The love of mushrooms in Russia goes deep into ancient times and it arose, in fact, because of the climatic and cultural characteristics of our region.
Firstly, there are many forests that abound with mushrooms in the summer and autumn period. Today, more than 300 species of edible mushrooms are known in Russia.
Secondly, the harsh climate, when winter lasts about six months, people needed to find a nutritious product that could be harvested for a long time, namely dried, salted or marinated. And here mushrooms have become the main product for harvesting, since mushrooms are an ideal source of the "building material" whichi is necessary for the body – protein, which is why mushrooms were even nicknamed "forest meat".
But our ancestors did not yet suspect that in addition to their nutritional function, mushrooms are a source of vitamins B, C, D, E, as well as minerals such as potassium, iron, zinc and selenium. And during preservation, the beneficial properties of the products are practically not lost.
Mushrooms have become a cultural feature of Russia. Many factors influenced this.
Firstly, mushroom picking or "silent hunting" became a real national tradition, which was observed even by noble and royal families. Mushrooms have become an integral part of Russian painting in landscapes and still lifes, and hundreds of proverbs and literary subjects are devoted to mushrooms and the "silent hunting".
Mushrooms have also become an integral part of Russian cuisine thanks, among other things, to frequent long Orthodox fasts: mushroom soup, mushroom pies, salted and pickled mushrooms, fried potatoes with mushrooms, and so on.… All these dishes made the lenten table varied and delicious.
But not only in Russia is the cult of mushrooms, in China, Italy and France and many other countries mushrooms occupy an important part in cooking and even medicine.
A note to mushroom lovers.
A mushroom is not a plant, roughly speaking, it is a hybrid between a plant and an animal. It can be compared to a vacuum cleaner that absorbs all the nutrients from the soil and trees. Therefore, it is very dangerous to collect mushrooms, for example, in the vicinity of roads or industrial enterprises. It is also dangerous to buy mushrooms "by hand" if it is not known where they were collected.
It is safer to purchase mushrooms from farms where mushrooms are grown artificially, in a safe environment and undergo the necessary certification. In particular, such recommendations apply to canned mushrooms. For example, the industrial production of salted and marinated mushrooms by TM "Skatert-Samobranka" uses only high-quality raw materials and goes through all stages of control.
