Some dishes in the distant past were eaten exclusively by the poor. But today they have gained popularity and are served in the best restaurants in the world. Let's take a closer look at some of them.

French onion soup

A flavorful and quickly filling dish that gives you strength and vigor for the whole day. This soup instantly brought you back to your senses after the feast. The original recipe was quite simple: onions fried in oil were poured with champagne and everything was brought to a boil. Today it is a rather thick soup, prepared in beef broth with the addition of croutons. It is often also prepared with chicken or vegetable broth.

Bigos

This is a popular dish, the main components of which are cabbage and meat. For richness and pungency of taste, various spices are added to it. This dish was valued by peasants, soldiers and monks for its ease of preparation and the ability to vary the taste by adding additional ingredients. Thus, bigos can be both an everyday and a festive dish. The characteristic features of this dish are the bright aroma of smoked meats and a sour taste.

Gazpacho

One of the popular Spanish dishes. This chilled soup was previously a traditional dish for mule drivers, who took food for cooking during a halt on a long journey. The pots were greased with oil, garlic and salt, after which vegetables were placed in them in layers, each layer sprinkled with bread crumbs. Everything was seasoned with olive oil, after which the pot was wrapped in a wet cloth and placed in the sun. Once the fabric was dry, the soup was ready to eat. Today gazpacho is served in the best restaurants in the world.

Bouillabaisse

This is a real soup of Marseille fishermen, which has reached the best restaurants in the world. Previously, it was prepared from the remains of the catch. To prepare it, they took small fish, several pieces of large fish, tomatoes and garlic. After saffron was added to the soup, it turned into an unusually bright and aromatic dish. The traditional dish is prepared from fish and seafood in a cast iron vat for about two hours. During this time, the fish is almost completely dissolved in the broth.

Fondue

A Swiss dish that originated with shepherds. The cheese was melted in wine and bread was dipped into the prepared rich sauce. Today, to prepare it, they take Emmental or Gruyère cheese, white wine, and sometimes cherry vodka.

Paprikash

Hungarian national dish, the so-called gravy made from the cheapest parts of chicken and kefir (or sour cream), which the poor consumed for lunch and dinner. Today it has become famous and is made from white meat.

Grappa

One of the most common elite alcoholic drinks, which is equivalent to rum, whiskey and French cognac. Previously, this drink was considered the lot of true alcoholics and was prepared in order to utilize the waste that remained after the preparation of elite wines. Today, grappa is served in beautiful glass decanters and is in great demand.

Solyanka

Traditional Russian soup, which was previously used as both a first and second course. Solyanka was considered an excellent snack for vodka. The poor people valued her because they could drink a lot and not get drunk. Solyanka is a fatty, thick and quite satisfying soup, shaded with various flavors.

Pizza

This is a traditional dish with deep roots, quite cheap to prepare and very filling. Pizza became universally popular only after the wife of the Italian ruler Margherita tried the common food. This is how the most famous pizza got its name - in her honor.

Paella

A popular dish of Spanish cuisine that has won the hearts of true gourmets. In common people, this dish is prepared over fires and hearths. The poor collected scraps from the master's table and combined them with rice.

From dirt to Kings. This proverb applies not only to people who, from not the strongest starting positions, managed to achieve heights in life. With the same success, it can be extended to products that were once considered almost garbage, but then became delicacies with all the consequences in the form of high prices and availability only to the elite. So, meet the poor man's food that worked.

Snails

According to an anecdote from those times when the word “anecdote” was still used to describe not a short funny story, but a historical curiosity, Russian Emperor Alexander I and French Foreign Minister Talleyrand once went into a restaurant somewhere in Burgundy. It was late, all the food had already been eaten, and the cook, who ran out into the garden in a panic, noticed snails there. He added garlic to hide their taste, parsley to somehow decorate them, and butter to make them easier to slip through. Surprisingly, the sovereign liked this dish so much that he demanded the cook reveal the recipe, and after that he ordered snails in Burgundy more than once - escargots de Bourgogne.

