Historical dispute between doughnut and pyshka was resolved at the RUSSIA EXPO
On June 30 at the International RUSSIA EXPO as part of the
Youth Day celebrations and the mini-festival "Gastrobotany" at the
All-Russian Festival "Future in Flowers", a mock contest
"Doughnut or Pyshka?" was held in the Pavilion "House of Russian
Cuisine". The eternal dispute, what is the difference between a Moscow
doughnut and a "Leningrad" (now St. Petersburg) pyshka, was solved by
the masters of the capital's doughnut shop "VDNH Doughnuts" and the
cooks of St. Petersburg's "Murmanchany" corner.
The "pyshki" team was represented by St.
Petersburg chefs Ayan Nurbekov and Daria Savranskaya, and the
"doughnut" team was represented by the manager of the capital's
doughnut shop Andrei Zharkov.
The event was co-hosted by Svetlana Pugacheva, a
nutritionist from the House of Russian Cuisine. She noted that both pyshki and
doughnuts are not everyday products, as they are cooked in a lot of oil.
However, if you know the measure, they may well become a gastronomic love for
life, as the guests of the competition were personally convinced. And even the
culinary experts themselves are unable to resist the appetizing browned
delicacy.
"In 2008, I came from Siberia to Moscow and got a job
as an ordinary employee in a doughnut shop at VDNH. In the end, I liked it so much
that I started dealing with doughnuts even further," recounted his
"love story" Andrei Zharkov.
There are many versions explaining the difference between a
pyshka and a doughnut. However, watching the preparation, the guests were
convinced that they are essentially the same thing — soft unleavened dough with
a hole in the middle, cooked in oil. However, according to some sources, the
word "pyshka" appeared in Russia more than four centuries ago, and
not from the adjective "puffy", but from the verb "to puff"
— that's how the process of "frying in oil" was called in the old
days. In turn, the word "doughnut" is of European origin and appeared
much later. It is said that during World War I doughnuts were often fried in
iron soldier's helmets.
The guests of the Pavilion tasted the product of the
competition from both corners with pleasure, especially since the doughnuts and
pyshki were also served with toppings — grated strawberries, raspberries,
cranberries and sea buckthorn, good old condensed milk, as well as fragrant tea
made of northern herbs. Of course, friendship, healthy appetite and good mood
were the winners of the mock competition.
The International RUSSIA EXPO is the most important
achievements of the country gathered in one place. Throughout the Exposition,
cultural events, a rich business and educational program await the guests. The
expositions of 89 Russian regions, leading federal agencies, corporations and
public organizations are presented to the visitors. More than 17 million people
have already visited the Exposition. The International RUSSIA EXPO takes place
on the territory of VDNH in Moscow from November 4 to July 8.
