Why do northern peoples drink the blood of deer? What is it used for?

Nenets, Khanty, Evenki, Chukchi, Koryak, as well as representatives of some other peoples of Siberia and Far East drink the blood of deer. Moreover, it should still be warm. Therefore, entire families often gather around the carcass of a freshly slaughtered animal to begin a shared meal. Why are they doing that?

Vitamins and microelements

Needless to say, how difficult human life is in the Far North. In addition to 50-degree frosts, the polar night and the lack of civilization benefits, many generations of reindeer herders faced a deficiency of microelements essential for health. Especially, we are talking about vitamins C and A, as well as iron, the deficiency of which can cause anemia in humans.

At the same time, the diet of deer in winter time year consists mainly of reindeer moss, and in the summer these ungulates feed on herbs, berries and rare shrubs. The vitamins and minerals that the tundra can provide are deposited in the deer’s body and saturate their blood. Practically the only way get the microelements necessary for health to withstand the long polar night, for representatives of northern peoples for a long time It was the blood of deer. This is how a national tradition, unusual for Europeans, developed.

As a result of numerous studies, scientists have found that a person who eats this product, the level of hemoglobin in the blood increases, more oxygen begins to flow into the muscles and tissues, and this, in turn, increases the performance and endurance of reindeer herders. In the harsh conditions of the Arctic, reindeer blood increases people's chances of survival.

ethnoscience

It's no secret that the lack of essential vitamins and trace elements can lead to the development of numerous diseases. These include metabolic disorders, anemia, hypertension, asthma, osteochondrosis, and cardiovascular dystonia. Residents of the Far North have had to make do with such cases for centuries folk remedies. And one of them was the blood of deer.

The essence of the treatment is clear: an illness caused by a deficiency of vitamins should weaken if the human body receives these substances. In addition, deer blood has a general strengthening effect, promotes fast healing various injuries, wounds and pustules.

It is noteworthy that to treat a sick family member, reindeer herders of the Far North did not always slaughter the reindeer. It happened that they simply made an incision on his neck and collected required amount blood into some vessel. Then the animal's wound was covered with clay. And the man recovered, and the deer remained alive.

Another of the ailments that the inhabitants of the tundra were treated with the help of such traditional medicine, there was impotence. The northerners noticed that eating blood naturally increases sexual activity people, saving them from various problems in the pelvic area.

So jokes about the loving nature of the inhabitants of the Arctic may not have arisen out of nowhere.

Not just deer

Representatives of the northern peoples drink not only deer blood, other animals also serve as a source of nourishing and life-giving liquid for them. For example, hunters are forced to track game for a long time, spending a lot of time and effort on catching walruses or fur-bearing animal. And they need to somehow replenish the body’s energy costs in the cold.

IN old times the hunt was successful a necessary condition the survival of these people. For example, not a single family could survive the long polar night without walrus fat, which was used not only for food, but also for many household purposes. Sometimes all the men of the village went to hunt sea animals.

After completing the hunt, people cut the animal's throat and drank the still warm blood to keep warm and satiated.

Well, what about the Far North without shamans? They not only allowed the reindeer herders to eat this way, but also strongly recommended such a diet.

According to pagan cultists, the soul of any living creature is in its blood. And by drinking it, a person symbolically takes away the power that a particular animal possessed. In other words, by drinking the blood of a bear you can become powerful. If you want to become cunning, kill a fox and eat its red liquid; a wolf can give a person courage, and a wolverine can give a person aggressiveness.

These beliefs are rooted in ancient totemism and animism, when people had not yet completely separated themselves from nature.

Probably the perception of blood as a source vitality led to the emergence scary stories about vampires. After all, some criminals, believing in the immortality that this red liquid could supposedly bestow on a person, could actually kill people in order to prolong life. own life.

Fuel economy

Another reason why residents of the Far North have been eating the warm blood of reindeer since ancient times is the pragmatic desire to save firewood and other fuel.

Starting a fire and maintaining it for a long time requires a lot of logs and branches. This is an irreplaceable supply, very necessary throughout the polar night. Warm blood quickly satisfies hunger and saturates the body. useful substances, and people don’t have to waste firewood.

