Traditional Buryat cuisine as a component of the ethnocultural identity of the Buryat population of the Trans-Baikal Territory

Erokhina Elena Gennad'evna ORCID: 0009-0004-3177-2852 Postgraduate student, Department of Socio-Cultural Activities, East Siberian State Institute of Culture 670031, Russia, Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Tereshkova str., 1 erohinaelena514@mail.ru

  At the present stage of human development, there are many methods and technologies developed by world science for studying a particular nation, its history, customs, traditions, spiritual and social foundations that make up an ethnic group. To preserve one's people, ethnic group, its uniqueness and identity is one of the most important and priority directions in the national policy of the Russian Federation, which is enshrined in the Constitution, as well as in the documents of state strategic planning.

  Ethnocultural markers of any ethnic group include such features as: a single territory of residence, language, religion, culture, traditions, etc. Traditional cuisine, implying a certain process with a wide range of technologies and resources, historically formed from generation to generation, forms those authentic features of national cuisine, which are one of the ethnocultural markers a certain ethnic group. The cooking procedure implies a kind of ritual, and the one who is engaged in cooking is directly part of this cultural ritual, thereby differentiating himself from others and correlating himself as part of the culture of his ethnic group. This fact indicates that a person recognizes his identity. Food traditions are important elements of material culture that link culture and biology. Food traditions and eating habits are supported by all members of the ethnic community, who carry this knowledge beyond their group.

Gastronomy is an important resource of the territory, a source of formation of its identity, and for a person unfamiliar with a particular nation, immersion in traditional cuisine will allow you to get a more complete picture of the culture and way of life of the nation ^[13].

It is no coincidence that gastronomic tourism is so widespread in the world – a type of tourism, the main purpose of which is to get acquainted with a particular country through the prism of national gastronomy. For the gastronomic tourist, food is primarily a category of culture. From this perspective, traditional cuisine is perceived in connection with history, religion, economics, politics, customs, legends and other factors that form the unique identity of a country or region. A food tour is a tasting of dishes typical of the local cuisine. Culinary geography lessons take place not only in restaurants, but also in markets, farms, kitchens of local residents, during carnival and harvest, at the table and just outside.

The study of the characteristics of the traditional cuisine of the Buryat population in the framework of this study is relevant in connection with globalization, urbanization, mass migrations, the geopolitical situation, etc. As Andreeva L.A., Hopiyainen O.A., Filimonova N.V. note in their research: "the national cuisine of a certain people is not constructed, and therefore has the opportunity to preserve its uniqueness for a long time period, thereby demonstrating the everyday mechanism of ethnic identity formation. In addition, familiarizing others with the culture and traditions of nutrition, obtaining scientific knowledge about the food of a particular ethnic group carries the ideas of tolerance and contributes to the formation of family values, as well as the greatest mutual understanding between nations through close contact with material culture" ^[2].

The research conducted in the village of Chelutai in the Aginsky municipal district is aimed at collecting materials on the technology and recipe of national cuisine, studying the degree of its preservation, fixation, and the actual materials obtained for further translation and introduction into scientific circulation. The peculiarities of the nutrition system, the content of the food itself, the technology of its extraction and production serve as the main criteria that determine the economic and cultural type of human communities.

The study of theoretical material concerning national cuisine suggests that cuisine directly depends on the lifestyle and type of management of any ethnic group. Considering that earlier the Buryats led a nomadic and pastoral lifestyle, while engaged in cattle breeding, sheep breeding, horse breeding, sometimes fishing and hunting, the traditional Buryat cuisine was formed and functioned around these crafts. The menu consisted mainly of meat and dairy dishes, depending on the time of year.

According to its structure, the Buryat food system was based on "a balance of meat and various dishes from meat, blood, dairy products with the addition of vegetable products, as well as those obtained during hunting and fishing" ^[3].

Thanks to centuries-old cattle breeding, Buryat cuisine is saturated with a large assortment of dairy products that were consumed at different times of the year, regardless of milk yield. Preparations were made for the winter. Milk was most often consumed in boiled form, using fermentation and evaporation technologies, different types of cheese were prepared, airag, turag – a type of curdled milk, urme foam, among drinks – tarasun milk vodka, dried curd mass – arul and hurut.

In the book "My Twelve Jewels" by the Buryat writer Afrikan Balburov, the following words are recorded: "The Buryats have an ancient custom: first of all, they put something dairy on the guest's table, whether it's sour cream, cream, or just milk. Any treat starts with it. We drink tea only with milk. No wonder they say: "Tea with milk is for a friend!" ^[6].

In Buryat culture, there is a Zoohei Naadan holiday, the so-called "sour cream evening", the main product of which was sour cream. The celebration for girls and women began with the collection of sour cream.

As each individual farm was combined with others into a single whole, the collected sour cream became the main unifying element of the celebration.

The main treat of the holiday was "salamat" or sour cream porridge. During the preparation of salamat, the Buryats performed ceremonial dances, songs and important rituals. For example, the Chief cook and elder, with a request for abundance and well-being, addresses the Hearth and the surrounding Nature: "Galdaa madulne", i.e. drips salamat oil into the hearth, and sprinkles a few drops on all four sides with the words: "For the common well-being and world peace!" All, enhancing the effectiveness of benevolence, answer them in chorus: "So be it!" ^[1].

