The diet of coastal and deer Chukchi differed. Its basis for the nomadic population was reindeer meat, for the sedentary population - products of sea hunting. True, as noted by V.G. Bogoraz, "the reindeer Chukchi have a great inclination towards sea food. ... On the other hand, the coastal Chukchi and Eskimos also highly value reindeer meat and call it "the sweet food of reindeer herders" (Bogoraz, 1991, p. 126). Between reindeer and coastal groups constantly exchanged the products of their trades.
A feature of the diet of the coastal Chukchi was its diversity, which is typical for all Arctic peoples engaged in hunting: "In the societies of sea hunters in the Arctic, a traditional diet has developed, characterized by the highest variety of foods and dishes compared to the nutrition of other Arctic peoples" (Bogoslovskaya et al., 2007, p. 372). It is characteristic that the food of the settled Chukchi of the northern and Bering Sea coasts differed somewhat, which is explained by the peculiarities of the climate and natural conditions, the specifics of the fishing schedule of both.
Among the food products of the coastal Chukchi, one of the main places was occupied by meat, fat and the insides of the walrus. The meat of walruses caught in the summer was cleaned of fat and put into a special pit, where water was poured. In such a pit, meat could be preserved until the onset of cold weather. A significant part of the summer walrus meat was dried and stored for future use. Dried meat was eaten in winter, usually pounded and mixed with fat. Walrus entrails were also harvested for the winter. At the same time, the lungs and heart of the walrus were butchered and dried on hangers, the kidneys were dried for the winter. Walrus entrails were often eaten raw as well. Raw liver was especially appreciated. She was considered a good remedy to restore strength after a large blood loss, it was treated with gastric, intestinal and pulmonary diseases.
Most often, walrus meat was eaten in a pickled form: " Kopalchen- pickled walrus meat - for the coastal Chukchi was an indispensable dish for at least six to seven months a year ... Kopalkhen is eaten "like bread." It is eaten on its own, as well as with fish and herbs. ... Kopalchen is extremely easy to digest. They don’t chew it, they just swallow it” (Afanas’eva, Simchenko, 1993, pp. 65-66). fermented. food product walrus fat, both subcutaneous and visceral, was considered. In fresh and pickled form, it was used as a universal food additive. Walrus fat was also used in the conservation of wild plants. It was kept in bags made of seal skins.
No less important for the nutrition of the Chukchi were the meat and fat of seals. "Seals were hunted all year round and most different ways. Seal meat ... was a constant ingredient in the menu of coastal hunters "(Ibid., p. 73). For many centuries, the population of coastal Chukotka used whale fishery products for food. " Traditional cuisine marine hypericum of Chukotka includes more than 20 various dishes from meat, fat, skin, fins, tongue and entrails of bowhead and gray whales and beluga whales" (Bogoslovskaya et al., 2007, p. 375).
In the collection " Path of Bogoraz"Some recipes for dishes prepared by the Naukan Eskimos and Chukchi of Uelen from whaling products are given:" Whale skin with lard (man "tak") is traditionally eaten raw and boiled. For future use, it is prepared by tightly shifting Ivan-tea leaves (vevegtyt) in a barrel and filling it with water, then it has a pleasant smell of Ivan-tea and long time keeps fresh. This skin is eaten only in winter. In the fall, with the onset of hard frosts, the bowhead whale's mann "tak" is placed in large plates in a meat pit, where it remains until spring. This is a good gift when traveling to visit the neighboring villages to reindeer herders. In winter, raw mann "tak" is eaten before going to bed, and boiled mann is often consumed with a porridge-like mass from the leaves of the three-winged mountaineer (kyugak). Hunters, going out to fish at sea, take mann "tak" with them as a reserve of food. ...
Fresh gray whale blubber is eaten in summer with grated leaves of mountaineer three-winged. Pickled whale liver is eaten with fresh boiled skin and walrus lard (kahu). Sauerkraut liver juice is drunk together with broth (k "ayuk) from seal fat.
