Dear friends, not so long ago, we held a quiz at our Russian House, or as it is now fashionable to say, a quiz. The host, Andrei Borisov, is well-known in his hometown of Ghent and always gathers a large crowd, but this was the first such event in Brussels. I must say, we were all terribly nervous: there was almost no sign-up. What to do? But all our concerns turned out to be unnecessary. At the last minute, many people signed up, and even more showed up. It was delightful that families came together. The debates were fierce.
“Dad, I told you! I was right!” – the daughter protests when the correct answer is announced. Dad shrugs apologetically. What can he say? He didn’t take her opinion into account and, as the team captain, grabbed another version. Andrei was expecting two teams, but we had as many as four. People kept arriving, and we had to urgently move the tables around. And even after the event ended, people continued to argue and discuss.
Are you ready to give the correct answer?
Objects that receive the prefix “Tsar-” are those that stand out for their beauty and size among their peers. I will name four, and you tell me which one doesn’t belong. Or perhaps doesn’t belong yet.
- Tsar-Coin
- Tsar-Bell
- Tsar-Vase
- Tsar-Table
One Russian composer had the habit of writing the notes of his musical works with a pencil. But pencil notes do not last long. To preserve them, he would cover the manuscript with a gelatin solution or egg white. Who was this composer?
- Mussorgsky
- Borodin
- Rimsky-Korsakov
- Alyabyev
Match the famous people and their pseudonyms. Find the pairs
- Igor Mozheiko
- Alexei Novikov
- Krylov
- Zilber
- Borisov Kampov
- Alexei Peshkov
- Kirill Simonov
- Golikov
- Korneychukov
- Alexei Peshkov
- Evgeny Petrov
- Yekhiel-Leib Feinzilberg
- Solomon Rabinovich
- Grinevsky
- Volyrk
- Kaverin
- Maxim Gorky
- Gaidar
- Yegudil Khlamida
- Evgeny Kataev
- Kir Bulychev
- Boris Polevoy
- Green
- Konstantin Simonov
- Alexei Novikov-Priboy
- Chukovsky
- Ilya Ilf
- Sholom Aleichem
Tasty topic
- One of the first mentions of a dish with pasta and meat in the navy is related to the mutiny that took place on October 19, 1915, on the battleship “Gangut.” The mutiny was caused by a violation of naval traditions when, after performing physically strenuous work loading coal onto the ship, instead of the usual pasta with meat, the sailors were given barley porridge. This is a simplified version of Bolognese in Soviet style.
- The Russian version of the “thousand-layer” cake appeared in 1912.
- The meringue cake with whipped cream and fresh fruits was named after a Russian celebrity. In 1926, she — by then already a legend — went on tour in Australia and New Zealand. It was then that the history of the dessert named after her began.
- The name of this dish comes from the verb “botet,” meaning “to gain weight.” It was once considered a snack rather than a soup. It was also served with fish (sometimes of expensive sorts) and ice with a red tint.
- Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich’s decree of 1657 forbade the trade of this plant within Russia under threat of death. Apparently, the tsar wanted to stimulate the collection of this plant for export. Our ancestors bought it in China. In Moscow, a pud weighed 90 rubles, while in Florence, it was 6,000 soldi (about 1,500 rubles). This plant became the second source of income in Russia after fur exports.
