Italian

Italian food, or at least pizza and pasta, is an international phenomenon. As in many countries, children in Britain grow up eating spaghetti, and take away pizza is one of the top fast foods. But there is another reason why Italian restaurants have a special place in the history of food in Britain. There has been an Italian community there for more than 100 years, and Italian coffee bars and restaurants in the 1950s and 1960s gave the British their first introduction to foreign food. Once their natural conservatism had been broken down by a cappuccino and a plate of lasagne, Londoners were ready to experiment. Soon the whole country was enjoying the food of Italy.

Chinese

Chinese restaurant menus often have more than 100 different dishes on them. There are several reasons for this. Chinese history goes back a long way, and ancestors and traditions are important; so the old ways - and the old recipes - are not forgotten. Also, China is a very big country, with distinct regions such as Beijing, Szechuan and Guangzhou, each having its own cuisine. But most important is the Chinese way of eating: they like lots of different, small dishes at a meal rather than one or two big ones. Meat, fish, chicken and vegetables are often stir-fried in a wok: cooked quickly without much oil. The results are fresh and delicious, and should be eaten immediately. (Take away Chinese food is often very disappointing - it loses that all-important freshness.)

Greek

There are a lot of Greeks in Britain, but actually not many come from Greece. Most are from the island of Cyprus, which used to be British. Their most typical dish, the kebab (meat and salad in an envelope of hot pitta bread), is perfect for eating in the street: that is why there are so many Greek and Turkish take away restaurants. But the Greeks are also famous for creating an atmosphere in their restaurants, with bouzouki music and traditional dancing, sometimes on the tables. Greek food has really caught on in Britain. In every supermarket you will find hummus, taramasalata, Greek yoghurt and pitta bread.

How would you describe your own national cuisine? What are the best things about it?

Do you think that cooking is an important part of life, or a waste of time?

Do you think is a significant part of a national culture, like music or literature?

What foreign food is popular in your country?

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TEXT (from «Аэрофлот»)

Dear editor,

As a lover of cooking I recently tasted Russian fruit jam which was com­pletely different from what we here call confiture or jam. I liked it but I have no idea whether this is the kind of jam that is widespread in Russia or how it is prepared. Would you be so kind as to elaborate on it a little bit?

Brigitte Lacoste,

France

Dear Brigitte,

What you tasted was the Russian varenye, which is quite specific for the Slav parts of the former Soviet Union. The term itself is very old, it comes from the verb varit' — to cook — and in ancient Russia it was used to signify any sweet dish containing berries, fruits or nuts and prepared with the help of hon- -ey or sugar. By the way, ancient Russians also made varenye from such unlikely products as carrots, radish, turnips and various flowers and flower petals.

The main difference between varenye and jam or confiture is that the ber­ries or fruits used for cooking are always preserved as they are and may be cut in half only if they are particularly large, i.e. if one is making pear or quince varenye. Thus, a good varenye consists of the whole and unbroken fruits or ber­ries floating in syrup that might be heavy-bodied but always remains liquid, un­like jam or confiture which turns rather solid and comes as a single mass.

The first rule of a good varenye is that it must preserve its natural color. It al­so must preserve and strengthen the natural taste of berries and fruits and nev­er taste of sugar. And the third rule is that the berries or fruits used must be transparent and float evenly in ajar of varenye without falling to its bottom.

It all sounds simple and the task of making varenye seems easy but much too often we see varenye which is either too liquid, or brownish, or sugary. To keep it short, a good varenye needs a cook's full attention.

There are several main principles to remember when making varenye, the key one is that the volumes of berries and sugar usually must be equal. Secondly, the berries and fruits are never cooked together with sugar but are submerged in boiling syrup. In addition, any berries or fruits must be thoroughly washed, their stones or pips removed etc. Initially, a large fire is used and at a later stage it is gradually diminished. It is imperative to remove any foam that forms on varenye's surface, while keeping in mind that varenye is never stirred during cooking.

It goes without saying that there are zillion kinds of varenye; so what is the best one? We think that garden and wild strawber­ry and raspberry are excellent and a well-prepared white cherry varenye is second to none, but to each one his or her own taste.

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