Therefore, the Nenets, Khanty, Evenks, Chukchi, Koryaks and others northern peoples do not do blood sausage- one of the favorite dishes of residents of some European countries. In addition, cooled blood loses many of its beneficial features, it no longer saturates the body with life-giving energy.

The Nenets, Khanty, Evenks, Chukchi, Koryaks, as well as representatives of some other peoples of Siberia and the Far East drink the blood of deer. Moreover, it should still be warm. Therefore, entire families often gather around the carcass of a freshly slaughtered animal to begin a shared meal. Why are they doing that?

Vitamins and microelements

At the same time, the diet of deer in the winter season consists mainly of reindeer moss, and in the summer these ungulates feed on herbs, berries and rare shrubs. The vitamins and minerals that the tundra can provide are deposited in the deer’s body and saturate their blood. Practically the only way for representatives of northern peoples to obtain the microelements necessary for health to withstand the long polar night for a long time was the blood of deer. This is how a national tradition, unusual for Europeans, developed.

As a result of numerous studies, scientists have found that a person who eats this product increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood, more oxygen begins to flow into the muscles and tissues, and this, in turn, increases the performance and endurance of reindeer herders. In the harsh conditions of the Arctic, reindeer blood increases people's chances of survival.

ethnoscience

It is no secret that the lack of essential vitamins and microelements in a person’s diet can lead to the development of numerous diseases. These include metabolic disorders, anemia, hypertension, asthma, osteochondrosis, and cardiovascular dystonia. For centuries, residents of the Far North were forced to make do with folk remedies in such cases. And one of them was the blood of deer.

The essence of the treatment is clear: an illness caused by a deficiency of vitamins should weaken if the human body receives these substances. In addition, deer blood has a general strengthening effect and promotes rapid healing of various injuries, wounds and pustules.

It is noteworthy that to treat a sick family member, reindeer herders of the Far North did not always slaughter the reindeer. Sometimes they simply made an incision on his neck and collected the required amount of blood into some vessel. Then the animal's wound was covered with clay. And the man recovered, and the deer remained alive.

Another of the ailments that the inhabitants of the tundra were treated with the help of such traditional medicine was impotence. The northerners noticed that eating blood naturally increases the sexual activity of people, relieving them of various problems in the pelvic area.

So jokes about the loving nature of the inhabitants of the Arctic may not have arisen out of nowhere.

Not just deer

Representatives of the northern peoples drink not only deer blood, other animals also serve as a source of nourishing and life-giving liquid for them. For example, hunters are forced to track game for a long time, spending a lot of effort and time on hunting walruses or fur-bearing animals. And they need to somehow replenish the body’s energy costs in the cold.

In earlier times, successful hunting was a necessary condition for the survival of these people. For example, not a single family could survive the long polar night without walrus fat, which was used not only for food, but also for many household purposes. Sometimes all the men of the village went to hunt sea animals.

After completing the hunt, people cut the animal's throat and drank the still warm blood to keep warm and satiated.

Shamans version

Well, what about the Far North without shamans? They not only allowed the reindeer herders to eat this way, but also strongly recommended such a diet.

These beliefs are rooted in ancient totemism and animism, when people had not yet completely separated themselves from nature.

Perhaps the perception of blood as a source of vitality led to the emergence of scary stories about vampires. After all, some criminals, believing in the immortality that this red liquid could supposedly bestow on a person, could actually kill people in order to prolong their own lives.

Fuel economy

Another reason why residents of the Far North have been eating the warm blood of reindeer since ancient times is the pragmatic desire to save firewood and other fuel.

Starting a fire and maintaining it for a long time requires a lot of logs and branches. This is an irreplaceable supply, very necessary throughout the polar night. Warm blood allows you to quickly satisfy hunger and saturate the body with useful substances, and people do not have to waste firewood.

Therefore, the Nenets, Khanty, Evenki, Chukchi, Koryaks and other northern peoples do not make blood sausage - one of the favorite dishes of residents of some European countries. In addition, cooled blood loses many of its beneficial properties; it no longer saturates the body with life-giving energy.

