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.

Photo: Sergey Baranov/Press office of the RUSSIA EXPO

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.