Belarusian national cuisine
- Now let’s talk about food. What can you tell me about eating habits in your family.
Perhaps, one of the most pleasant ways to understand the soul of a nation is to start exploring its national cuisine. Tasting of some original dish may tell a foreign visitor a lot about Belarusian traditions. Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions.
My family also cooks Belarusian dishes very often. Like all Belarusians we like potatoes. Potatoes are called “the second bread” among people. Potato is included into many salads, it is served together with mushrooms and meat. The most popular dish in my family is traditional draniki, thick pancakes, prepared from shredded potatoes.
My dad’s favourite dish is salted pork fat. Salted pork fat is used slightly smoked and seasoned with onions and garlic.
Soups play an important role in Belarusian cuisine. There are two types of soups: hot and cold. All soups have sour tastes.
- Do you often invite guests to have a meal together?
My family is very friendly and we have a lot of relatives. We always invite guests to celebrate a birthday party or any national holiday. Sometimes we cook together, especially if we have our meals outside or in the countryside. We usually cook meat and vegetable salad and baked meat with rice or potatoes. My mum bakes (We buy…) delicious cake. We always have fun together and we always become sad when it is time “to say good bye” to each other.
- What questions can you ask a British friend about their eating habits?
- What is your national dish?
- How is it cooked?
- Do you often cook your national dishes?
- Which cafes would you recommend to visit in your place? Why?
As you know we live in a small provincial town and there are no many places to eat out, but there are some. Practically all of them are situated in the centre of our town. I would recommend to go to “Bistro” or our local restaurant where you can taste our national dishes as well as dishes which are famous all over the world. Our cooks make food quickly and delicious.
- Scientists say that fast food is unhealthy but people go on eating it. What do you think about it?
Fast food has become very popular because it is very tasty, delicious and pleasant. But you should remember that it is high in calories and lacking in nutrition. People that eat large amount of fast food face danger of heart, leaver disease and cancer. Nowadays a lot of children who suffer from overweight. So we should limit the amount of fizzy drinks and hamburgers. A little now and then will do no harm. There are always people who complain about something. The same thing happens at school. Personally, I don’t like these wet blankets. They may not like teachers or subjects or timetable or what not. They are always complaining about their huge home tasks or something else. There may be two reasons for such behavior: either they are lazy or depressed. To tell you the truth, this group is not a numerous one. I try to avoid such people.