Fresh kidneys (takhtuk) are boiled before eating, and kidneys “with a smell” are eaten raw, dipped in melted seal fat (mysek) (Tein et al., 2008, p. 177).
Among the nomadic Chukchi, the traditional diet necessarily assumed the regular consumption of venison. Deer entrails (liver, kidneys, heart), as well as eyes, bone marrow, tendons, cartilage of the nose, were eaten raw immediately after the slaughter of the animal. The meat was mostly eaten boiled and dried. About the process of drying meat by the Chukchi V.G. Bogoraz wrote the following: In the spring, around mid-April, the reindeer Chukchi dry their meat in the open air, under the combined effect of daytime heat and nighttime cold, even large pieces of meat are completely dried out, retaining their taste and tenderness. Dried meat is lightly smoked over the hearth in the tent"(Bogoraz, 1991. p. 129).
Meat broth was drunk and used to prepare various dishes: “In the past, young and middle-aged reindeer herders significantly limited themselves in water consumption. It was believed that it was unacceptable for a person engaged in herding deer to drink raw water. children and older children. Meat broth was used in the preparation of vegetable food" (Afanas'eva, Simchenko, 1993, pp. 88-89).
Blood stew was a daily meal. She cooked with wild garlic - wild onion and sarana - kimchak. "Bloody stew was an obligatory element in all rites of asking for well-being. It was splashed in all directions of the world, starting from the east, when such rites were performed" (Ibid., p. 89).
The popular dish vilk "ril was also prepared from deer blood. To do this, finely excised cartilage, veins, films, as well as gastric juice, which was obtained by squeezing the green mass contained in the stomach of a slaughtered deer, were added to the blood. All this blood mixture was fermented in deer stomach.
Among the ritual meat dishes a special place was occupied by sausage from the caecum - rorat. Such a sausage "was an indispensable ingredient in all rites without exception. Fire was fed with it, sacrificial parts were cut off from it for the supernatural forces of nature. It played the role of a kind of communion in all sacred acts" (Ibid., p. 92). One of the popular festive dishes from venison - tychgitagav. For its preparation, bone fat was added to crushed grated reindeer meat. From the resulting mass, koloboks were made and frozen.
In addition to the meat of domestic deer, the Chukchi also ate the meat of wild deer, bighorn sheep, hares, partridges, and waterfowl. The Chukchi have some prohibitions and restrictions associated with animal food. So, according to V.G.Bogoraz, "Reindeer Chukchi abstain from the meat of wolverines and black bears, all kinds of wolves and most of the birds of prey" (Bogoraz, 1991, p. 130).
Both nomadic and settled Chukchi had various fish meals. Caught mostly salmon. Coastal Chukchi "summer fish were put into ground pits lined with alder branches along the bottom and sides. The fish was laid in several layers and also covered with a floor of alder branches and laid with turf or covered with earth. After a while, the fish fermented and froze with the onset of cold weather" ( Afanas'eva, Simchenko, 1993, p. 74). Frozen fish was eaten with kopalchen and pickled fat.
Among the reindeer Chukchi, “the main method of preserving fish was the production of yukola, yukola was made from any salmon. When cutting, they first cut the belly from the anus to the head and took out the insides with caviar and milk. The caviar was immediately hung up to dry ...
Then the abdomen was cut off - the knife was led from the abdominal gills to the tail, separating both sides at once. The abdomen was the most delicious part. Fish bellies were collected and hung up for smoking in the yaranga. Further processing consisted in dismembering the fish carcass into the actual yukol part and the spine with the head. ... Yukola consisted of two plates of meat connected at the tail. The tail up yukola was hung out to dry... Yukola was an obligatory ingredient in reindeer herders' diet. She did not go to a rare meal. As a rule, they drank tea with yukola... (Ibid., p. 96).
A special dish was prepared from fish heads. For this, "caviar, washed and pounded between the palms, was put into a bag of sealskin, and fish heads were put into it. This mass was allowed to sour for three to four days, after which the heads were eaten" (Ibid., p. 97)
Fish dishes were obligatory at many reindeer festivals, for example, at the autumn feast of the meeting of the herds. Different groups of the Chukchi had their own traditions of using and harvesting edible plants for food. Some groups prepared herbal mixtures based on the "golden root" - arctic radiola in others - the basis of plant preparations was the leaves of polar alder (willow). Stocks of plant foods were constantly exchanged.