However, this beautiful story is most likely nothing more than fiction - the gastronomic properties of snails did not become known until the 19th century. Suffice it to say that the first people to encroach on snails were in ancient Rome, and later, for poor French peasants, grape snails were a free source of animal protein. The Spanish dish of snails, which are stewed either in sauce or with the addition of giblets, also tells us that these small creatures were intended for the table of the poor, and not the nobles.

Now snails are one of the many gastronomic symbols of France. They are either baked according to the classic Burgundian recipe, with butter, garlic and parsley, or they are added with cheese and other seasonings, washed down with wine and eaten with a fresh baguette.

Black caviar

Black caviar, sturgeon caviar, is one of the most famous and expensive delicacies in the world, which is traditionally considered a Russian specialty. At least, this is what we think, although today the volumes of legally produced Russian black caviar are minimal, while most of the black caviar is produced in Iran. It is also considered to be of higher quality and, as a result, more expensive, although, frankly, regardless of the origin and method of production, black caviar cannot be called cheap. But it was not always so.

Sturgeon fish are one of the oldest surviving living creatures on our planet and contemporaries of dinosaurs, but they began to be used as a source of delicious caviar relatively recently: the first mention of the production of black caviar dates back to the 3rd century BC. However, after the fall of Rome, this delicacy, like many others, was forgotten in Europe. In Europe, but not in Russia, black caviar was harvested from the Black and Caspian Seas and sold throughout the Empire, and it was so cheap that all segments of the population could afford black caviar. Suffice it to remember that in cookbooks of the 18th-19th centuries, advice was given to use black caviar to clarify broths, Vereshchagin in the film “White Sun of the Desert” swears at his wife because he eats black caviar more often than bread, and even relatively recently , several decades ago, black caviar also appeared on the tables of ordinary Soviet workers.

Alas, this story played a cruel joke on black caviar. The demand for caviar has led to overfishing of sturgeon - in a matter of decades, the population of these fish in the Caspian and Volga has fallen tens of times, as a result of which their catch has been limited. At least officially - in the already mentioned Iran, poachers face the death penalty, but in Russia, 90% of all black caviar appears on the shelves as a result of illegal fishing. Time will tell whether it will be possible to improve the situation with the sturgeon population by limiting the catch and reproduction of the population, but for now black caviar costs truly fabulous money.

Sushi

Sushi, of course, is not God knows what a delicacy - now you can even buy it in a supermarket, in a plastic box and for ridiculous money. But if we are not talking about this ersatz, but about real sushi, then not everyone gets to try it. Early in the morning in Tokyo, the Tsukiji market starts operating, where they sell fresh tuna catches in an auction format, which ends up in restaurant kitchens on the same day. Not all rice is suitable for real sushi; the special recipe for the rice vinegar dressing is kept strictly secret, and the chef sometimes has to work for decades before he is entrusted with the honor of preparing sushi, as they say, “from start to finish.” This process is shown in great detail in a wonderful film about an old chef and his restaurant, where dinner costs about $250, although with proper skill it can take you no more than 15 minutes to exterminate it.

This is currently the height of the art of making sushi, but this was not always the case. Moreover, in the Middle Ages in Japan there was approximately the same amount of sushi as we had under Soviet rule (that is, there was no “at all”). Rice was trivially used to store fish, pouring salted fresh fish into pieces placed in tubs over it. During the fermentation of rice, lactic acid was released, which prevented the fish from spoiling. It was stored for up to two years, after which it was eaten and the rice was thrown away. This continued until the 17th century, when the Japanese physician Matsumoto Yoshiichi came up with the idea of ​​adding vinegar to rice, which shortened the time for marinating fish, and also made the rice itself part of the dish. Sushi began to be prepared faster and became more compact - now you can pack it in boxes and take it with you on the road. During the Edo period in Japan, sushi became something of a fast food - they were sold on the streets for those who needed a quick bite.

