The National Centre RUSSIA in Primorye celebrated National Unity Day in grand style
National Unity Day was celebrated in grand style at the National Centre RUSSIA in the Primorye Territory. The celebrations brought food and creative activities together in harmony. A particular highlight of the programme was a series of cooking workshops featuring dishes from different peoples of the Far East and showcasing what makes local produce distinctive.
"The most important thing is that we prepare all our dishes with local ingredients. The Primorye Territory is home to many different peoples, and its cooking has an Asian influence, so each dish has a distinctive flavour of its own. Bringing these recipes and techniques together unites people just as firmly as sharing a meal around the table at home," said the Minister of Tourism of the Primorye Territory, Natalia Naboichenko.
The stars of the table were the pollock and squid dumplings served with a creamy mushroom sauce. Young visitors to the National Centre RUSSIA had a chance to shape the dumplings themselves and discover local culinary traditions. They were shown how to create a distinctive dish by combining a familiar recipe with local seafood.
"Every people has its own traditional dishes made with dough: pelmeni, khinkali, manty, buuzy or chuchvara. Today, we made our own Far Eastern pelmeni with the children. We rolled the dough thin, filled it with local pollock and served the dumplings with mushroom sauce. The result was a dumpling that truly belonged to the people," said Azamat Mukhamedov, brand chef and founder of the "Omelet Station" cafe chain.
The exploration of culture continued with a look at the history of traditional Russian recipes. The menu featured a hearty meat dish that was once served even at tsarist banquets. The chefs gave the classic recipe a skilful twist with nutritious ingredients from Primorye.
"Today we made one of the oldest dishes in Russian cuisine, skoblyanka, and skilfully complemented it with Far Eastern seafood: kelp, mussels and nutritious sea cucumber. Russia is a multiethnic country, and when every region showcases its local produce at festivals, it brings people remarkably close together and unites us as one people," emphasised Vladimir Yarmolenko, chef at the "Dosyta" cafe.
Visitors were also surprised by unexpected pairings of familiar grains with seafood delicacies. The chefs decided to depart from convention and invited guests to try a bold culinary experiment. This gave visitors a fresh perspective on familiar flavours.
"We cooked whelk with pearl barley and porcini mushrooms in a cream sauce to bring out the Far Eastern character of the dish. Mushrooms are traditionally served with buckwheat, but we decided to experiment with the flavours. It is these kinds of culinary discoveries that chefs are making today that bring flavours together and unite people," said Abdula Khaidarov, chef at the "Vzhukh i Sushi" cafe chain.
The celebrations paid particular attention to the traditions of the region's numerically small indigenous peoples. Authentic recipes were carefully adapted for modern kitchens while retaining their distinctive character. The chefs used centuries-old techniques to prepare the dough and filled it with prized varieties of fish.
"I took a dish from Nanai cuisine as my starting point: biansi dumplings shaped like a crescent moon. I made the dough using an authentic recipe, but instead of the traditional leaf infusion, I used water in which seaweed had been soaked. For the filling, I used chum salmon, pollock and halibut. The shape of the dumplings comes from the indigenous people, while the filling is ours. It was a way of bringing peoples together through food," explained Denis Shchelkanov, sous-chef at the "Kantina" restaurant.
Meanwhile, the small hall of the National Centre RUSSIA was a hive of creative activity. Workshops were held on making keyrings and creating kokoshnik headdresses. Participants enthusiastically explored the world of decorative and applied arts.
"We can talk at length about what this holiday means, but it is easier to feel it when you do something together. That is what most of today's activities are about: our guests can cook a dish together, make a souvenir with Russian patterns, or join hands and dance in a circle. That is how the idea of unity comes to life in a way people can feel," emphasised Arina Dolgopolova, who manages business and cultural programming at the National Centre RUSSIA in Primorye and leads workshops.
Crafts brought together guests of different ethnic backgrounds and generations. Eduard Son's family, who have Korean roots, came to the celebrations together. They began the day by tasting pancakes in the outdoor area, then each chose an activity they liked. The grandmother enjoyed taking part in the cooking workshops, while Eduard and his daughters joined the craft workshops.
"We are ethnically Korean, but the children were born here in Primorye. We have the day off today, and the celebrations gave us a great opportunity to get together as a family. In our family, we teach children to respect their elders and make time for family, and today gave us another chance to carry on that tradition," said the visitor.
A varied outdoor concert programme showcased the full richness of the country's cultural diversity. The Song and Dance Ensemble of Russia's Red Banner Pacific Fleet performed a Koryak dance from the traditions of Kamchatka's indigenous peoples.
"We learnt the movements from indigenous peoples, including the Evens, and from the renowned Koryak ensemble 'Mengo'. We even travelled to Kamchatka and met people who carry on these cultural traditions. It was an invaluable experience. The dance has a distinctive rhythm and demands just as much energy from the performers," said dancer Alexei Korkishko.
The concert featured Buryat and Mongolian songs performed by soloists Dugar Badmazhapov and Zayat Radnayev. Semyon Sachko's virtuoso balalaika playing was a highlight. The ensemble of the "Vostok" Young Sailors' Flotilla also gave moving performances. These and other young performers showed that traditions continue to thrive in the new generation.
The celebrations culminated in the "Unity Circle Dance". Performers from "Vikhr", a folk dance ensemble honoured by the Primorye Territory, were the first to step into the circle, followed by everyone who wanted to join in.
Alongside the festivities, visitors could take guided tours of the exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA in Primorye. The displays on Primorye's ethnic diversity drew particular attention.
All expositions and events at the National Centre RUSSIA in Primorye are free of charge. Some events require advance registration on the website. Check social media and the "Events" section of the Centre's website for schedule updates.
The full current programme is published on the branch's social media accounts. Follow the National Centre RUSSIA in the Primorye Territory on MAX, Telegram, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki.