According to G.M. Afanasyeva and Yu.B. Simchenko, among the Bering Sea Chukchi, "the most common root is kuset, which is identified by modern Chukchi with potatoes ... The leaves and flowers of this plant are collected and boiled in water - they make green porridge, which is eaten in winter as an addition to kopalkhen and fresh meat"(Ibid.).
The Bering Sea Chukchi also used the roots of marsh grass, which they took from mouse holes, for food: "The procedure for collecting plants stored for the winter by mice was strictly statutory. Women took plants only from those mice that lived in their traditional grass collection areas. Usually older women every autumn they take the young wives of their sons and their own unmarried female offspring and take them to the tundra to the traditional lands where they are shown mouse holes, which are not looked for every time anew, and they open long-known holes. that continuity is maintained between specific Chukchi families and mouse families... There are several immutable rules for the exploitation of mouse stocks, the violation of which automatically entails severe punishment.
This includes the ban on touching "foreign" mouse holes. It is believed that if a woman disturbs mice not in her area, then her "own" mice will leave their traditional lands out of solidarity with their relatives. Another obligatory rule is to leave yukola or dried meat to mice for the winter in an appropriate amount for the stocks taken.
Every woman carries with her a bundle dried fish, which he distributes between mouse pantries. The third ruling is that it is categorically impossible to take the amount of stocks of mice equal to half, or even more than half. For the violation of this rule, not only the violator herself, but also her family had to pay with various misfortunes. The fourth rule is to cut and unscrew the sod layer above the hole carefully. Having taken the stocked plants, you need to put the layer on top just as carefully as it lay. I had to see holes that were repeatedly visited by people, and the mice did not leave them.
The last important rule: you should strictly observe the time for collecting plants from mouse holes - a fairly long time before snow falls. According to the Chukotka regulations, it was necessary to do this so that the mice had time to replenish the stocks of the plants they needed ... (Afanas'eva, Simchenko, 1993, pp. 69-70).
From the berries they collected shiksha, cloudberries, lingonberries, blueberries, currants, honeysuckle. The berries were eaten raw as a delicacy, or they were an integral component of various fish and meat dishes: they were mixed with caviar, crushed raw deer liver, boiled fish liver. Mushrooms (except fly agaric) were eaten extremely rarely. They were considered deer food. Fly agaric was a ritual food. It was used to make a "journey" to other worlds, for divination, to maintain tone during heavy physical exertion.
The diet of the coastal Chukchi invariably included various products that were "supplied" by the sea. sea kale they ate raw and boiled. It was eaten with walrus meat and walrus blood.
From the beginning of contacts between the Chukchi and Europeans, flour products, sugar, bread, and spices began to occupy a significant place in their diet. V.G. Bogoraz wrote: “The Chukchi love to taste “foreign food” and even get used to such cultural seasonings as mustard and pepper. They willingly sacrifice sugar, bread, etc., believing that the spirits also love new types of food” (Bogoraz, 1991, p. 134). It is characteristic that "introducing flour products into their diet, the indigenous people of the North significantly changed the methods of their culinary processing, adapting to the requirements of the Arctic environment. The traditional addition of blood or fish caviar to pastries, frying cakes in the fat of sea animals made it possible to maintain a vitamin and microelement balance" ( Bogoslovskaya et al., 1997, p. 383).
Here are the facts about these, at first glance, unsightly animals:
Walruses weigh from 700 to 1600 kilograms
Some especially large males can weigh even more - up to 2 tons. The largest live in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, while the rest are found in smaller species. The average life expectancy of a walrus is about 40 years.
You can die from walrus meat, but not everyone
The fact is that the Eskimos are considered real masters in cooking walrus dishes. Their recipe is as follows: a dead walrus carcass is buried in the ground until the corpse begins to ferment, and after that the walrus can be dug up and eaten raw. In the local dialect, the dish is called igunak.
