Added: 05/16/2006 |
Blini - Symbol of the SunIn Russia, for example, blini are an essential part of religious festival - Shrovetide, during which Russians should eat blini at any house, they enter- isn`t it the tradition to be adopted?
Well, blini are thin pancakes which are often served in connection with a religious rite or festival. The word "blin" itself comes from Old Slavic mlin, that means "to mill". Blini had a somewhat ritual significance for early Slavic peoples in pre-Christian times since they were a symbol of the sun, due to their round form. Traditionally, blini were prepared at the end of the winter to honor the rebirth of the new sun (Pancake week, or Maslenitsa).
This tradition was adopted by the Orthodox Church and is carried on to the present day. Today, during the Week Russians try to eat as much blini as possible, believing that this will bring them health and wealth. Blini were once also served at wakes, to commemorate the recently deceased.
Traditional Russian blini are made with yeasted batter, which is left to rise and then diluted with cold or boiling (vareniki) water or milk just before baking them in the traditional Russian oven. Even today, in villages and provincial towns the process of cooking blini is the same as was hundreds years ago and is referred to as baking in Russian, even though these days they are almost universally pan-fried, like pancakes.
Another type of blini (blinchiki in Russian, considered to be a borrowed dish) are made with low or no-yeasted batter (usually made of flour, milk and eggs) and are nearly identical to French crepes.
There is no set flour to make blini- all kinds of flour may be used: from wheat and buckwheat to oatmeal and millet, although wheat is currently by far the most popular. Blini may be prepared and served in three basic ways. Well, the batter for blini must be of the cream consistency - that makes them be thin . The tight blin is that the pores of which are seen if to look though it in a sunny day. If you have some problems with separating blini from the pan, here is some tip - calcinate the pan with oil and salt, then rub it thoroughly with a cloth and then you can begin making blini.
The batter usually made of flour, sugar, salt, eggs (not necessarily), water or milk and yeast. All that is mixed and put for an hour to raise and give bubbles. Then mix it again and begin making blini.
Frozen pre-packaged blini may be fried. They may be eaten "as is". In this case, the batter may contain various add-ins, from grated potato or apple to raisins. These blini are quite common in Eastern Europe and are more solidly-filled than the spongy pancakes usually eaten in North America. They may be smeared with butter, bacon fat, smetana, jam or caviar and possibly folded or rolled into a tube. In that form they are similar to French crepes. The caviar filling is popular during Russian-style cocktail parties.
A filling such as jam, fruit, potato, cottage cheese or other cheese, cooked ground meat, cooked chicken and even chopped mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage and onions (for a Chinese eggroll-type blintz) is rolled or enveloped into a pre-fried blintz and then the blintz is lightly re-fried, sautéed or baked.
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