The mixture must be stirred and cooked until thickened.

Note! The recipe indicates an average amount of flour. It can be adjusted: if you want to make a thicker kulaga, then the volume of flour should be increased.

1. The mass is sweetened with honey. However, if you don’t find one at home, you shouldn’t be upset. You can diversify the recipe for Belarusian kulaga with regular granulated sugar.

That's all! Every housewife can handle the preparation of sweets, and the dessert will be good both cold and hot.

Video recipes for cooking kulagi

If you use a step-by-step recipe for kulagi with photos, then there will be no problems with preparing the sweets. However, video recipes will also be very useful for beginner cooks: