Exploring Belarusian Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through the Pinsk Region

The journey began with the idea of collecting culinary heritage from relatives. People from various parts of Belarus started inviting her to their homes, sharing stories and recipes. For over 15 years, Elena Mikulchik, an expert in Belarusian cuisine, professional chef, culinary critic, and author of the book “Best Dishes of Belarusian Cuisine,” has been traveling across Belarus, as well as Poland and Lithuania (where descendants of Belarusian noble families live), gathering and restoring the history of our national old Belarusian cuisine.

The Expedition

At the end of July, a new culinary expedition took place. This time, Elena went to search for recipes of Belarusian cuisine in the Pinsk region, specifically in the villages of Krivchitsy, Tereben, and Lemeshevichi.

“People always ask me how I choose my routes,” says Elena. “Everything happens quite randomly. The idea for the expedition to the Pinsk region came after meeting a girl who bought my book and contacted me to have it signed. She told me that she was born and lived near Pinsk, in a place very similar to the one described in the work “Pinsk Nobility.” I became very interested and started planning an expedition to this region, found people who helped solve organizational issues and implement the trip. With me to Pinsk, journalist of Belarusian Radio Svetlana Devyatkova and photographer Tatiana Stolyarova went.”

Cultural and Culinary Discoveries

Each culinary expedition is an introduction not only to the regional features of the national Belarusian cuisine but also to the traditions, culture, and character of Belarusians from different corners of our country. “After each trip, I feel both joy and sadness,” Elena shares. “Joy, because there are still people from whom we can learn about our history, culture, and cuisine. And sadness because there are fewer and fewer such people, most of them are over seventy, and they have no one to pass on their knowledge. And I understand well that I will not be able to travel all over Belarus, so I try to learn and record as much as possible during any trip.”

The expedition to the Pinsk region began in the village of Krivchitsy, accompanied by the best harmonist of the region, stories, and legends about Pinsk, and delicious treats from local hosts. “No matter how many expeditions I go on,” says Elena, “I am always greeted with songs. Moreover, the older generation knows so many songs that not every young person can boast of that today. They sing in different languages: Belarusian, Polish, Ukrainian. And despite the difficult life, everyone is cheerful, smiling, hospitable, and hardworking.”

The Pinsk Region: A Unique Culinary Heritage

The Pinsk region is Polesie, swamps. The village of Krivchitsy is located on a hill and was previously surrounded by swamps. Not far from Krivchitsy, by the way, the film “People on the Swamp” was shot. And many residents of the village still remember well both the process of filming and how the frozen actors came to them to warm up and how they fed them with draniki.

The whole life of the people in this region is initially connected with swamps and water. Fishing is the main occupation for many even now. “Moreover, both men and women fish,” comments the expert. “Hence the great variety of fish dishes: borscht, okroshka, sorrel soup with fish; fried, stuffed, marinated, dried fish.”

But most of all, according to Elena, as an expert in Belarusian cuisine, she was attracted by the fish in sorrel soup and birch kvass. The latter, by the way, not as a drink, but as a first course. In Pinsk, birch kvass is a type of soup, like beetroot and mushroom kvass.

Birch kvass is prepared as follows. In the spring, birch sap is harvested: it is poured into wooden barrels and fermented using ground barley or rye grain. Then the finished kvass is diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio and soup is cooked with the addition of pork ribs, potatoes, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. The soup is served both cold and hot. “For a person who is used to kvass as a drink, it is difficult to perceive this dish as soup,” Elena sees my silent question in my eyes and continues with a smile. “It is actually very tasty! All members of our expedition, after trying a spoonful of birch kvass, could not stop eating it.”

By the way, in Pinsk, zhur is also well known, but most often they prepare birch kvass. Both dishes have a sour taste and are a good hangover remedy. The harmonist who accompanied Elena’s expedition said that birch kvass in the morning after parties works flawlessly.

Draniki and Other Delicacies

Elena Mikulchik’s collection was replenished with the names of draniki. In addition to the already known “draniki,” “dranki,” “deruny,” “bulbianiki,” “kartoplyaniki,” “tartyukhi,” there were also “hedgehog-dranki,” “poor draniki,” and “rich draniki.” “Poor draniki” are made only from potatoes and salt. “Rich draniki” are with filling, most often mushroom. The dough also adds egg and onion. “Hedgehog-dranki”: potatoes are grated on a coarse grater, then various ingredients (carrots, onions, mushrooms) are added to the dough.

Another interesting and quite common dish in Belarusian villages is pyzy, which, as a rule, are prepared from raw or boiled potatoes, or from their mixture with filling inside. But in the Pinsk region, these are cutlets not from potatoes, but from meat mince with the addition of grated potatoes. Pyzy are fried, poured with sour cream, and stewed or baked in the oven. In Pinsk, the dish is called pyzy, unlike other regions where the variant pyzY is accepted.

A very popular dish in the Pinsk region is “kryshany.” In Lemeshevichi, Elena was even told a tale about why the dish is called that: the area is swampy, potatoes grow small, so they are either boiled whole or cut in half. “Kryshany” is also a soup. “What did you cook today? – Well, kryshany.” In the everyday life of the local population, there is even a special treatment – “kryshan lemeshevsky,” similar to how Belarusians are called “bulbashy.”

But there are no polivki and mochanki – dishes that are considered typical for all regions of Belarus – in this area. Instead of mochanka, for example, flax and, earlier, hemp seeds are used here: flax seeds are dried in the oven, crushed, and then served with potatoes.

“In Krivchitsy, by the way, I tried the tastiest lard in my life,” adds Elena. “It turns out that the whole secret is ‘you need to feed the pig well’: with apples, zucchini, potatoes, beets. Hence the softness and amazing taste.”

Community and Tradition

Elena separately noted the cohesion of people in these villages. For example, in Krivchitsy, thanks to the efforts of local residents, it was possible to defend the building of the church. The fact is that there is no church as such in the village; the old one was dismantled back in the 1960s, and the construction of a new one is also not planned. The priest, at his own expense, bought one of the village houses, repaired it, and began to hold services in it. The local authorities learned about this and, for the “non-targeted use of residential premises,” forbade the priest to hold services in the house and imposed fines. The residents of Krivchitsy began to actively write to the authorities and, together with the priest, pay the fine. And by joint efforts, the people achieved their goal: now the residents of Krivchitsy have a church again.

But if in Krivchitsy life is still active, then Tereben is on the verge of extinction. In this village, only nine people live: two men and seven women, all over eighty. But in every house here, as in a museum: everywhere there is embroidery, homemade carpets, and blankets.