The local Eskimo has been accustomed to such food since childhood, and his body perceives such meat normally. And if a person is not prepared, then there is no need to even try. Everything can end with severe poisoning, infection or even death.
Walruses eat shellfish
A walrus consumes up to 50 kg of shellfish per day. That's where he got a layer of fat in 15 cm! To find food, he has to dig deep into the seabed with his tusks. Soon, hundreds of shells float to the surface of the water, where a walrus is already waiting for them.
The longer the walrus is in cold water, the lighter it is.
This is due to the fact that in cold water the vessels constrict. Therefore, young walruses are brown in color, while old walruses, which have been in cold water for a long time, are almost pink in color.
The walrus only has 2 enemies
Killer whales and polar bears are considered the most dangerous enemies of the walrus. Although a person sometimes poses for him sometimes the most terrible threat.
If a walrus cub is left without a mother, then another walrus will adopt him
Yes, even if the mother dies, there will still be a female who will feed the cub until it gets stronger and grows its tusks to defend itself from attackers.
Walruses that live in captivity are left without tusks
No, they are not sawn off by poachers, simply, following their instincts, the walrus begins to dig the smooth walls of the pool in search of food, which is why the tusks break.
Recall that we previously wrote that
Every nation has its own culinary traditions. For example, if the daily diet of Europeans and the vast majority of Russians includes such types of meat as beef, pork or lamb, then for representatives of some ethnic groups of the north dishes prepared from the meat of sea inhabitants are more familiar: walruses, seals or seals. By the way, not so long ago in the Russian media there were statements that such delicacies would soon appear on the shelves of our stores. To what extent is the domestic consumer ready to get acquainted with such products? The big question is, because few of us know what seal meat tastes like and what can be cooked from it at home.
Taste qualities of a seal
A conversation about the taste of seal meat should begin with the fact that, although this marine mammal has been considered a traditional object of hunting for northern peoples, for example, Evenks, for centuries, it is reliably known that its meat has never been widely eaten. That is, of course, the indigenous inhabitants of the northern regions of Russia ate such meat, but they did it only in case of emergency, when it became a matter of survival in extreme conditions. As for daily use seals, there is no such tradition. These animals were mined mainly because of the skins that were used for tailoring and home improvement. Fat was also used for domestic purposes, while meat was used as food for dogs, hunting baits, and even for fertilizer, burying it in specially prepared pits.
It is no secret that the taste of the meat of any animal is largely determined by its diet. In this regard, it is necessary to clarify that seals menu mostly consists of fish, which accordingly affects the culinary characteristics of seal meat. Those who have tasted seal meat say that it smells strongly of fish. Moreover, this smell and taste are so stable that they are not eliminated even under the influence of special means and a large number of aromatic seasonings.
Also, experts note the high level of fat content of such a product. This is explained by the fact that the seal lives in the waters of cold seas and without a significant supply of fat in such conditions it simply cannot survive. In this way, You can’t call seal meat dietary - that’s a fact.
Culinary Perspectives
What can be cooked from seal meat? Skilled chefs say that with a certain approach, any product can become the basis delicious dish that will win the heart of even the most demanding gourmet. For example, experts say that seals can make wonderful meatballs- this is the most acceptable and promising option, since for the preparation of cutlets or other minced meat products it is possible to mix seal meat with other types of meat that are more familiar to us. This will positively affect both the taste of the final product and the level of fat content in it. Adding a large amount of appropriate seasonings and spices to the minced meat also helps to solve the problem of a specific taste and smell.
Yet it is assumed that a form of cooking such as smoking will help to make seal meat more palatable. Especially if sawdust from such wood species that have a strong, persistent aroma is used in hot smoking technology. Besides, the possibility of producing canned meat from seal meat is being considered. True, it must be said that similar experiments were already carried out by the Soviet food industry - in the 80s, whale meat stew appeared on the shelves. Then the experiment failed - the Soviet consumer did not like such a delicacy.