Among modern women And there are many men who are afraid of the sight of blood. But no one had even heard of such incidents in the north. The reason for this was one of the ancient customs eat fresh food.

Nenets reindeer herders have one interesting and a little strange custom for the inhabitants of the European part of our continent. Having killed the deer in such a way that the blood does not flow out of the body, they skin it and then open the insides. At this time, both children and adults converge on the dead animal. While it's still fresh and steamy, they sharp knives cut off small pieces raw meat and eat them by dipping them in blood or washing it down with it. At the same time, they wield knives so deftly that even small children can easily cut something clamped between their teeth. Sometimes it even seems like they might hurt their own nose. They use blood as a spice because it has a salty taste.

Many people have wondered what caused this diet. Researchers of this phenomenon who have studied this issue from different angles can tell us why blood has become one of the popular dishes in this region.

Blood as immune support

We all know a lot about fairy tale characters who feed on blood. The most famous of them are vampires. These are creatures who are not afraid of the diseases of the world around them. Perhaps our ancestors did not draw this conclusion out of nowhere, but by observing how much stronger people who eat blood become.

Blood as a cure for many diseases

Residents of the north are practically unaware of diseases common in mid-latitudes. Scientists examined the composition of their food and came to the conclusion that deer blood helps them maintain health. Having considered the situation from this side, the researchers tried to create a drug that could give a similar effect. This is how a whole series of all kinds of medicines based on deer blood appeared. Such medications help with a number of diseases, namely:

heart diseases;
dystonia;
deafness;
anemia;
hypertension;
osteochondrosis;
overwork;
congestion;
impotence;
stones in the genitourinary system;
sciatica;
furunculosis;
spermatorrhoea;
pleurisy;
gout;
cough of different types;
lumbago;
pustular diseases;
asthma;
nervous exhaustion;
bleeding in the vaginal area;
metabolic disease;
pneumonia.

In addition, drinking blood helps improve the body's regenerative ability, which allows wounds to heal much faster.

The majority of patients who turned to doctors asking for help with work problems musculoskeletal system, have violations of the integrity of bone tissue varying degrees neglect. Most drugs are powerless to cure them. Eating fresh deer blood helps get rid of such diseases, since it contains substances that can play the role of building material for bone tissue. This allows the bones to recover and the body to overcome the disease.

The richness of deer blood also helps normalize general work body. That is why it is useful to use it during the recovery period after an infectious disease.

The influence of deer blood on intelligence and physical condition of the body

Scientists conducted an experiment in which two people in the same conditions ate differently. One of them ate our usual food, and the other had fresh deer blood added to his diet. Before the experiment began, the researchers recorded the IQ level of each of them, as well as physical parameters. After some time they were compared. It turned out that under the same loads, changes in the functioning of their bodies differ significantly. The person who had blood added to their diet had much higher scores than the person who ate regular food.

Scientists believe the reasons for this difference are chemical composition deer blood. The level of hemoglobin increases, which has a positive effect on the amount of oxygen supplied to both the muscles and brain tissue. Thereby, physical state the test subject who consumed the blood improved significantly. Besides, sufficient quantity oxygen helps to “refresh” and also improve memory and reaction, which guarantees an increase in IQ scores.

Deer blood against impotence

One of the most terrible nightmares men of sexually active age – loss of potency. It leads to prolonged depression, aggression, excessive workload. Psychologically weak men quickly become drunkards, seeking solace in wine. Some people pay attention to narcotic substances, as the last pleasure available to them. Stronger individuals drive themselves into rigid frames, forcing you to work with virtually no rest. Thus neither one nor the other can live full life, while constantly struggling with stress, driving themselves into an even deeper state of stress.

Scientists from all over the world are working hard to create drugs that will help get rid of such problems. When new research was carried out taking into account ethnic characteristics, the scientific world was amazed: it turns out that the northern peoples living in plagues and raising deer do not know about such a disease. The research continued, now carefully studying the diet of local residents. As it turned out, not in vain.