The summer meat diet mainly included mutton, the winter – beef. When cooking meat, rice or millet, noodles were added to the broth. Lamb's head, shoulder blade, and rump were considered an exquisite dish in the Buryat cuisine, as a rule, they were served for honored guests. Horse meat was also eaten. Horse fat and horse blood had a special delicacy, and taking these products, in addition to saturating the body, added a healing effect. Meat was harvested in autumn, cattle were slaughtered, meat was cut and dried. Flour dishes present in the Buryat cuisine include buuza, which is made from unleavened dough with steamed meat filling. Another flour dish is flatbreads made of unleavened dough fried in mutton fat. Among the drinks there was tea, milk, salt and lard were added to it, they drank from wooden cups ^[7].

This information is confirmed by research materials obtained in the same Buryat village of Chelutai, where the object "Traditional cuisine of the Buryat Aginsky district of the Trans-Baikal Territory" was recorded from informants, which included the dish "Buuza". It is widespread among the Buryat population of Transbaikalia. It is prepared from beef, lamb, pork with the addition of wild steppe onions and steamed. The technology of cooking the filling consists in chopping or slicing meat. The dough is made from water and flour, with the addition of salt. There is also a certain technology of modeling, in thirty-three pinches, which corresponds to the number of folds on the lamas' clothes. "Buuza" is shaped like a traditional Buryat dwelling – a yurt. This dish is popular to this day, in Transbaikalia and is widespread everywhere among other peoples.

At first, buuzas were mainly prepared by lamas in datsans. In Barguzin, for example, they did not know buuz as an ordinary meal, the old people said: "Dasanei buuza". That is, buuz were considered exclusively Datsan food. Tsyben Zhamsarano also mentions the Datsan roots: "In the Transbaikalian Buryats, qatar is developed among the Datsan lamas who have reached a respectable position of gebshi, especially among those who, contrary to medical prescriptions, like too juicy food – buuza. Such venerable persons usually travel to Badgar and Tibet, few recover" ^[10].

Another dish, "Borso" (dried meat), is also widely used in the cuisine of the Buryats to this day. Given the nomadic lifestyle, this dish was very convenient for the Buryats, as it was subject to a long shelf life (up to several years). With the ready-made "Borso" it was easy to prepare a rich broth. The meat was dried in the period from November to April, stored in canvas bags. This dish was a nutritious and restorative remedy, so it was prepared by adding it to the broth for women in the first months after childbirth.

Milk and dishes made from it are sacred among the Buryats, revered and often used in ritual actions. Dairy food is most common in the period from April to October, and accompanies a person all his life from the moment of his birth. Milk is used at the meeting of honored guests, as well as as an offering for spirits, during rituals before a long journey, for good luck, to obtain a rich harvest, etc.

The dish "urme-khushoohe" (foam from melted milk) is a popular dish, acts as a dessert and is very much loved by children. It was prepared from fatty cow's milk by long-term boiling over fire. For taste, locust bulbs (L. Pilosiusculum, currently listed in the Red Book) or ground cherry were added. This dish was prepared, as a rule, for holidays such as "Sagaalgan", weddings, etc. Currently, the recipe has undergone changes in terms of flavoring additives (raisins, apples or bananas were put in the dish).

The dish "Aarsa" (fermented milk drink) is a popular dish among the Buryat population, which is recommended to be consumed after eating fatty meat, as a natural enzyme for the digestive system. They were cooked in large quantities, including for the winter, because the warming effect of this product is known. This drink is considered a product of distilling milk vodka. Milk vodka "archi" was distilled from a liquid - "khurege", formed during the preparation of oil. They allowed the "Khurenge" to sour for two days, and then poured it into birch bark tubs for storage. The initial product for the preparation of the above drinks was fresh milk, which was allowed to sour, thereby obtaining a "tarag" from which butter was prepared.

Thus, we can see how environmental, historical and social factors have influenced the food system of Buryats. Cuisine and food traditions were formed on the basis of a nomadic lifestyle and type of farming. The rational use of all products of animal husbandry, sheep breeding, horse breeding, and crop production is based on a well-designed extraction system, methods of cooking and storing food. The organization of a balanced diet is based on an understanding of the medical benefits of foods. All this characterizes the peculiarities of Buryat cuisine, which is one of the important components of the cultural identity of the Buryats. Of course, today, due to the advent of household appliances, the Buryat kitchen has undergone changes in terms of the technology of making dishes, as well as their storage conditions.

At the present stage, we can say that the Buryat cuisine has been partially preserved, its ethnic specificity is retained. I am particularly pleased that in the territory of Chita there is a well-developed network of cafes of Buryat cuisine, which has more than 25 units of cafes and restaurants. It has become popular in public catering organizations with Buryat cuisine to prepare their own local dishes, although it is worth noting that the menu of these organizations does not exclude foreign ethnic borrowing.

It has also become popular to broadcast national cuisine through gastronomic festivals, festivals of national cultures and on various holidays. As an example, the intermunicipal young festival "Agin mutton on the rocks" (festival of Buryat national cuisine "Khorkhogoy Naadan") can be cited. The leading idea of which is the preservation and revival of traditional Buryat cuisine among the population of the Trans-Baikal Territory. Within the framework of this event, it is planned to broadcast dishes of Buryat cuisine, traditions of cooking, butchering meat that exist among the Buryat people.

In conclusion, we note that the traditions and customs of any nation have been formed over many millennia. National cuisine, habits and food culture are also formed historically, which is influenced by many factors, including geographical and climatic features, conditions and place of residence. Today, unfortunately, the ethnic identity of the Buryat and other small peoples of Russia, including in traditional cuisine, is gradually decreasing or disappearing completely. Therefore, the issue of the transit of ethnic culture to the next generations and the preservation of a unique ethno-cultural identity is acute. We hope that studies like ours will help to draw attention to the problem of preserving the ethnocultural identity of peoples, as well as intensify activities in this direction.