Sushi probably owes its current status to the Americans. After World War II, the exotic food crossed the ocean and began to be served first in Los Angeles, and then in other US cities, where it quickly gained popularity. Nowadays, real sushi is the one that uses the best and freshest fish and seafood and rice grown in Japan, and is prepared by experienced and skillful chefs who have elevated the preparation of the once cheap dish to the level of an art. And art, you understand, cannot be cheap.

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Fondue, onion soup and pizza have been the food of the poor for centuries, and today these and some other dishes have become part of European cuisine, for which millions of tourists go on gastronomic or sightseeing tours.

Almost all popular today European dishes were once the lot of poor fishermen, shepherds or peasants.

Onion soup from France

Onion soup has the unique property of sobering up and energizing you for a long working day. That is why traders and cargoes of Parisian markets especially loved this simple dish. The inexpensive main ingredient of the soup, beef broth and bread croutons - that's all that poor French could afford in the 18th century. However, this soup also has another version of its origin: it is believed that King Louis XV, getting hungry while hunting, made a soup from onions and champagne fried in oil.

Spanish cuisine symbol

A traditional Valencian dish that first won the hearts of the Spaniards, and then gourmets around the world. It is believed that the real dish is prepared over a street fire or at home, which is why the Spaniards do not recognize the restaurant version. We owe the appearance of paella to the servants of the Moorish kings, who collected the master's scraps and mixed them with rice. According to another version, paella was invented by a young fisherman who was waiting for his beloved and, in order to treat her, prepared a dish from the products that were found in his house. The second version is also supported by the fact that paella should be prepared exclusively by men.

Polish bigos

Meat and cabbage - the secret to the success of Polish dishes of European cuisine bigos, which was brought by King Vladislav from Lithuania. To add piquancy to the dish, spices, herbs and dried fruits are added to it. Today it is prepared in every family and is very popular with tourists, but several centuries ago such simple and satisfying food was enjoyed by peasants, monks and soldiers. Depending on the region of Poland and family traditions, the recipe for the stew differs, but it always includes smoked sausage, lard or game, pork, sauerkraut and white cabbage.

French soup

A simple hearty dish of Marseilles fishermen, which was prepared from the remains of the catch. Everything went into the pan: small fish, ridges, the remains of large fish, garlic and tomatoes. White fish was boiled in the resulting broth, so that they could then eat bouillabaisse with black bread, enjoying its rich taste. This dish was introduced to luxury restaurants in combination with saffron, turning a simple fisherman's stew into an extraordinary soup with an amazing aroma.

Food of Spanish muleteers

Cold tomato soup, which has long gone beyond the boundaries of its native Spanish cuisine. However, its history goes back to the province of Andalusia even before the appearance of tomatoes in Europe. Then the drovers used peppers, cucumbers, crackers and olive oil. They rubbed the walls of clay pots with garlic, then layered vegetables, sprinkled them with bread crumbs and poured oil over everything. The pots were exposed to the sun, wrapped in wet clothes, and the soup was considered ready when the clothes were dry. Today gazpacho is a fairly popular dish in European cuisine.

Appetizing meat in Hungarian style

Paprikash- a hearty and tasty stew that ordinary Hungarians ate for dinner or lunch for a long time. This stew of meat and vegetables is made from inexpensive parts of chicken - liver, neck, wings, navels and hearts - which have been simmered in sour cream or kefir along with the Hungarians' favorite seasoning, paprika. Modern restaurant paprikash is prepared from white meat and breast, sometimes veal is added to it.

The invention of the Swiss shepherds

Back in the 14th century, Swiss shepherds invented a dish that the whole world today calls fondue. Taking cheese, wine and bread to the pasture, they melted hard or spoiled cheese in wine and dipped it in bread. Initially a peasant dish, it quickly migrated to the tables of wealthy gentlemen, who replaced inexpensive cheeses with the best ones, and stale bread with crispy fresh ones. Modern Swiss cuisine requires the use of two types of cheese - Emmental and Gruyere, believing that only they can highlight the taste of wine, creating an extraordinary bouquet.