So, seal meat tastes like a rather specific product - there is a rather stable smell and a characteristic taste of fish, which is the basis of the diet of these mammals. It is difficult to get rid of them, even careful pre-treatment, as well as the use of a large amount of fragrant spices, solves this problem only partially. Despite this, some experts argue that due to modern technologies food industry from seal meat, it is quite possible to prepare wonderful semi-finished products, as well as smoked meats and stew.
Be sure to read:
Each nation has its own unique national dishes. Czech cuisine hard to imagine without pork knuckle, Italian - without thin slices of carpaccio, and Spanish - without jamon. And here a national dish Nenets, Chukchi and Eskimos is called kopalkhen.
The peoples of the North have been using it since childhood. meat delicacy, however, people who are unprepared cannot try kopalchen, since the consequences can be disastrous.
Kopalchen is a northern "delicacy", the description of which may seem disgusting to many. The dish is “prepared” most often from fresh venison, less often from walrus, seal or even whale. The carcass of the animal is harvested as a whole, such a supply of food can be enough for the whole family for several weeks or even months.
The first step in "preparing" kopalchen is to properly kill the animal. If we are talking about a deer, then they choose the healthiest and strongest of the herd. Further, they beat him off from the herd and keep him hungry for several days. So the deer's stomach is completely cleansed naturally, and the animal can be sent for slaughter. They kill the deer by strangulation, trying not to damage the skin so that there are no wounds on the body. Next, the carcass of the animal is immersed in a swamp, sprinkled with turf, and a mark is made at the place of its "burial". Interestingly, in the Soviet years, pioneer ties were used as markings, which were clearly visible and did not fade in any weather.
The carcass is left under water for a period of at least six months. After, in winter, they dig it out and eat it. During this time, the meat begins to decompose, cadaveric poisons are released, which is why an unprepared person should never try kopalchen. And it is unlikely that any of the tourists will want to taste carrion: kopalchen has a specific look and smell, which completely discourages appetite. Local peoples eat such meat with pleasure, for them it is a saving stock in the event that hunters fail to get food for a long time. The Eskimos and the Nenets got used to cutting the frozen kopalkhen into thin slices and seasoning with salt before use.
Kopalchen has been known since ancient times. Such meat is high in calories, so just a few pieces are enough for an adult man to work all day in the cold without freezing and without experiencing physical exhaustion.
So that the use of kopalchen does not cause poisoning, children are taught to eat fresh meat from birth. Infants are given a piece of meat or bacon instead of a pacifier, and after the child has grown up, he eats kopalchen along with older family members. Kopalchen, by the way, is also used to feed sled dogs.
Each northern people has its own traditions. For example, the Nenets prefer to prepare deer meat for the winter, the Chukchi prefer walrus meat, and the Canadian Inuit prefer whale meat. Another version of this dish is a seal stuffed with seagulls. The cooking method is similar: leave the skinned carcass for several months in the permafrost, and then, having dug it out, can be eaten.
The cadaveric poison contained in rotten meat will definitely lead to severe poisoning or death if a stranger decides to taste such a dish, but for local residents this is a real salvation from starvation and a delicacy.
sources
The meat of the Far Eastern seal is good for food, but it is unprofitable to trade it. Some private companies want to revive the pinniped fishery, but this is an expensive pleasure that requires large investments. In addition, the question of sales markets remains open: the product will be too expensive for the local population, and foreign companies are not interested in Far Eastern seal meat. Mikhail Maminov, Leading Engineer of the TINRO Center, and Albert Yarochkin, Head of the Laboratory for the Problems of the Rational Use of Hydrobionts, spoke about this in an interview with the Zolotoy Rog newspaper.
The All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography has taken up the development of standards for food products from seal meat. Such information appeared the other day in the central media. According to scientists' estimates, they said, the population of seals, walruses, ringed seals and fur seals has increased, which makes it possible to start commercial mining without harm to the environment.
Since the seas of the Far East are habitats for these animals, the Golden Horn asked the employees of the Pacific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO-Center) to assess the resources of marine mammals, and most importantly, the demand for products from them. It's no secret that the Russian diet, in general, has never had this meat, with the exception of whale meat, and then in the era of Soviet times. The ban on whale fishing has deprived us of this, which few people regret.
