Pavlov Posad shawl is one of traditional Russian handicrafts. Made from 100% wool, with a bright pattern and a silk or wool fringe, it is a fashion accessory for a look sure to make a statement and stand out from the crowd.
The design of Pavloposad shawl is easy to recognize – the background of one colour has a lively bright floral or ornament pattern. The wool adjusts to the temperature around, you can wear it in any season – it keeps you warm when you’re cold and only serves as an accessory when it’s a warm day.
The name for the shawl originates from the town – Pavlov Posad where the first manufactory of these shawls was established in 1795 by a peasant Ivan Lobzin. A Savvy entrepreneur he made handicraft art a profitable business which was only to grow.
In XX the Soviet fashion designers were introducing variety to the patterns and the shawls gained recognition – even winning the golden medal in Brussels World’s Fair in1958.
At some point the fashionistas forgot the item but with a strong modern trend of appreciation for natural fabrics,traditional things and folks art, the interest to Pavlo Posad shawl is rekindled.
How to wear Pavloposad shawls:
Because it’s an item of several bright colors for a stylish look you need to make sure the colors of the shawl mix well. Limit the number of colours in your other clothes, with the main colour theme of your clothes 1.a being the same as the colour of the shawl’s background, or 1.b mixing well with the shawl’s backround colour.
For example: Black shawl with floral pattern – black dress/shirt
Teal shawl with floral patter – teal colour dress or cream colour dress (as cream colour mixes well with teal)
Also, you can 2. focus on the floral patterns and build a more sophisticated look matching the colours of your clothes (if not too bright) with the colours of the pattern.
It’s easier to show then to put it in words – so check the gallery for inspiration!
You can see more varieties of Pavlov Posad shawls at the original website of the factory – http://platki.ru/catalogue/2/.
Ajika or Adjika is a Georgian-Abhaz hot spicy paste with rich herbal flavour. It is made from red or green hot peppers, salt and herbs (such as coriander, fenugreek, celery, parsley, dill, basil, bay leaf, satureja , marjoram, pepper mint and paprika: people of Caucasus know their herbs!
It is the rich selection of herbs that gives adjika unique piquant flavour which can add an interesting twist to a lot of meals:
It gives a sharp and subtle herbal edge to all meat dishes. You can also marinade your meat in a mix with adjika and vegetable oil. A dollop of this dip next to the mash potatoes can give you a fantastic new perspective on the dish. Some people serve it as a cold snack spreading a small amount over tomatoes and sprinkling fresh chopped herbs. Another way to eat ajika is to slice and bake courgette, spread a little amount of the sauce with chopped fresh herbs and let infuse for a few minutes.
Who will like adjika: Adjika is a very spicy condiment, so naturally it will find its fans among those who like their meal to be an experience of hot flavours. Most likely those people who like Indian and Thai cuisine and like Tabasco and sambal olek will appreciate the rich hot flavours of adjika.
Sweetened condensed milk (Rus. сгущенное молоко) is a thick sweet substance made by vaporizing water from milk. It is usually produced in tin cans that can last for years (unopened and in refrigerators).
Condensed milk is popular around the world in many desserts dishes and treats. In Russia condensed milk is produced in a tin with a well recognized design: dark and light blue background and white letters.
It is very popular to drink tea or coffee with a spoon (or two) of condensed milk, or spread it over a toast like jam. It is also very popular in desserts such as pirozhnoe Kartoshka or as a filling of various pastries. It’s also loved by many home chefs as an ingedient for an easy delicious cream for cakes – just beating condensed milk up with softened butter, it can’t be any easier.
During Soviet times some people would additionally boil a tin of condensed milk in a pan filled with water. The result is so called boiled condensed milk which has a caramel flavor and colour. Nowadays you can buy this product in the shops.
Origin
Condensed milk was invented in the middle of 19 century by an American Gail Borden. There was a practical need for that – back in the day it was a challenge to keep milk fresh for long. Soon after creation of this product Gail Borden established a company that manufactured condensed milk.
