Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
For Senior Citizens Day, participants of the Moscow Longevity project and orphans released a cookbook with recipes from the dishes they prepared during their joint classes. It was posted onspecial page on the website of the Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the City of Moscow.
The Silver Mentoring project began two and a half years ago. It brought together participants of the Moscow Longevity project and children from orphanages. Since then, the children and their Silver Mentors have held approximately 850 joint events. Cooking master classes are especially popular.
"The strength of the Silver Mentoring project lies in its diversity. Each center offers unique activities that engage both children and mentors: together, they master video editing, learn to pitch tents, go on excursions around Moscow, and read fairy tales. But cooking is a special experience that unites everyone. Baking, salads, sweets, and even homemade preserves from home-grown vegetables are just a part of our culinary creativity. I am confident that these skills will provide a solid foundation for the children and will help them both in their future families and in their independent lives," noted Tatyana Danko, Head of the Moscow Guardianship and Trusteeship Department.
Department of Labor and Social Protection.
Suvorov's porridge and pancake traditions
On the recipe page, you can find not only instructions for preparing various dishes, but also legends that the "silver" mentors shared with children while cooking.
For example, mentor Galina Chirova told the students at the Yury Nikulin Center for Assistance to Family Education that the recipe for soldier's porridge was once invented by the famous military leader Alexander Suvorov. During a difficult march through the Alps, he ordered all the soldiers' food supplies to be collected and cooked together. The cauldron contained grains, vegetables, peas, and stewed meat. This is how soldier's porridge was born, which warmed and nourished generations of Russian soldiers. Galina herself learned this from her father, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War.
Food often helps preserve folk traditions. For example, in Rus', the custom of going door-to-door was associated with blini: on Maslenitsa, people would visit friends and always treat themselves to blini to share the joy before the long fast. Galina Krasnova, a "silver" mentor, remembers this tradition. She shared not only the recipe but also the story behind it with the students at the Sputnik Family Support Center. In the communal apartment where she spent her childhood, each family made blini using their own signature recipes: thin yeast blini, wheat blini, buckwheat blini, or blini with toppings. Everyone would gather around one large table, set it with various dishes, and share the treats with each other, like one big family.
Fortune telling with dumplings
Many superstitions were associated with pelmeni. In large families, several generations would make them. Some pelmeni even had surprises hidden inside them. This transformed an ordinary lunch or dinner into a fun fortune-telling experience. A coin promised wealth, a ring a quick wedding, and a grain of grain meant prosperity in the home. It was believed that such a ritual not only predicted the future but also brought good luck and prosperity to the home. "Silver" mentor Valentina Lyskova preserved this tradition and shared it with her children. In her family, the recipe for lucky pelmeni is passed down from generation to generation. She replaced coins and rings with edible surprises: a raisin foretells joy, a sprig of dill health, and a berry good luck.
The page also features recipes for pie, stuffed pumpkin, Easter cake, jam, charlotte, potato, sauerkraut, and other dishes. A special menu item is gnocchi, based on the grandmother's recipe by Italian chef Mirko Zago, who held a master class for children and instructors. The ingredients for this unusual dish are readily available in any kitchen, as it's based on mashed potatoes and mushrooms.
You can read warm stories and learn time-tested recipes atlinkThe participants plan to add new ideas, legends, and stories of happy moments in the kitchen to the collection.
Sobyanin: The unique Silver Mentoring project has turned two years old.Older Muscovites celebrated Maslenitsa with children from orphanage centers.
Anyone over 55 can take part in the Silver Mentoring project. To do so, please contact any of theMoscow longevity centers.
You can learn more about the capital's family education support centers on the portal My New FamilyIt contains useful information for future and existing adoptive parents, graduates of family support centers and foster families, as well as anyone interested in helping children left without parental care.
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Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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