Traditional Buryat cuisine as a component of the ethnocultural identity of the Buryat population of the Trans-Baikal Territory

The subject of this article is the traditional cuisine of the Buryat people, the object is the ethnocultural identity of the Buryat population of the Trans–Baikal Territory. The author examines in detail such aspects of the topic as ethnocultural markers of the ethnos, traditions and cooking technologies, observance of the ancestral features of the national cuisine, recipes existing in the territory of the region and its individual parts. The author partially presents the developed theoretical materials concerning the issues of Buryat cuisine and thematic interviewing materials collected as part of expedition trips to the territory of the Aginsky district of the Aginsky Buryat district of the Trans-Baikal Territory, including the technology and recipe for cooking traditional Buryat dishes. The author lists the forms of events (festivals and holidays) that exist in the region, popularizing the traditional cuisine and culture of the Buryat population of the Trans-Baikal Territory. The main method of research was the analysis of thematic literature and materials, interviewing speakers of traditional culture within the framework of expedition trips. As the main conclusions, the author cites expediency, rationality, geographical and climatic features, conditions and place of residence of ethnic communities as main factors of shaping the local cuisine. And today, thanks to scientific and technological progress, ethnic identity, including in traditional cuisine, is gradually decreasing or disappearing completely. Therefore, the issue of fixing and transferring ethnic culture, including traditions, customs, etc., to future generations in order to preserve their ethno-cultural identity, is acute. Many people do not realize how important and existential this can be for some people who live and think through the prism of their ethnicity.