The time of day is expensive for all honest people! Today I suddenly had a not entirely characteristic task, only indirectly related to science and technology.
 
Suddenly, it was necessary to compile a list of food-oriented “souvenirs” that would act as a farewell gift to foreign partners. The main requirement - the products must be made in Belarus, be natural and have excellent nutritional qualities. Many of our Slavic brothers from neighboring countries sincerely believe that all products in Belarus are completely ambrosia and nectar. I hasten to disappoint - the spread is quite wide and very often frankly low-quality products (including own production) come across. Our farming is very poorly developed, so there are few authentic products. In general, once again I had to think deeply, remembering what such Belarusian food has sunk into the soul. I present to your attention my list and of course I am waiting for comments and tips from gourmets. I pledge, in which case, the product about which I still do not know, purchase, try and supplement the article :)
 

 
3r311.
 
I think our bureaucrats pick up other gifts for delegations. And we are small people, we appreciate what is not prepared on special order, but is sold in a particular store.
 
Oh, and Friday. What, like about food :)
 
So let's go.
 
 
1. Bread Jubilar /Radzivilovsky
 
 
Bread is the head of everything, so let's start with it. Despite the fact that in Belarus, almost every district center has its own bakery (or even a few, if the area is large), but the quality of the products varies greatly.
 
Somehow it so happened from a distant childhood, when my father, the driver of an international bus, coming from the next flight always brought a so-called. “Zaychyka ў bread” (I will not refer to Belarusian fairy tales, this is a long story :)), which for me, the child, was tastier than anything in the world, and sweets and chocolates and everything else. When I grew up, I found out that this bread was most often produced at Minsk bread-making factories. Produced under the brand name "Yubilyarny." Having become a student, I constantly, coming home, brought a whole huge (about 2.5 kg) loaf of this bread. Its distinctive feature was that, according to the technology of making bread, it was baked on maple leaves (as in the old days), therefore it kept all the veins on the crust.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Bread on maple leaves [/b] 3r3407.
 
3r340.
 
 
Now, unfortunately, the production of the Jubilee bread has been for some reason discontinued (well, or I can’t find it), so Radzivilakski bread is being used as a substitute. The same size and weight, but with the usual crust (apparently maple leaves dried out). But with the exception of the above, there are no more “flaws”. Excellent composition, nothing superfluous and incredible bread smell. When you go on the bus for a long time, the fragrance disperses throughout the cabin and makes people look around. I hope sincerely that the flavor is real (flavors in the composition is not specified). Well, the best expert for me is my grandmother Sofia Vasilyevna, who instead of a chocolate bar asks her to cut off a slice of “Minsk bread” and eats it just like that, stretching pleasure. In addition, Radivilovsky bread is well preserved and does not get stale for a long time, even without packaging film.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. From such a loaf of 2.2 kg [/b] 3r3407.
 
 
By the way, if someone instead of bread prefers perishable, but more delicious cakes, then try to find products Novogrudok bakery (it may be that you have to go there to the company store). A distinctive feature of the bakery is that it produces standard-sized cakes (about 1 kg) and at the same time their small full copies weighing 0.5 kg (cheaper). It is surprising that many famous and large bakeries did not come to this. So, in my opinion, a trip to the ancient city of Novogrudok can be quite sensible, where in addition to the ruins of a medieval castle and the largest wind farm in Belarus, you can also buy the most delicious cakes (and not only them, but more on that below).
 
 
2. Smoked eel Narochansky
 
 
Caught and properly treated river eel (Latin Anguilla anguilla, Belor. Vugar Euprayski) Belarusian can be considered only formally, as it easily migrates almost all over the world. In Belarusian legends and beliefs, it was believed that eels could crawl out of the lakes at night and overcome considerable land distances. In fact, this is not the same, otherwise this species of fish would not come close to extinction in Belarus. Amateur fishing on Lake Naroch (this is the place where the maximum population was once observed) is prohibited today. But while working fishing lov. From childhood a picture comes to mind when in the village of Naroch, near the arriving buses with visitors to sanatoriums and children's camps, a huge number of local residents were offering to buy cheap eel. Now you can find only in the company store of the fish farm, or somewhere "for export". But to go and look for this fish is very tasty.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. It looks like an eel in smoked [/b] 3r3407. 3r376.
 