Northern peoples are known for often eating the blood of deer. This barbaric habit, as most Europeans will say, helps them cope with diseases that affect the male reproductive system. Even the old residents of their villages retain their sexual health and strength.

We are accustomed to using those drugs that artificially stimulate erection, negatively affecting almost everything internal organs. However, they can only be used by those who are completely confident in their health, since in other cases it can be fatal.

The blood that northerners eat is of natural origin and has absolutely no restrictions based on age, gender or any other characteristics. Everyone who uses it has a high libido and good health. Thanks to blood, residents of the north never experience congestion in the pelvic area, but they have very sensitive nerve endings, which guarantees a quick erection and violent orgasm with sufficiently long sexual intercourse.

Thus, the blood of the deer is recognized as a high-quality medicine that copes well with impotence. Some companies took note of this and began to produce drugs based on it, because the blood itself has high efficiency exclusively fresh.

Fighting Anemia

Anemia is a blood disease in which hemoglobin is significantly reduced, which causes oxygen deficiency fabrics. You can increase your hemoglobin level different ways. Usually people change their diet, enriching it with vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin A. However, few people know that the most effective nutrition for this disease is the addition of deer blood. Those who use it even in small quantities never complain about reduced level hemoglobin.

In addition to the fact that deer blood itself includes a lot of this element blood, it’s also filled with everyone necessary substances, which stimulate its production by the body of the one who consumed this blood.

Reindeer and northern peoples

The peoples of the north live in conditions that are radically different from those to which we are accustomed. The northern summer day and winter night left their mark on everything. And in other respects, nature does not spoil the inhabitants of those latitudes.

The northern regions are inhabited by peoples, the number of people in which is very small. Their Small Peoples of the North. Each of them has its own ancient language. That's when civilization came to them. In other words, young people often began to leave these places, so original languages began to be forgotten. Most of them are actually spoken only by old people. The Russian language is more popular among young people, because for work in modern world they are arranged mainly in Russian cities.

Residents of the Far North make a living fishing and hunting. These are their main activities and sources of food. There is no opportunity to grow grain and vegetables here, so you have to be content with monotonous food. IN summer period nature is blooming, all plants strive to give birth to offspring as quickly as possible. Meadows and swamps are strewn with berries, which people enjoy picking. Only during this period can northerners please themselves fresh berries, replenishing the lack of vitamins in the body. Cloudberries, blueberries, crowberry and other berries are collected and stored for the winter by everyone accessible ways. But this is too little. Very long winters simply deplete the body, since during this period there is no opportunity to replenish the supply of vitamins and minerals available during the summer days.

Despite the fact that modern civilization is trying to colonize these lands, all the settlements located along the rivers and built by modern masters, in most cases, do not become the main ones for the inhabitants of the region. Most of them live in other, less accessible places. They are mostly engaged in reindeer herding.

Such families do not build log houses because they do not need them. Regularly moving from pasture to pasture, they take their home with them. The chum, as the dwelling is called in the northern regions, is very compact and light. It can be transported on carts. This is how northerners live in separate families, roaming with the reindeer. And only once or twice during the year they come to the villages to replenish supplies of necessary products.

The tundra and taiga delight residents of the northern region with all kinds of mushrooms. But people here are not used to eating them. Only in Lately they began to collect this product, dry it and prepare it in other ways (mainly for sale). But deer love mushrooms very much. This food addiction creates additional difficulties for reindeer herders. When mushrooms appear in the forest, deer begin to disperse in search of delicacies.

Observations of the inhabitants of the Far North have led to a disappointing conclusion: both those around them and themselves are to blame for the fact that these peoples remain small in number. Only those residents of the region who do not leave their community can avoid losing their roots. As soon as someone changes his place of residence, accepting the life of a civilized society (for example, settling in Finland), he will feel changes in himself. Anyone who previously lived in a harsh climate will simply relax and change himself from the inside, because the harsh region has taught him to adapt. His children, if he remains here, will completely lose their ancestral roots. Changes are felt even physiological level: the amount of hemoglobin, the ability to adapt to the environment, tastes and even microbiological characteristics become characteristic of the nationality in whose territory a given northerner lives.

