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It's got a PICTURE:
http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/6421/
http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/6421/
Ok, here's more from Olearius from The travels of Olearius in Seventeenth-Century Russia, ed. Samel H. Baron (Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 1967):
"We recieved daily 62 loaves of bread, each worth a kopek; a quarter of beef; four sheep, 12 chickens, and two geese; a hare or a partridge; 50 eggs; ten kopeks for candles, and five kopeks for the kitchen. In addition, we recieved weekly a pud ([36] pounds) of butter, a pud of salt, three buckets of vinegar, two sheep, and a goose. We daily recieved 15 tankards for the ambassadors and hofjunkers; three small ones of vodka, one of Spanish wine, eight of various meads, and three of beer. In addition, they provided for our attendants one barrel of beer, a small cask of mead, and another small cask of vodka.
These provisions were furnished in double measure on the day of our arrival and also on Palm Sunday, Easter, and the young prince's birthday...." (p.96)
"We recieved daily 62 loaves of bread, each worth a kopek; a quarter of beef; four sheep, 12 chickens, and two geese; a hare or a partridge; 50 eggs; ten kopeks for candles, and five kopeks for the kitchen. In addition, we recieved weekly a pud ([36] pounds) of butter, a pud of salt, three buckets of vinegar, two sheep, and a goose. We daily recieved 15 tankards for the ambassadors and hofjunkers; three small ones of vodka, one of Spanish wine, eight of various meads, and three of beer. In addition, they provided for our attendants one barrel of beer, a small cask of mead, and another small cask of vodka.
These provisions were furnished in double measure on the day of our arrival and also on Palm Sunday, Easter, and the young prince's birthday...." (p.96)
Russian historic mythology
Feb. 21st, 2005 05:12 pmReported by Olearius between 1630-1654, as a urban story from Novgorod:
"The Novgorodians, when they were still pagans, had an idol called Perun, the god of fire (the Russians call a flame perun). At the place where the idol once stood, they built a monastery, which preserves the god's name, for it is called Perun Monastery. The idol was in the form of a man holding in his hands a flint that looked like a thunderbolt or an arrow. In honor of this god they burned oak wood day and night; if the attendant negligently allowed the flame to go out, he paid with his life. When the Novgorodians were baptized as Christians, they flung the idol into the Volkhov. It is said that the idol floated against the current; when it came to the bridge a voice said, "Novgorodians, here is something to remember me by," and immediately a cudgel was thrown up onto the bridge. The voice of Perun was heard afterward on certain days of the year, and then the inhabitants fled in panic and beat each other with sticks so cruelly that the voevoda was hard put to pacify them. According to a reliable witness, Baron von Heberstein, similar things occurred in his time, too. Nothing of the sort is heard of any more." (p. 93)
"The Novgorodians, when they were still pagans, had an idol called Perun, the god of fire (the Russians call a flame perun). At the place where the idol once stood, they built a monastery, which preserves the god's name, for it is called Perun Monastery. The idol was in the form of a man holding in his hands a flint that looked like a thunderbolt or an arrow. In honor of this god they burned oak wood day and night; if the attendant negligently allowed the flame to go out, he paid with his life. When the Novgorodians were baptized as Christians, they flung the idol into the Volkhov. It is said that the idol floated against the current; when it came to the bridge a voice said, "Novgorodians, here is something to remember me by," and immediately a cudgel was thrown up onto the bridge. The voice of Perun was heard afterward on certain days of the year, and then the inhabitants fled in panic and beat each other with sticks so cruelly that the voevoda was hard put to pacify them. According to a reliable witness, Baron von Heberstein, similar things occurred in his time, too. Nothing of the sort is heard of any more." (p. 93)
Moscow fruit, 1633-1653
Feb. 17th, 2005 01:30 pmOk, again from Olearius, from The travels of Olearius in Seventeenth-Century Russia, ed. Samel H. Baron (Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 1967):
"In some places, especially in Moscow, there are also fine garden plants, such as apples, pears, cherries, plums, and red currants. Thus the actual situation here is very different from the one depicted by Herberstein, Guagnino, and others, who contend that, because of the extreme cold, there are no fruits or delicious apples to be found in Russia. Among other good apples, there is one kind whose flesh is so tender and white that if you hold it up to the sun you can see the seeds. However, although they are of excellent appearance and taste, they cannot be stored long, unlike German apples, because of their extremely high water content.
They also have all sorts of kitchen vegetables, notably asparagus as thick as a thumb, which I myself sampled in Moscow at the home of a good friend of mine, a Dutch merchant. Besides, they grow good cucumbers, onions, and garlic, in great quantities. The Russians have never planted lettuce or other salad greens; they paid them no attention and not only did not eat them but even laughed at the Germans who did, saying that they ate grass. Now some of them are beginning to try salad. They grow melons everywhere in enormous quantities, thus providing an important article of trade and nutriment. The melons grown here are great not only in number but also in size, and are so delicious and sweet that they may be eaten without sugar. In 1643 a good friend sent me a pud of these melons when I left Moscow."
"In some places, especially in Moscow, there are also fine garden plants, such as apples, pears, cherries, plums, and red currants. Thus the actual situation here is very different from the one depicted by Herberstein, Guagnino, and others, who contend that, because of the extreme cold, there are no fruits or delicious apples to be found in Russia. Among other good apples, there is one kind whose flesh is so tender and white that if you hold it up to the sun you can see the seeds. However, although they are of excellent appearance and taste, they cannot be stored long, unlike German apples, because of their extremely high water content.
They also have all sorts of kitchen vegetables, notably asparagus as thick as a thumb, which I myself sampled in Moscow at the home of a good friend of mine, a Dutch merchant. Besides, they grow good cucumbers, onions, and garlic, in great quantities. The Russians have never planted lettuce or other salad greens; they paid them no attention and not only did not eat them but even laughed at the Germans who did, saying that they ate grass. Now some of them are beginning to try salad. They grow melons everywhere in enormous quantities, thus providing an important article of trade and nutriment. The melons grown here are great not only in number but also in size, and are so delicious and sweet that they may be eaten without sugar. In 1643 a good friend sent me a pud of these melons when I left Moscow."
Russia, 1633, colored eggs
Feb. 16th, 2005 02:15 pmFrom The travels of Olearius in Seventeenth-Century Russia, ed. Samel H. Baron (Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 1967):
"On May 24th, the Saturday before Pentecost, I went to Russian Narva to see how Russians honored the memory of their deceased relatives and friends. The cemetery was full of Russian women, who had spread upon the graves and gravestones beautifully sewn, varicolored handkerchiefs, on which they set dishes containing three or four long pancakes and pies, two or three pieces of dried fish, and colored eggs. ( Read more... )
"On May 24th, the Saturday before Pentecost, I went to Russian Narva to see how Russians honored the memory of their deceased relatives and friends. The cemetery was full of Russian women, who had spread upon the graves and gravestones beautifully sewn, varicolored handkerchiefs, on which they set dishes containing three or four long pancakes and pies, two or three pieces of dried fish, and colored eggs. ( Read more... )
