3. British Cuisine

There is no cuisine in the world about which there are as many jokes as there are about British cooking. Particularly the French are great in making jokes about British cuisine. For example, according to one French comic, hell is a place where the cooks are British.

Or do you know why the British serve mint sauce with lamb? According to French food critics, mint must be the only plant not eaten by sheep.

Of course, these all are exaggerations. The British bear them with their superior sense of humour.

British cuisine cannot present so many internationally renowned dishes as French cuisine does. But British cuisine has contributed a lot to the world's steak culture, and there are a number of inventions in British cuisine which are even adopted by the French — as for example the creation of sandwiches.

As for steaks, that has in the past been so British that British elite troops were called Beefeaters. And the term porterhouse for a special large kind of steak cuts has nothing to do with porters or luggage carriers but originates from British pubs where a special brand of dark beer,

Porterbeer, was served, and where a snack consisted of a steak some 900 grams by weight — a single portion for a single man.

It's a character trait of the British not to be proud of their cuisine too much. In case of their foods and drinks, the British learnt a lot from the colonies conquered by the beefeaters all around the world. From East Asia (China) they adopted tea (and re-exported the habit to India), and from India they adopted curry-style spicing.

However, they didn't just copy these food and drink habits but combined them with their own foodstuffs: tea with milk and curry with pastry (to make curried pies).

Укажите какие из высказываний являются верными:

1. There are many jokes about British cooking in the world.

2. The Americans are great in making jokes about British cuisine.

3. According to French food critics, mint must be the only plant eaten by sheep.

4. British cuisine has contributed a lot to the world's steak culture.

5. The British just copied food and drink habits.

3. Specialties of Russian Cuisine

According to Russian tradition, a meal begins with the appetizers, for example a variety of salted, fermented and pickled cucumbers, cabbage and mushrooms, also soaked apples- and cowberry to be followed by cold dishes. Also popular are soaked cranberry and marinated garlic.

The routine feature of any Russian feast is the Olivier salad. It consists of potatoes, green peas and cold veal or chicken and dressed with mayonnaise.

More than a century ago a Frenchman by the name of Olivier kept the Hermitage Restaurant in Moscow. He was the author of this salad.

Vinaigrette.another Russian-style salad, is based on boiled beetroot diced. To this are added boiled carrots and potatoes, salted cucumbers, finely chopped onions and sauerkraut. The salad is dressed with mayonnaise or sunflower oil.

Jellied Dishes. Jellied dishes are very popular in Russia. Boiled fish, meat or poultry is covered with aspic and decorative pieces of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and spices are added to make the dish more attractive and flavoury. Many Russian-cuisine restaurants offer jellied sturgeon, jellied calf s tongue and a jellied assortment of turkey, ham and ox tongue. Horseradish is a routine dressing for jellied dishes.

Studens. Studen is the name of a Russian dish made of veal, beef or pork boiled to a soft and tender state. The resulting thick broth is mixed with finely chopped meat and cooled until it jellies. The dish is eaten with horseradish.

Pancakes. Pancakes (bliny) is a popular hot dish in Russia. They are made of wheat, buckwheat or millet and served with black and red caviar, cream butter, lightly-salted fish and sour cream. Pancakes come not only as appetizers but also as desserts with strawberries, jams or honey.

Traditional Russian Desserts. Many Russian desserts are prepared with fruits and berries, for example, baked apples with vanilla and vodka sauce or apples baked with honey. Also popular are forest berries with whipped cream; homemade curds with berries, fruits, honey and whipped cream; cranberry kissel with ice cream and raspberry liqueur.

The old recipes include the Guryevskaya kasha, a dish based on semolina. Boiling milk and cream are poured over semolina and the mixture is left to stand for 15 minutes. Then the semolina is sliced, milk skins are sandwiched in between the layers. The whole is then covered with jam or honey and sprinkled with nuts, candied fruits and spices, and pieces of fresh fruit are put on top. The more layers and ingredients, the more delicious is the dish. This dessert dish was made in honour of the victory over Napoleon in the war of 1812.

Ответе на вопросы по тексту:

1. What does a meal begin according to Russian tradition with?

2. What is the name of a Russian dish made of veal, beef or pork boiled to a soft and tender state?

3. What is a popular hot dish in Russia?