Territories where reindeer herders can carry out their usual activities, in last years is decreasing catastrophically. This is due to the fact that modern civilization is extending its hands deeper into the northern pristine beauty. New enterprises are being built, people are installing oil rigs and many other objects that negatively affect environment. Gradually, the number of reindeer herders has sharply decreased to date. And yet, the Small Peoples of the North are trying to hold on and not disappear from our planet. They maintain their original culture and pass on knowledge about it to those who replace them.

What other blood do northerners consume?

We have already examined from all sides the custom of drinking deer blood, which from time immemorial has been supported by the inhabitants of the Far North. But not only reindeer herders eat blood.

Hunting is an activity that allows some peoples of northern latitudes to replenish food supplies for the whole family. The men of the entire village go hunting, catching walruses and fur-bearing animals. Walrus fat is one of the most indispensable products among such peoples. It is eaten both as a separate dish and as a seasoning for porridges, spread on bread, and also used to rub the body so that internal heat is better preserved.

When hunting you just have to spend great amount body energy. Often you have to sit in ambush, not moving for several hours. Replenish lost heat and energy in hiking conditions the north is not easy. And yet, the northerners found a way out. At the end of the hunt, the throat of the still warm game is cut and the hot blood is drunk. It helps to warm up, while filling the body with energy and satisfying hunger.

Reasons why northerners drink fresh blood

Having studied this issue from all sides, several conclusions can be drawn. And the first thing that may come to the mind of a resident of a civilized society, in which everything is subject to calculation, is that the northerners learned about valuable medicinal properties blood. But this hypothesis can be dismissed out of hand. Firstly, most of them are practically unfamiliar with the data transmitted to us by scientists. Secondly, these people are interested in other issues related to their living conditions and the possibilities of satisfying their simple needs.

The main reasons for the way of life of these nationalities that they lead can be considered:

the ability of fresh blood to quickly satisfy hunger;
rapid digestibility of liquid food that does not need to be cooked;
availability;
the ability to use blood instead of seasonings, which are practically absent in this area;
the ability of blood to quickly and practically without loss nourish the body with energy, which is essential for warming the body.

And yet, not every resident of northern latitudes will be able to clearly sort out this information. Perhaps one of the oldest residents of the village will begin to analyze this issue with you, but this is unlikely. Most likely, the shaman of the village will tell you about the soul of an animal locked in blood, and that people fill themselves with it, taking away the power that this creature had before.

According to many legends, widespread not only in the north, but also among many other peoples of the world, the essence of the killed creature is preserved in the blood. By eating his heart and drinking his blood, the heroes, according to the same legends, received incredible powers. Some of the nationalities went further, eating the heart of the defeated enemy. In fact, everything is much simpler.

Old people, talking about this custom, often say something like this: “A person who does not eat blood will become completely weak. He will become completely pale and have little strength. And he will think for a long time and completely lose male strength" And they are largely right. Blood helps the body increase the production of all necessary for the body substances. Men in cities, in order to warm up and get their blood pumping, drink a drink that is not so harmless, but more accessible. It’s just that they don’t become alcoholics after whittling with blood.

Another reason is the opportunity to save money. In northern latitudes, collecting firewood is not so easy. The people who live there try to spend it as little as possible. This leads to the fact that the diet has been diversified with dishes that do not require cooking. Of course, northerners could fry the blood or make black pudding. But all these actions involve starting a fire and maintaining it sufficiently long time. This option is not suitable for residents of the Far North. By killing an animal and drinking its blood, villagers satisfy their hunger and replenish energy costs no worse than Europeans do when eating a set lunch.

The blood of a deer is consumed not only after it is killed. If the need arises, there is little food left in stock, or health problems arise for one of the village residents, reindeer herders “milk” the reindeer’s blood. This is not difficult to do; just cut a vessel on the animal’s neck and draw up to half a liter of fresh blood. Then the incision is covered with clay or covered with a plaster. This amount of blood can be replenished for an animal in just 10 days, and good nutrition for residents will always be guaranteed.