While traveling, you can discover the gastronomic map of the world. The cuisine of each country is unique, therefore, when ordering beach, health or sightseeing tours to Thailand, China, Egypt or Israel in the corresponding section of Onlinetours otdyh.onlinetours.ru/israel, it is worth paying special attention to traditional dishes for the chosen region.

But if you think about it, many national dishes of European countries in the past were food for poor people and the poor.

Italian pizza

There are versions that the predecessor of pizza was focaccio - the bread of the Italian poor. Flat, with easy to prepare dough. It was sprinkled with various herbs and everything that was in the house - onions and garlic, olives, cheese, seafood. In the 17th century, special people appeared in Italy, “pizzaiolo,” who prepared pizza for Italian peasants. They also threw whatever was at hand onto a cheap flatbread. But not all beggars could afford such a dish, so they borrowed pizza and paid for it throughout the week.


Spanish paella

National Spanish (Valencian) dish of rice, tinted with saffron, with the addition of olive oil. In addition, seafood, vegetables, chicken, sausage, etc. can be added to paella. There is a popular hypothesis that the word paella comes from the Arabic word “baqiyah” - leftovers, because among Arab sailors it was customary to combine the remains of a previous meal, which , according to the hypothesis, led to the creation of paella.

We ate this, by no means cheap, Spanish “plover” in Madrid:

Back then, sea reptiles were the lot of the poor, who could not afford real meat. Nowadays, big-eyed and slimy creatures have become expensive delicacies :)
By the way, who knows what kind of mini-crayfish with long claws these are?

French frog legs

An exquisite French delicacy, also popular in Southeast Asia. Frog legs are one of the most famous French delicacies. Alexandre Dumas was the first to mention frog legs as a culinary ingredient in his Culinary Dictionary. But they appeared in the French diet much earlier. As the story goes, during the Hundred Years' War with England (which lasted from 1337 to 1453), there was famine in France; people did not know what to eat. And in order not to die of hunger, the inhabitants of the country began to look for any food, even what was considered impossible just yesterday. This is how the famous frog legs, snails and onion soup appeared in French cuisine.

Swiss fondue

A national Swiss dish prepared from cheese and wine in a special heat-resistant container over an open fire. Fondue is usually made from a mixture of Swiss Gruyère and Friborg Vacherin cheeses. Fondue is usually seasoned with garlic, nutmeg, kirsch mixed with strong alcohol. Pieces of bread, potatoes or other products (gherkins, olives, etc.) placed on special long forks are dipped into the resulting mass.

It is believed that fondue was invented by Swiss shepherds back in the 14th century. They melted cheese and wine to keep them warm in the winter cold. According to another version, zealous Swiss housewives simply collected half-eaten pieces of cheese into a common cauldron and then melted them. Actually, the history of the appearance of the now glamorous blue cheese is a bit reminiscent of the history of fondue. They say that one French shepherd forgot his cheese and bread in a limestone cave, and when he returned there a month later, he found them covered with a bluish moldy coating. Apparently, the hunger was too strong to allow them to throw away even a spoiled product. The cheese with bluish streaks of mold was eaten, but the shepherd was very pleased with its taste, salty and spicy.

Norwegian herring

Herring has long been the staple food of the Norwegian population, with the poor eating it four times a day for every meal.

And in general, if you read the history of national cuisines, then almost everywhere it has its roots in peasant houses. Well, gourmet dishes don’t take root among people :)
What else can you add? If you know something, write in the comments and then I’ll add it to the post.

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All the most delicious things were invented by famous chefs and only the rich eat them, almost everyone thinks so. And they are wrong. Every famous dish was invented by poor people.

Any famous chef will tell you that the poor eat better than any rich person. Because the products use natural products, no additives or improvers. Everything is simple and delicious! And it is poverty that is driving the culinary revolution.

Poor people invented pasta with sauces, bruschetta, polenta, tiramisu, onion soup, goulash and fondue. Don't believe me? Then read on.

Do you know that:

Pizza For many centuries it was the food of exclusively the poor. Poor people could not afford to eat cheese or pancetta- a type of Italian bacon. This is how a bread cake with cheese and bacon or sausages appeared, tomatoes and basil were added to it. All in one dish. And cheap and tasty.

