Contrary to the legends, the potatoes appeared on the Russians' table earlier than they were mastered in Holland, France and Sweden, and domestic dishes from it were more varied and tastier.
246 years ago, on August 26, 1770, another book of "Proceedings" of the Imperial Free Economic Society was published in St. Petersburg. By that time, the glorious scientific almanac had been published three times a year for five years. But it is this August issue that still arouses burning interest. The reason is simple - there was published an article by the writer and naturalist Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov "Notes on potatoes, or earth apples."
We love potatoes and have not imagined their existence without it for a long time. But the usual version of her appearance in Russia is a shameless lie from the first to the last word. Meanwhile, the true path and fate of potatoes in our area are worthy, if not a full-length film epic, then certainly a television series.
Most importantly, it's time to forget the ridiculous legend about the role of Peter I in the distribution of potatoes in Russia. Usually they say the following: “Peter, while in Rotterdam, tasted a lot of potato dishes. And he ordered to buy a bag of selected seeds on the city market to be sent to Russia and cultivated in different regions. It sounds believable and comfortable for the middle ear - it is known that the most advanced carpenter king brought from Holland.
But there is one point that in one fell swoop crosses out the beautiful story about the "advanced Dutch" and "backward Russians". The fact is that the Rotterdam market was strictly regulated. The stingy and meticulous burghers took into account everything - and who bought what, and who sold what, and what new goods were. And potatoes were first mentioned in these records only in 1742. By that time, Peter had been dead for 17 years. It is quite obvious that in Holland, during the life of the king-carpenter, they did not even begin to master potatoes.
Nor is the Swedish version. According to her, the potatoes came to us as a result of the Northern War, which ended in 1721, and according to which the Baltic Swedish provinces, where this useful root crop was allegedly cultivated for a long time, went to Russia.
This could not be for the simple reason that the Swedes did not know potatoes at that time. Doubters can visit the Swedish city of Alingsos, on the main square of which there is a monument to the local native, Jonas Alströmer. For what merits did he get such reverence? The city's chronicles speak about it directly - in 1734, 13 years after the end of the war with Russia, this merchant and industrialist first introduced potatoes to Sweden.
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"Tartufel" - to the masses
Meanwhile, in our area potatoes were already well known by that time. In any case, at the court of Anna Ioannovna, who ruled from 1730 to 1740, potato dishes were known. And not at all like an overseas exotic. At the table of the Empress's favorite, the famous embezzler Ernst Johann Biron, potatoes were in the order of things. The thing is tasty, interesting, but nothing more. A little later, at the table of Anna Leopoldovna, the ruler under the minor Emperor Ivan VI, potatoes also appeared regularly - albeit not every day, but relatively often. And, in general, a lot. The reports of the palace office record the following: "For the banquet on June 23, 1741, half a pound of tartuff per person was released." Or here: "By lunchtime on August 12, 1741, a pound of tartuff was released." More than 400 grams is solid even by today's standards. Moreover, not only the kings and the highest aristocracy got the "tartufel". Its distribution has already begun. Slow but sure. So, in the same 1741, officers of the Semyonovsky regiment were given "a quarter of a pound tartuff" for a festive dinner.
A similar state of affairs in Europe in the XVIII century. few could boast. It is clear with Holland and Sweden - the first attempts to develop potatoes were barely outlined there. But in France, which claimed to be a trendsetter, including culinary, potatoes, at best, were occasionally given to pigs. In 1748, it was completely banned from growing on the grounds that "the cultivation of this plant causes terrible diseases, such as leprosy." It took French potato enthusiasts a quarter of a century to rehabilitate their beloved root crop - only in 1772 did the Paris Faculty of Medicine recognize potatoes as edible.
However, how edible the potatoes were, prepared according to the recommendations of the “leading nutritionists” of Europe of those years, can be judged by the specific recipe: “The earth apple must be cut and dried. By grinding it into flour, you will get bread no worse than the master's. At the exit, a tasteless, very dense gray substance was obtained, not very much like bread. No wonder - solid starch. The agronomists of that time understood this and in the recommendations "brilliantly" got out: "Such bread is hard to digest, but indigestion does not harm the rough peasant stomachs, on the contrary, it feels satiety for a longer time." Compared to these delights, domestic quinoa and pine bark, which was mixed into flour during the lean years, seem to be a much healthier and more natural option.
Orientation - North
In Russia, such horrors were not known. Around the same years, Lieutenant General Yakov Sivers was engaged in the popularization of potatoes. He left some curious comments. It turned out that in the southern provinces the attitude towards the "earthy apple" is more than cool. Or even completely hostile. Whereas in the north, the situation is exactly the opposite: “The Novgorod peasants willingly raise it. They eat it either by boiling it as a special dish, or mixing it with cabbage soup, or making it into a filling for some kind of cakes. " What kind of "cakes" Yakov Efimovich had in mind is not known for certain. Most likely, these were shangi or wickets - round open pies like cheesecakes. Another thing is important. By that time, the northern regions of Russia were managed quite competently with potatoes. Attempts to make bread out of potatoes, if any, have remained in the distant past. This product was no longer a wonder. He firmly entered the local cuisine and enriched the national cuisine. It is impossible to achieve this by command measures, and even more by coercion, with all due respect to the administrative talents of General Sievers. This should take decades.
White Sea debut?
Apparently, it was so. It is unlikely that it will be possible to prove this with documents in hand - the corresponding records simply do not exist. However, it is possible that the potatoes came to us in an unexpected way - from the shores of the White Sea. And gradually it spread not from south to north, as throughout Europe, but on the contrary - from north to south. This could have happened a hundred years earlier than commonly believed.
At the beginning of the 17th century, trade between Russia and Europe was carried out through the only seaport - Arkhangelsk. And the main partners of Russian merchants were the British. By that time, they knew very well what potatoes were. Moreover, they succeeded in cultivating this root crop. The fact is that the potato as such belongs to the plants of the "long day", which is not surprising, since Peru is considered its homeland. In Spain and Italy, he took root perfectly. But the British had to sweat. But the efforts were crowned with success - there was a "short day" potatoes, ideally suited for the cool summer. He could easily get to the Novgorod peasants. No fuss and fanfare. Just like an extra vegetable.
An indirect confirmation of this is the history of the Russian potato riots. In the middle of the 19th century, there was a serious grain failure for several years in a row. The government of Nicholas I did its best to smooth the situation. Potatoes were offered as a substitute for bread. The peasants flatly refused it. Unrest and even armed demonstrations began. It's like that. Everything is correct. But - only in the south of the Russian Empire and in Siberia. The northern provinces were surprisingly calm about the government's recommendation for potatoes. However, if we accept the version of the British import of potatoes in the 17th century, it is not surprising. The Russian North has known potatoes for a long time.
Natalia Nekrasova