Traditional types of pickles among the Gagauz

Abstract

This article, based on the author’s field materials and ethnographic essays by V. A. Moshkov, discusses the features of the preparation of pickles among the Gagauz. The paper provides a description of some types of pickles, folk beliefs associated with their preparation; attention is paid to the spices and seasonings used; a comparative analysis is carried out with the food culture of the population of the Balkan Peninsula and neighboring peoples in Southern Bessarabia (Bulgarians, Moldavians / Romanians, Ukrainians, etc.). In the Gagauz food system, pickles called “turşu” are one of the important elements of the food culture that make up the daily diet in winter. The Gagauz made the following types of pickles: peppers stuffed with a mixture of grated carrots, cabbage and onions; salted tomatoes, to which chopped carrots, beets, apples were added; salted cabbage, cucumbers; salty watermelons. In general, the Gagauz have preserved the traditional methods of preparing pickles, but some changes are currently being observed. For example, for the past three decades, plastic containers have been used instead of wooden pickle barrels. In addition, the author believes that the frying of minced meat for peppers (carrots, cabbage and onions) appeared among the Gagauz under the influence of the Moldavian food traditions. “Turşu” is an integral part of the food code of the Gagauz and demonstrates the adaptive nature of the nutrition system of the people as a whole, in accordance with the natural, geographical and ecological conditions for the existence of the ethnic group.