 
 
3. Mayonnaise Gomel Provence 67 .
 
 
To eel surely need a sauce. Well, according to statistics, the most favorite sauce among the Slavs - mayonnaise. For me, the best mayonnaise is Soviet mayonnaise from a distant childhood, yellow in glass jars. Growing up, I searched for the same taste for a long time. I searched and did not find. Until I came across an article on lurkmore, where the anonymus indicated the place of the search:
 
3r33939. If someone wants to try the very vyglaglaz with a huge amount of vinegar and mustard - Wellcome that bearasha soviet. It is still produced at the Gomel zhyrkombinat, it is called the “Provencal 67”. Not to be confused with 50% and 37% - this is already a new-made shit consisting of starch and xanthan a little less than completely. 3r3394.
 
After reading the article, I interviewed all the Gomel friends I knew about the fact that such mayonnaise was delivered to me. One of the five still drove to the store of the combine and brought mayonnaise to me. The taste is really from childhood. No extra additives, preservatives, etc. But as a "gastropodarka" is suitable only for guests from ex-USSR countries.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Here it is, Mayonnaise [/b] 3r3407.
 
 
 
4. Alcoholic beverages: Festive Blue Wine, Belarusian Balm 3r3406.
 
 
Many Belarusians believe that our national drink is so-called. krambambulya. And they are deeply mistaken, since all kinds of alcoholic tinctures, based on wild medicinal plants (calamus, caraway, anise, etc.), were especially popular in our area. Those. some alcohol-containing liquids based on local raw materials (as 3-33-38. confirms 3-33449. in their interviews the chief scientific expert on the history of Belarusian cuisine - Dr. I. Ales Bely). Personally, I have two favorites in this direction - “Belarusian” heavyweight balsam based on plants (2? including cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pine buds and linden flowers). No worse than the famous Riga Balsam (can only be less vigorous).
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Here in these bottles the most delicious 3r3406. 3r3407.
 
 
And less well-known, "light" gift option in the form of a very tasty fruit wine based on blueberries, produced by the plant in the village of Ilovo. Factory 3r3449. located by the way in Myadel district, i.e. near the "deposits" of the Belarusian eel. And it keeps distillery traditions already since 183? when the landowner Akushko opened his distillery (as the distilleries were called earlier). Among other things, it is bottled in nice decanters that personally remind me of the life of county landowners (as in the “Unfinished play for a mechanical piano”)
 
3r3404. 3r3405. A decanter of Ilovo Holiday on the basis of blueberry 3r3407. 3r3141.
 
 
Since I started talking about alcohol, I can’t but tell about the brand “chacha” from the Belarusian Academy of Sciences (!). Under the spoiler :)
 
3r3404. 3r3405. About corporate wine for Belarusian scientists Academique [/b] 3r3407. Surprisingly, but the fact is that the Belarusian Academy of Sciences has two distilleries under its jurisdiction. One of the technical alcohol is OJSC “Bobruisk Biotechnology Plant” (Hydrolysis Plant), and the second is the Tolochinsky Cannery, RUE for the rest. And it was in the second factory that the “legendary” ink was being made. The fact is that at one point, the leadership of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus suddenly decided not to splurge on expensive alcohol when accepting foreign delegations, but to release a surrogate, a cheap, but very “ochen ochen haroshy”. Resolved -
Made by 3r3449. ! It was also reported that in the process of making an "intelligent" beverage, advanced technologies and innovations were used, and the life-giving moisture would be produced in limited editions and mainly only for representational purposes - gifts for scientific delegations from abroad. The net result is a bottle of ~ 2 $
 
From + just nice label on the "representative" series. It is strongly NOT recommended to give /jointly drink to foreign delegations (only if foreigners suddenly want to return to the student past with drinking cheap port wine in the doorways).
 
3r3-3160.
 