Another reason is the quality of the meat. A freshly killed animal that steams remains tender. The meat of freshly killed deer is very tasty, and the blood is used as a seasoning. Once you hesitate, letting the meat cool, it loses its tenderness and its taste becomes different.

These are all the reasons that stimulate the consumption of blood by northerners. We can also add that blood for them plays the role of a sauce for many dishes.

The Khanty and Mansi greatly valued reindeer meat. According to custom, local populations
wild reindeer were considered the property of the entire community, their winter
pastures were protected, allowing fishing only in case of need and so that the meat
The harvested animals were divided among all the families of the settlement - Paul. On the river
Sosva, for example, wild deer lived in the Sangitur swamps in the winter
area of the present village of Kimkyasui.

According to the Khanty and Mansi, wild deer meat has a noble gamey taste. His
considered cleaner than domestic reindeer. After all, he is not averse to picking up scraps and dirt
near human habitation. But wild deer meat was rarely eaten raw, more often on
fishing. The shot was supposed to be boiled.

Domestic reindeer meat was regularly consumed only by reindeer herders in the foothills of the Urals,
owning more or less large herds. Family of six and worker
They ate up to 3 pounds of meat a day - half the carcass of an adult deer. Hunters and
fishermen exchanged meat and skins from reindeer herders for food products - after all,
Transport reindeer from small hunting herds were avoided from being slaughtered for food...

Raw food diet

Both the Khanty and the Mansi, after slaughtering domestic reindeer, arrange a real feast. IN
unlike elk and wild deer, domestic meat can be eaten raw like men,
so do women, so they are in a hurry to cut up the carcass so that it does not have time
cool down.

Here it is necessary to touch upon the traditions of eating raw meat or
"raw food" in the Ob region and throughout the North. This is how I wrote about the Khanty
19th century traveler:

“The time when a deer is beaten is a holiday in the Ostyak family and excites
special pleasure in all members. Here, in fact, the bloody opens up,
feast. Around a deer, stabbed so that all its blood remains in its
the entrails, stripped and opened, crowd the whole family, old and young; With
with knives in their hands, they greedily cut out and eat the warm meat, dipping
usually into steaming blood or washed down with it. Moreover, one must be surprised with what
with an incomprehensible art they cut with a knife near their mouth up to their nose
pieces of meat captured by teeth; and so quickly and deftly that from the outside it seems
which will certainly hit you on the nose. They swallow the meat in pieces, hardly chewing, and
It's hard to imagine how much each of them can eat."

But this is not a matter of greed at all. If you eat venison raw, then
it really needs to be eaten immediately - "steam room". The expression "fresh meat"
adopted in Russian, in this case is very appropriate, since it means that
Steam comes from the meat, it is still so warm and fresh. At this moment it has
has a very special delicate consistency and taste, has many beneficial
properties. All the peoples of the North know that meat and still warm blood have just been
the slaughtered deer is not only quickly satiated, but also regains its strength after illness,
prolonged hunger strikes and fatigue. Komi-Zyryans are convinced that fresh blood can
heal even a person suffering from tuberculosis. They drink it in big sips,
Dip pieces of meat and liver - liver and kidneys - into it. Reindeer herders - Khanty,
Nenets, Evenks - sometimes drank hot blood directly from the neck vein of a deer or
mixed blood with reindeer milk.

As venison cools, it loses its tender texture and taste almost instantly. Here
why do children and adults gather around the carcass and immediately cut it up and eat it?
meat. You can eat it especially quickly thanks to next appointment: separate
meat from a large piece, help yourself with a knife, running the blade from below near the lips.
This technique is very ancient, it is used by all the peoples of the polar zone.

The Khanty and Mansi eat raw, first of all, slices of meat from the thighs, liver,
lungs and kidneys, heart, eyes and even ear glands of a deer, dipping them in fresh
blood. When cutting deer legs, the joint fat is removed and immediately eaten.
bone marrow from the legs, breaking the hollow bones with the butt of an ax or a stone.