IN Soviet time fishing for pinnipeds in the country was quite active, but their meat was used exclusively for feeding fur-bearing animals. Although some argue that in the old days, walrus meat was quite often on sale on Sakhalin and in Moscow. With the actual collapse of the fur industry, maybe not in all of Russia, but in the Far East for sure, this trade is a thing of the past.
Does it make economic sense to revive it? Zolotoy Rog is discussing this issue with Mikhail Maminov, Leading Engineer of the TINRO Center, and Albert Yarochkin, Head of the Laboratory for Problems of the Rational Use of Hydrobionts.
We can live as vegetarians, but the meat of marine mammals is good for human health, says Mikhail Maminov. - Fishing has never undermined the population. According to our forecasts, up to 56,000 animals can be caught annually in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. Today, about 1-1.5 thousand seals are caught, the same number of walruses. Basically, these volumes are used to feed the indigenous peoples of the North.
A quota is needed for the production of marine animals, as well as for fishing, which is allocated by the Federal Agency for Fishery. There has always been a catch of pinnipeds in the USSR, and it stopped due to the collapse of the ship's hunting fleet.
Now there are private companies that would like to revive the fishery, but the pleasure is expensive, large investments are required. In addition, seals are not as big animals as whales, and at the same time it is impossible to get a large amount of meat from their catch.
- Mikhail Konstantinovich, have you tried products made from marine mammals?
Tried it, delicious. When well cooked, it's always delicious, but you have to know how to cook.
- Do you think that these products can be in demand among the population?
This is a big question. Everything depends on the technologists. First you need to try, everyone has their own taste. By the way, in the 30s, canned seals were very popular, even from beluga whales, these are cetaceans. Medicines are made from the meat of marine mammals good quality. But, since all this requires large investments, so far there are no people who want to develop this direction.
- Is there a demand for these resources from foreign companies?
On our resources, in my opinion, no. In the past, marine mammals were harvested in large numbers by Norway, Finland and Canada. The meat went to the domestic markets of these countries and to other European countries. Then the "greens" achieved a ban, and mass production ceased. As far as I know, the Norwegians and Finns are seeking permission to resume fishing.
The meat of marine mammals will certainly be expensive, since these are animals, I don’t take sea lions, they are small, - says Albert Yarochkin. - Their fat is very healing, contains up to 30% polyunsaturated fatty acids.
If it is mined, then it must be quickly processed so that it does not lose its value. All hydrobionts differ in this. It is necessary to freeze quickly, pack in a good, gas-tight film, etc.
- Are mother ships needed for such fishing?
Not necessary.
- Does this mean that onshore processing, located close to the fishing areas, will be required?
Yes, representatives of the tribal community of small nationalities contacted us from Koryakia so that we could make a technical justification for the processing of marine animals. They asked how they could set up economically profitable fishing and processing of these objects not only for themselves, but also for the market. We have done a feasibility study. Calculations have shown that under certain conditions this can be economically justified. Special vessels will be required, which could also be used for fishing. This will eliminate seasonality in such work.
- Does anyone already process the meat of marine animals?
A few years ago, Americans in Chukotka built a factory for the production of canned walrus meat in the village of Larino. It worked for a while, but now it's worth it. In Khabarovsk, there is a firm "Larga", which has a quota for a certain number of seals. They get good edible fat from it, package it and sell it. They say it's in demand. I don't know about meat. They were going to freeze it and turned to us for recommendations, took the documentation; how it all ended, we do not know.
From RIA PrimaMedia, we recall that Primorsky scientists doubt the possibility of catching seals in Primorye: firstly, products from their meat have never been in great demand, and secondly, seals are found on the territory of the reserve, where their catching is prohibited.
However, a petition has already appeared on the Internet in defense of the Far Eastern seals - the authors ask the initiators of the idea of production of products from seal meat to abandon this idea and call on the authorities to prevent the revival of industrial killing.