 
We drank the first time, ate, go to the desserts :)
 
 
5. Cranberries in the deep Sahara 3r3403.
 
 
As every Belarusian knows from geography lessons, our swamps are among the largest in Europe, and in Belarus they occupy about 13% of the republic’s area. And the most important thing that you can find in these swamps (except, of course, peat) is cranberries. Collecting many cranberries
only due to this and survive, especially in Polesie . Therefore, it is not surprising that the products of the ALC of the PKF Arzhanitsa (from the town of Glubokoye), in particular, the cranberries in sugar, became one of the unofficial gift national brands. Incredibly delicious and produced by the company cranberry marmalade, but hard to find.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Our cranberries 3r3407. 3r3185.
 
 
 
6. Dark chocolate from Gomel kilogram 3r3403.
 
 
Gomel factory "Spartak" is famous for its real bitter chocolate. But high-quality chocolate is also made by the Kommunark factory in Minsk. But what the Minsk factory does not do, it does not pack its chocolate in kilogram bars (and even in half a kilogram does not pack :)). Three types of "monolithic piece of chocolate" are produced: 5? 72 and 90%. The most delicious - 72%, the most vigorous and invigorating - 90%. All this stuff is wrapped in kraft paper with no “vyrviglaz” graphics and secured with this wax seal.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Here is an authentic chocolate with wax seal 3r3407.
 
 
In order not to offend the Minsk factory Kommunarka at all, I would say that foreign guests can be reduced to a cafe at a company store and give them some delicious hot chocolate.
 
 
7. Marshmallow /marmalade from Bobruisk
 
 
One of the most frequently exported export gifts. “There is no marshmallow in Europe” and the products of the Red Food Industry plant went to Italy and Germany. The only remark, in my opinion, is that the marshmallow needs to be taken fresh, and preferably even weighed out. Pre-packaged is certainly tasty, but but fresh is more interesting. Recently, the plant has greatly expanded the range of marshmallow on natural fruit flavors and apple pectin. Choose, in general, is from what.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Gift marshmallow [/b] 3r3407.
 
 
In addition to marshmallow, marmalade from the Bobruisk manufacturer is also very high quality. In addition, it is purely vegetarian (without any obscure gelatin and gelatin-like thickeners), based on pectin. And pectin mind clears up Pectin is a wonderful antidote to a whole host of heavy metal ions and radionuclides. Plus, marmalade and pastila is made on the basis of natural juices.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Favorite apple marmalade [/b] 3r3407.
 
 
In short, the Bobruisk food industry is the very option when you eat and are immensely proud of your country. It all starts with a small
 
 
8. Dairy products: condensed milk of the deep, novogrudsky superhard cheese, cheese from the Shambala poryagansky. 3r3406.
 
 
Dairy products Belarus is strong. At least, they love to say that in the media. Dairy wars there, then that. But if to approach objectively, in my opinion, condensed milk and some cheeses can be considered the most significant, real products.
 
The best condensed milk is made in Glubokoye /Rogachev. Why through /, but because the supporters of each of the dairy plants are approximately equal. And the quality of both there and there is consistently high. I personally prefer the Dnepr condensed milk because it is sold in “space” tubes and it is convenient to give it. I remembered a case when suddenly a professor from Syktyvkar came to visit me, who was visiting Belarus with his working group. They talked very warmly, but there was nothing to remember as a memory, except for a tube of condensed milk, which I kept for tea. Gave :). So the professor then reminded me of this for a long time, dropping photographs with a tube on a train, on a plane, etc. :)
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Take a tube of condensed milk in the path 3r3406. 3r3407.
 
 
Nowhere without cheeses. Our cheeses are good (partly because many cheese factories have finally stopped reinventing the wheel and simply bought a franchise from the Italians). As a gift I use the so-called. superhard cheese "Reganito" produced in Novogrudok (or to be precise, the Lubchansky subdivision of the Novogrudok dairy plant). The village of Lyubcha, located not far from Novogrudok, is famous for the fact that entire dynasties of cheese-makers have already been formed there (the cheese shop has been operating since 1944 and during Soviet times the cheese fell on the Kremlin tables, as the locals often like to boast about). How did I get to know this cheese? And after the recall of the Italian “taster”, who said that the only cheese in Belarus approaching Italian parmesan is the same Regiano from the company 3r-3276. Novogrudok gifts
.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. A slice of superhard Novogrudok cheese 3r3407.
 
