The history of Russia is multifaceted and colorful. Interesting facts run like a red thread through it - about architectural monuments, cities and residents, people with extraordinary skills and talents. It was the latter who created the history of modern Russia with their own hands, glorified it in songs and poems.
Culinary excellence deserves special attention. These are not only world-famous dumplings and dishes of Siberian cuisine, but also Tula or printed Gorodets gingerbread.
Gorodets
The city was founded at the same time as Moscow. It has always attracted the attention of not only historians and local historians, but also tourists. The colorful town is famous for handicrafts in different directions, such as woodcarving, painting and other folk crafts. During the merchant boom in Tsarist Russia, Gorodets became the Old Believer capital of the Volga region andconnected Moscow with the world-famous Kerzhensky sketes.
Modern Gorodets is the museum capital of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. There is a whole quarter of museums here. In its complex there are such museums: local history, kindness, samovars, children's, the City of Masters and the Gingerbread Museum (Russia). Gorodets is a place worth coming to find out the interesting past of your homeland. Here you can get new vivid impressions.
The Gorodets Gingerbread Museum in Gorodets is known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.
This small town on the banks of the Volga is famous for the resting place of Alexander Nevsky. The locals are also proud of the fact that Yuriy Dolgoruky founded Gorodets. The question is debatable. But, one way or another, the name of the Grand Duke attracts tourists here. And leaving the town, travelers certainly buy gingerbread as a gift. For three centuries Gorodets has been famous for its gingerbread craft.
History
In the second half of the 19th century, a real gingerbread boom began in Gorodets. This was facilitated by the proximity of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair. From here, delicacies even got to Central Asia. The competition was strong - 15 establishments baked printed gingerbread, and the assortment consisted of more than 30 varieties.
Baking such a delicacy is associated with the Old Believers. Indeed, many gingerbread masters really belonged to this trend. Many well-known Nizhny Novgorod families (Glazunovs, Bakharevs, Gunyakovs) were engaged in baking gingerbread. Moreover, their delicacies were delivered tothe royal table. And sometimes the weight of baking reached one and a half pounds. These were the largest gingerbreads that Gorodets Old Believer merchants presented to Nicholas II on a silver platter.
Weight and size - this is what distinguished Gorodets gingerbread. The main secret - the composition of the dough and the filling - was transmitted only by inheritance. It is not enough for the gingerbread to be tasty, it had to be elegant. The printed boards made this confection a true piece of art.
How does Gorodets gingerbread start? The history and recipe of the delicacy raise many questions and consist of interesting facts.
Recipe
Gorodets gingerbread begins with the preparation of raw materials for kneading dough. First, flour is sifted, granulated sugar is diluted and heated, the mixture is filtered. Melted margarine and molasses are also mixed. The last ingredient is added to the dough for softness. No chemical leavening agents are used in production. Therefore, the shelf life is very short: in summer - 20 days, in winter - 30 days. This simple recipe is hundreds of years old.
The dough is kneaded for about 20 minutes, then it is weighed and rolled out. Muffin layers are laid out on gingerbread boards. Then the bakers spread the filling of raisins and marmalade, gradually adding spices: cinnamon, anise, cloves, cardamom and ginger. Basically, all work on the preparation of gingerbread is carried out manually. Forms can be different, and the weight of a sweet product starts from 50 grams to 6 kilograms. The recipe is always the same, only differentshape and weight of gingerbread.
Crafting secrets
After the oven, the gingerbread should cool down a bit. It is important that the pretzel remains warm so that the sugar syrup will lay down as it should, and the pastry will shine in the sun. This process is called replication or glazing. Gingerbread cookies are covered with hot sugar syrup and left to dry for 8-10 hours. Ready Gorodets gingerbread is packed in a film, so it will keep its freshness longer. Although it's hard to imagine that such a delicacy will not be immediately eaten.
Shape
The most popular forms of gingerbread are plant motifs, images of the sun and animals. Over time, various holiday inscriptions, patterns, attributes of the type of activity, and so on, are more in demand. In Gorodets, gingerbread is baked to order and for various special occasions. There are boards with forms for different occasions.
Gingerbreads depicting Yuri Dolgoruky and Alexander Nevsky are in great demand among tourists. Willingly buy and "City of Masters". This is another attraction of Gorodets.
Board
The quality of the board affects the appearance of the gingerbread. Linden staves are easy to work with, birch staves are heavier. But the clearer and deeper the pattern is cut, the more beautiful the gingerbread.
If the mold does not deteriorate, crack or chip, it can be in use for more than fifty years. When a board with a running pattern becomes unusable, it is restored. And if that's not possible, the bakers order a new stave.
Folkcraftsmen, wood carvers, carve intricate clichés with symbols of birds, animals, patterns and inscriptions. This is quite painstaking work, since the drawing on the board must be done in a mirror image using a whole arsenal of special tools. Before proceeding with the carving, the image is applied to tracing paper. Coming up with new forms, masters adhere to old patterns. Sometimes they just make lines.
Museum
The House of Sweet Delights was opened in 2008 and is located in the estate of the merchant's house I. Ya. Petelin. The building itself was built in 1906 and became a model of a city estate. The intricate architecture of the building with elements of Art Nouveau, although not related to the history of local delicacies, is very similar to it.
What can you learn and see by visiting the Gorodets Gingerbread Museum? The expositions are devoted not only to the history of the dessert, but also to the rich recipes of sweets and gingerbread boards for making them. The exhibitions reflect the history of the gingerbread industry of the 19th century, the Red Gingerbread Artel of the Soviet period and the modern Gorpischekombinat.
Exposure and reviews
The pride of the museum's exposition are various gingerbread boards, photographs of finished products and various souvenirs, which visitors often mention in their reviews.
Here is an interesting board with two starlets for printing a five-kilogram gingerbread. Fine elegant carving was made by the hands of Yegor Bakharev himself from the dynasty of the same name. It was made back in the 30s of the last century and was in operation until recently. After manufacturingcopies of a valuable board, the original became an exhibit.
The gingerbread roll was also interesting for the eyes of visitors, which could simultaneously produce 72 gingerbread with various symbols - hammer and sickle, geometric and floral ornaments. In this way, a gingerbread without filling was obtained, or, as it was called at that time, a snack bar. A similar gingerbread was often served at the end of the holiday, then it was called "accelerating". With his help, the hosts hinted to the guests that “it would be time to know already.”
The Gorodets Gingerbread Museum will introduce the visitor to finished products of various shapes and sizes - from 20 grams to 6 kilograms. Visitors pay special attention to the dish on which gingerbread was served to representatives of the Romanov royal family. According to an eyewitness, it looks really royal.
Come visit
If you look at the Gorodetsky Gingerbread Museum, whose address is Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gorodets, st. Lenina, house 2, then you will definitely plunge into the world of sweet gingerbread childhood and fabulous magic. Visitors talk about what is interesting here for both children and adults.
Printed gingerbread today, like hundreds of years ago, carries a unique feeling of the upcoming holiday and, judging by the reviews, remains the best gift that you can bring from Gorodets.
