SPICE PLANTS IN THE CULTURE OF THE BESERMANS

Abstract

Folk cuisine is an important part of the cultural heritage and offers great resources for the development of tourism, agriculture, preservation of old varieties of cultivated crops and food traditions. The use of spices also makes cuisines special and distinctive. The article deals with the traditions of the Besermans to use local wild, cultivated and exotic herbs. Local and imported spices Besermans call турөн "herbs", курөт турөн "bitter herbs". The choice of local plants as spices is based on their gustatory and spicy-aromatic qualities, as well as their phytoncidal activity and medicinal properties. Among them, local wild spices ( Carum carvi, Mentha arvensis, Filipendula ulmaria ) and long cultivated vegetables with a spicy taste ( Raphanus sativus, Allium cepa, Armoracia rusticana ) prevail. Exotic spices are mainly limited to black pepper and bay leaf. Spices are used in folk cuisine, folk medicine and veterinary medicine. Local and exotic spices are not put into ritual dishes, which indicates the preservation of archaic features in the diet and the special status of ritual cuisine. Traditional knowledge about herbs and spices is relevant to folk cooking demonstrations, gastronomic events, museum work, tourism and agricultural development. The study is based on the authors' field materials.