WITH polenta no less interesting story. Read the story polenta:

WITH bread in all countries the poor have serious relationships. Bread has never been thrown away anywhere. It was dried and used to prepare a new dish.

In Russia they cooked from bread crumbs kvass; in Italy, stale bread was greased with butter, flavored with garlic and tomatoes, and then dried in the oven - the famous result was bruschetta; famous French onion soup impossible without a piece of bread, and it was first prepared in taverns near the port and the “Belly of Paris” market.

How onion soup appeared in an interesting article:

By the way, a masterpiece of Italian cooking - dessert tiramisu, in the original version it was also made from bread. More precisely, from bread crumbs soaked in grape wine or just water. Instead of the usual cream, the first tiramisu was covered with whipped egg white and soft, unripe cheese.

Shchi and borscht The dishes are rustic, it is quite difficult to find them in the royal cuisine of our past. An all-in-one-pot meal is much more satisfying than several different dishes. Yes, and when the peasants had to prepare pickles, when they worked from dawn to dusk and at home “seven of them on the benches.”

Solyanka- not exactly poor people's food, but if there was no cabbage soup, then hodgepodge would not have been invented. Not a simple culinary history of SOLYANKA.

Ear - it is found in every poor kitchen in the world. Most famous Marseille soup - bouillabaisse. Marseilles fishermen, like any poor people with such a profession, did not have a wide range of products. A couple of potatoes, a crushed tomato, an onion and the occasional unsold piece of fish. That's how it turned out bouillabaisse.

Fondue- a fashionable culinary hobby for more than 15 years. Almost every kitchen has a fondue set. But few people know that for centuries fondue was eaten exclusively by the poor. Alpine shepherds who took with them to work a piece of bread and cheese, and a small flask of wine.

On cold, dank autumn days, when almost all the supplies had been eaten and the wine drunk, a shepherd heated up the remaining wine in a pot and threw pieces of cheese that were lying around into it. Then he decided to eat it, but he didn’t have a spoon with him, so he had to eat the cheese soup with a crust of leftover stale bread. He would be very surprised to know that in hundreds of years, his invention will be served in expensive restaurants.

Pasta, spaghetti, pasta, noodles- these dishes were first prepared by the housewife, who wanted to feed her children and her husband, tired after work, more satisfyingly. Vegetables are good, of course, but how many vegetable soups or stews do you need to cook to feed your family? Soups and main courses made from flour solved the problem once and for all.

Since I mentioned stew, then it’s worth touching on the history of vegetable stew in a little more detail. Although, it is very similar to the history of cabbage soup or borscht. Stew belong to the “all in one saucepan” category. Almost everything in the house went into it.

Stew can be vegetable, meat or fish. Each variety depends on the region and the capabilities of the poor family. Vegetable stews were prepared by the very poor, meat stews were prepared by those who hunted or had small farms, and fish stews were most likely prepared by the wives of fishermen.

Oysters- an expensive delicacy that can only be tasted in specialized restaurants and clubs. Once upon a time, oysters were just garbage thrown onto the seashore during a storm. Not very lucky fishermen collected them and brought them home. The wives, of course, were not delighted, but thanks to their culinary imagination, oysters entered the world of elite cuisine.

Japan has always had a bad time with many foods. They still rarely bake bread or cook meat. To this day, lumps of sticky rice are considered bread. Japanese fishermen often took rice balls with them to the sea for a snack. Rice is a bland food, and to diversify his simple, poor lunch, one fisherman stuck a piece of freshly caught fish onto a lump of rice.

It may not be a very appetizing dish, but the food is quite satisfying. It’s strange, but a lump of rice with raw fish is not very popular in Japan itself, but has conquered all continents. Guess what I mean? That's how the world found out sushi!

To summarize, I would like to add that with just a thread you can cook porridge even from an ax. The main thing is desire, a little imagination and a good mood. And there will always be opportunities!

Leave your comments below!

Have fun cooking and be healthy!

Always yours Alena Tereshina.