During the American Civil War the U.S. government ordered huge amounts of condensed milk as field ration for solders. This was an extraordinary field ration for the 19th century: a typical 10 oz (300 ml) can contained 1,300 Calories (5440 kJ), 1 oz (28 g) each of protein and fat, and more than 7 oz (200 g) of carbohydrate.
Soldiers returning home from the Civil War soon spread the word. Gail Borden became very prosperous, moved to the county in Texas that was soon called after him- Borden county, and build several other factories which he passed onto his sons.
The popularity of this product was up and down thorough the 20 century, but it has gained its niche – not only condensed milk is good as a ration item for soldiers and survivalist, but it is very popular around the globe in many dessert dishes.
Russian Food Festival held 13-15 September 2013 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
In 2013, in both Russia and the Netherlands many cultural and festive events were held to celebrate 400 years of friendly mutual relations between Russia and the Netherlands.
On 13-15 September 2013, Amsterdam has seen a Russian Regional Food Festival held in the framework of the Russia-Netherlands Bilateral Year. This food event took place at Museumplein near which the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum are located. The visitors had an opportunity to try and purchase healthy, exotic and tasty products and get themselves better acquainted with the vast geography of Russia. The introduced foods were from the regions of Russia, for example cured meat and venison jerky from the Nenets autonomous area, cold-water fish from Yakutia, chack-chack honey soaked tart from Tatarstan, smoked guineafowl from Kaluga region, sun kissed fruit from Krasnodar and delicious sea buckthorn jams from the Altai Krai. These food recipes can also be found here on this site.
The guests of the festival were entertained by several cultural and musical show, including the dance performances by the troupe of folklore music from the Republic of Tatarstan.
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation proposes developing “national fast food” enterprises in the regions and believes that national cuisine can compete with McDonald’s.
“We have wonderful cuisine”, Putin says and notes that it is necessary to establish competitive and high quality industrial production of national food products. At the meeting of Board of Legislators, the president noted that regional and municipal authorities need to support small and medium businesses producing “national fast food” by creating favourable conditions for such enterprises.
The president of Russia named quite a few foods he finds delicious and believes in their potential on the market – Ossetian pies, Tatar sweet cake “chak-chak”, belyash pirozhki from the Volga region etc. He concludes “Such catering should provide us with food that looks home-made but is cooked in compliance with industrial production principles.”
It should be noted that McDonald’s has been doing business in Russia for almost a quarter of a century and received more than a warm welcome on its opening day. People were waiting patiently in long queues for a “happy meal” and it was not only about the food, but about the charm of the new and the foreign. Long past are the days of going to McDonald’s for a romantic date, but this fast food giant is always vibrant, especially during lunch hours
A number of other world-known fast food enterprises are holding strong positions on the Russian market – KFC, Burger King, Sbarro etc. However, their local equivalents are starting to spur – “Teremok Russian bliny” and “Kroshka Kartoshka”, but their networks are limited by Moscow and a few major cities.
Other national foods are produced by small businesses or sold by individual entrepreneurs – shaorma wraps – doner kebabs in Armenian style – are very popular. Here and there old grannies are selling pirozhki – cakes with fillings made of cabbage, potatoes or jam. Russian Koreans are selling “Korean style carrot” salad – a local equivalent of khimchi, – as well as crunchy pickled sea weed. The iconic salad “herring under fur coat” was picked up by some industrial producers and now you can find this salad in the shops.
The country has quite abruptly moved from command economy into the market economy and has witnessed with an open mouth the triumph of foreign catering sharks. After all these overwhelming changes and head-over-heels excitement about burgers and chips, people start longing for home-style foods.
Russian cuisine is indeed very rich and diverse, and incorporates culinary heritage of many of its nationalities. Time will show if mass-scale production of such foods can locally beat major fast food companies, but who knows – taste and cultural value associated with national foods are good assets.