Cooled meat cannot be eaten raw. The processes of decay begin in it.
Therefore, it is boiled or fried. It’s another matter if parts of the cut carcass are immediately
immediately, they freeze in the severe frost. Then all the beneficial properties of steam
meat are preserved. Such meat is eaten sliced, without allowing it to thaw.

Unlike elk, the head of a domestic deer does not need to be left behind. Deer brain possible
consume raw, and boil the head and tongue.

Cooking methods

Deer tenderloin - meat along the ridge, separated from the wide back
tendons - it’s good to fry over coals on a stove.

Immediately cook the tender, fatty brisket with ribs and rump. Fresh meat
It doesn’t take long to cook, it literally comes out “with blood.” Broth in
In this case, it is not rich, and sometimes people don’t drink it. Meat that has already cooled down, and thus
Let it sit for a while and cook longer. Traditionally neither raw nor boiled,
Neither fried venison is salted. The meat of domestic and especially wild deer contains
there are a lot of natural salts and microelements and even to an unaccustomed person it seems
moderately salty. The author of these lines has been convinced of this more than once from her own experience.

Deer bones should never be thrown on the ground. They all go to work: they even make jelly from legs and hooves. The peritoneum of a deer or elk was previously used to tighten
windows in Mansi huts.

The remaining deer blood is used to prepare a variety of dishes.
Fresh blood is boiled, for example, in a cauldron with flour until
mushy mass.

“Old plagues for new plagues” - this is the riddle that is asked when
On the heads of domestic deer, the tubercles of future antlers begin to swell. Sometimes in the spring
or at the very beginning of summer, reindeer herders cut off growing antlers from domestic reindeer.
They are good for eating until they harden. They are scorched over a fire, clearing them of
wool, and eat the gristly, blood-filled mass. According to custom, this dish was eaten
older men as a tonic.

Another unusual product, which has a tonic and strengthening effect,
These days it is thoroughly forgotten. It's about about the contents of a deer's stomach in summer,
when animals feed on leaves and grass. Plant mass processed in
the rumen (the first chamber of the deer's stomach) with the bacteria and protozoa that live there,
well absorbed by the human body. In fact, this is also a type
fermented food. This peculiar product was used fresh or
smoked, added to stews and porridges, or mixed with deer blood.
Deer stomach contents, cooked different ways, was
an integral part of the diet of many peoples of the North and Siberia - the Chukchi, Koryaks,
Nenets, Nganasan - being a source of fiber and carbohydrates, as well as vitamin C.
Such dishes existed among the Khanty and Mansi. For example, this mass was added to
taimen and partridge stew. The use of this product in food goes away
roots in ancient times: it is unique in Khanty and Mansi cuisine
a relic more typical of reindeer herders of the tundra. Summer content these days
deer stomach is not used for food, but as a wonderfully good remedy for
dressing deer skins.

Another product is obtained from deer - milk.

Sometimes in the herds in the Northern Urals the Khanty and Mansi milk important females, although you can name
Reindeer can be a milking animal with a stretch. On the day the important woman gives no
more than a cup of milk, and even then only in the first time after calving. In hot weather
The milk quickly curdles and thickens. In this form it is eaten with bread or
berry Freshly added to tea and kneaded into dough for flatbreads. Deer
milk for reindeer herders is only a seasonal delicacy, a pleasant variety, but
It should not be considered as part of the power supply system.

All indigenous inhabitants of the taiga and tundra are especially valuable, tasty and useful for
It was fresh meat that was considered healthy. The usual procedure for hunting deer or elk
daily meals are disrupted. They cook and eat all day long.

The Khanty always say: “While there is fresh food, you need to eat, get fat,
gain strength." This is probably what the ancient hunters did, who had a successful
fishing alternated with periods of hunger strikes. In this case, talk about
gluttony is inappropriate and wrong. Firstly, venison is much lower in calories than
beef, so you need to eat more to fill it up. Moreover, in the North
have to move and work warm clothes in the cold and wind, so
energy consumption is a quarter higher than in the temperate zone. Can replenish it
only a large number of protein food - meat. That's why it's not for the eater
a wonder to deal with several kilograms of meat in one sitting, and the family
out of several people, the deer carcass lasts only a couple of days.