 
By the way, my wife, recognized (by me :)) an expert in high-quality cheeses, loves two more types of cheese from Novogrudok - Pesto Green green and Pesto Red - red cheese with garlic and herbs. Delicious, but very rare cheeses. According to the sellers, they “immediately diverge”. Dyes are absolutely natural, for green, chlorophyll is vegetable, and for red it is vegetable carotene.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Pesto Green aka green novogRudsky cheese [/b] 3r3407.
 
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Pesto Red is also red Novogrudsky cheese [/b] 3r3407. 3r3308.
 
3r33311.
 
 
A small lyrical digression. In general, Novogrudok is very interesting in terms of gastronomic town. At one time, the local brewery produced several beers, which were considered the tastiest in the Grodno region. But but at one point, it was decided to roll this whole thing up and start producing so-called. “Ink” or fruit wines (which, ironically, have kept the names of once popular beers).
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Novogrudskoe beer [/b] 3r3407.
 
 
Now the plant is known for producing rice kvass (kvass is generated by rice fungus) :)
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Here it is, this mushroom [/b] 3r3407. 3r33337.
 
 
You will be passing through - be sure to drop by in the company shop of the brewery. for rice kvass and try the local sbiten and mead.
 
All right, we continue about cheeses. The second cheese component of the “gift set” is cheese with a ward (or shambala) produced by the dairy plant in Pruzhany. It should be noted that there is a similar product in the assortment of the Novogrudok cheese-making factory (called “3r33348. Gouda cheese with fenugreek 3r3449.”), But But the spring one is better than IMHO.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Pruzhansky cheese Armel with shambhala [/b] 3r3407. 3r33356.
 
 
The logical question is “what is this fenugreek good at all for?” - you can briefly answer “almost everyone,” just like, in principle, any spice loved by Hindus. These know what to use. Offhand can be mentioned, for example, "has the properties of a natural aphrodisiac";)
 
 
9. Spices from Kamyanets
 
 
No cooking process without spices is complete. Belarus is not an active exporter of spices (which is not surprising, given the climate zone). Nevertheless, the concept of "spice /spice" includes not only pepper, but also many other plants (essential oil) used in cooking and at the same time remarkably growing in our latitudes (basilica, tarragon, etc., etc.) . This was used by a farmer from Brest Obolast (farm “3-333373. Pushchanskaya tayamnitsa 3-33-3449.” In the village of Grishchitsy, Kamenetsky District) and started to produce spices and medicinal plants. Without additives /additives /toxic chemicals. Pure natural products and an excellent gift to the connoisseur of spices :) I note that there have never been many farms of this kind (specializing in vegetable medicinal raw materials). Once known to the whole USSR State Farm "Big Mozheikovo" is in a deplorable state It's nice that at least there are farmers enthusiasts. Of the minuses - seasoning hard to find, have to run around Minsk or go to the economy itself.
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Belarusian spice [/b] 3r3407. 3r33383.
 
 
 
10. Everything else, natural and lumpy. RAW product 3r3406.
 
 
At this point, I will bring natural, unusual but still “an amateur” products, which are not quite presentable so far in order to use them for the tasks voiced at the beginning of the article. These are, firstly, ready-made soups in one and a half liter jars, secondly natural juices in three-liter jars and lump stew. Pay attention to the compositions - there is nothing superfluous (for stew - meat, salt, bay leaf). Honestly, I want to say a huge thank you to [b] small combines and plants 3r3406. on the outskirts of the country (Lyakhovichsky cannery, Pruzhansky cannery, Gorynsky agricultural complex), which make such a simple, clean, real food, clean farmfood :)
 
 
3r3404. 3r3405. Rocket science in Belarusian 3r3407. 3r3408.
 
3r33411.
 
3r33414.
 
3r33417.
 
3r33420.
 
3r33434.
 
3r33426.
 
3r33434.
 
3r33432.
 
3r33434.
 
 
 
I ran my eyes like this and realized that after all, a balanced diet is obtained. If you have such a thing, you will become a real Belarus, strong, intelligent, fair (as in the promo video of our wonderful Denis Goncheronka) 3r3446.  
 
3r33448. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nJyrFKDwhA