Kustova J. G. Carbohydrate Food in the Traditional Khakass Food Culture

Julia G. Kustova
A. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University
Saint Petersburg, Russia
E-mail: juliakustova@yandex.ru

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ABSTRACT. The traditional diet of the Khakass, similar to those of the other peoples of the Sayano-Altai, is based on carbohydrate food. Since the ancient times it has consisted of cereal crops and wild roots. Of the cereals, barley and wheat in their domesticated form remain the most popular ones. The wild plants are considered a great help in providing the body with energy, among them being Lilium martagon L. and Erythrōnium sibīricum, which are now out of use, as well as hemp seeds. Starting from the nineteenth century potatoes were grown in the territory of the Khakass-Minusinsk Hollow. The Khakass also included such products as pine nuts, berries, wild and apiary honey into their diet to provide their bodies with energy and strength. The consumption of all these products is peculiar as they were irreplaceable both in the daily diet and in cases when one had to leave home for a long time—as it happened, for example, with hunters and shepherds. Fried or crushed in a pounder or quern, grain was convenient to be eaten on the road, as it was a completely ready-to-eat product which should have been complemented with only one liquid—tea, water, ayran, etc. Toasted whole grains were poured into the pockets of children so that they would not feel hunger during the day. A complex of objects of material culture is connected with the use of these products; and we have found some references to them in the Khakass folklore.

KEYWORDS: Khakassia, traditional food system, carbohydrate food

УДК 392.8(=152.153)
DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2020-1(7)-74-78