In a geopolitical context where the boycott of Russian-made products is used as leverage to try and weigh the Kremlin-Ukraine conflict, it’s better not to rely on the name of a recipe or food to believe them from Russian descent. In general, keep in mind that the diet is full of false friends…
Russian cigarettes are… Belgian
This chew recipe, which you simply slide into a tasty scoop of ice cream, was invented by the son of the creator of the Belgian brand Delacre, who took over the family business in 1906. Pierre Delacre decided to take inspiration from the way the Russians used to roll their cigarettes, that is, diagonally and not lengthwise, to give the title of a recipe for small travel biscuits.
Russian tea is more likely… Chinese
It is the other national drink in Russia. However, if many tea fields are grown on the shores of the Black Sea, in the mountains of Sochi, the recipe for “Russian tea” does not necessarily include the use of national production. This black tea is often produced in China. Indeed, the Kremlin country culture for tea was forged by this variety that landed in the 19th century. According to the Alimentarium, the highly informative food museum in Vevey, Switzerland, people appreciate the full flavor of black tea and let a spoonful of sugar or even jam melt in their mouths before drinking a cup. Russian bergamot-flavored tea was not invented until several years later to appeal to Earl Gray enthusiasts.
Brussels sprouts are not real… Brussels sprouts
According to Interfel, the association that promotes the benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables, the vegetable was not invented in the Belgian capital, but in a neighboring city, namely Saint-Gilles. ‘s journalist WorldCamille Labro also revealed last December that the buds born along a thick stem took their name when they arrived in the Paris region in 1815. It is the vertical culture of this species, developed in the 18th century, that aroused interest. It is even said to be a derivative of a cabbage from Milan. Brussels sprouts are grown everywhere, and even in Japan or the Netherlands, where hybrids have been grown for planting in Canada, the Canadian Encyclopedia reveals.
The Charentais melon is… Charentais and elsewhere
It can be Charentais, but also Spanish, Moroccan, Senegalese… The gourd is rarely native to the Charente. Its origin does not really indicate the place of production. Rather, it is a kind of melon, to indicate the orange-fleshed one. In addition, the vegetable would have made its appearance on the African continent. According to the professional association Melon, the Egyptians would have rebuilt it, just like the Greeks and Romans. However, some melon productions are well protected: this is the case for melons from Haut-Poitou, Quercy and Guadeloupe, which benefit from a Protected Geographical Indication. The Cavaillon melon is still waiting for it…
Petit-suisse is… half Norman, half Picardy
Rest assured, there are plenty of little Swiss on the other side of the Alps. However, our Swiss neighbors cannot claim the paternity of this dessert based on fresh milk and enriched with fresh cream. The recipe is said to have been designed in the Pays de Bray, in Villers-sur-Auchy, on the border between Normandy and Picardy. In the 19th century, one Sophie-Julie Bourdet, who worked on a farm, took the advice of a cowherd from the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, and added cream before curdling the milk. “Charles Gervais’s son, Jules Charles, was a nurse with the Bourdets. He could also hear about the Petits-Suisses from Ferdinand Gervais, then mayor of the municipality from 1850 to 1854”, said France 3 Hauts-de-France Guillaume Bernardin, councilor in Villers-sur-Auchy. This is how petit-suisse was born and has become the emblematic recipe of the Gervais company.
(ETX Daily Up)