Every day, thousands of people from the regions and neighboring countries rush to Moscow to earn money. Some of them disappear without a trace, not having time to leave the capital's station. Novaya Gazeta studied the Russian labor slavery market.

Those who fight

Oleg asks not to name the place of our meeting and even the region. It takes place in an industrial area of ​​a small town. Oleg "leads" me on the phone, and when I reach the signboard "Tire fitting", he says: "Wait, I'll come right now." Comes in 10 minutes.

It is not easy to find you.

This is the whole calculation.

The conversation takes place behind a plywood shed. Around - garages and warehouses.

I started to fight slavery in 2011, - says Oleg. - A friend told me how she ransomed a relative from a brick factory in Dagestan. I didn’t believe it, but it became interesting. I went myself. In Dagestan, I went to factories with local guys, posing as a buyer of bricks. At the same time, he asked the workers if there were any forced laborers among them. It turned out yes. With those who were not afraid, we agreed to escape. Then they managed to take out five people.

After the release of the first slaves, Oleg sent out a press release to the media. But the topic did not arouse interest.

Only one activist from the League of Free Cities movement got in touch: they have a small newspaper - about two hundred people probably read it. But after the publication, a woman from Kazakhstan called me and said that her relative was being held in grocery store in Golyanovo ( district in Moscow. - I. Zh.). Remember this scandal? Unfortunately, he was the only one, and even ineffectual - the case was closed.

About how much the topic of human trafficking worries Russians, Oleg says:

Over the past month, we have collected only 1,730 rubles, and spent about seventy thousand. We invest our money in the project: I work at a factory, there is a guy who works as a loader in a warehouse. The Dagestan coordinator works in the hospital.

Oleg Melnikov in Dagestan. Photo: Vk.com

Now there are 15 activists in "Alternative".

In less than four years, we have freed about three hundred slaves, - says Oleg.

According to the estimates of "Alternative", in Russia every year about 5,000 people fall into labor slavery, in total in the country there are almost 100,000 forced laborers.

How to get into slavery

The average portrait of a Russian forced laborer, according to Oleg, is as follows: this is a person from the provinces who is not versed in labor relations, who wants better life and ready to work as anyone for the sake of it.

A person who came to Moscow without a definite plan, but with a definite purpose, is immediately visible, - says Oleg. - Recruiters are working at the metropolitan railway stations. Most active - in Kazan. The recruiter approaches the person and asks if he needs a job? If necessary, the recruiter offers good earnings in the south: from thirty to seventy thousand rubles. The region is not named. They say about the nature of the work: "handyman" or something else that does not require high qualifications. The main thing is a good salary.

The recruiter offers a drink for the meeting. Not necessarily alcohol, you can also tea.

They go to the station cafe, where there are agreements with the waiters. Barbiturates are poured into the recruited person's cup - under these substances a person can be unconscious for up to one and a half days. After the drug has started to work, the person is put on a bus and taken away in the right direction.

Oleg tested the scheme of falling into slavery on himself. For this, he lived for two weeks at the Kazansky railway station, disguising himself as a homeless person.

It was in October 2013. At first I tried to portray a visitor, but it looked unconvincing. Then I decided to play a bum. Usually, slavers do not touch the homeless, but I was new at the station, and on October 18, a man approached me who introduced himself as Musa. Said he has good job in the Caspian Sea, three hours a day. He promised 50,000 a month. I agreed. On his car we went to the shopping center "Prince Plaza" near the Teply Stan metro station. There Musa handed me over to a man named Ramadan. I saw how Ramadan gave money to Musa. How much exactly - I could not see. Then Ramazan and I went to the village of Mamyri, next to the village of Mosrentgen in the Moscow region. There I saw a bus to Dagestan and refused to go, they say, I know that there is slavery. But Ramadan said that the money had already been paid for me and it was necessary either to return it, or to work it out. And to calm me down, he offered me a drink. I agreed. We went to the nearest cafe, drank some alcohol. Then I hardly remember. All this time, my activist friends were watching us. At the 33rd kilometer of the Moscow Ring Road, they blocked the road to the bus, they took me to the Sklifosovsky Institute, where I lay under an IV for four days. I got the antipsychotic azaleptin. A criminal case was opened, but a check is still underway on it ...

As such, there are no markets, sites where people could be bought, ”says Zakir, the coordinator of Alternative in Dagestan. - People are taken "to order": the owner of the plant told the slave trader that he needed two people - they would bring two to the plant. But there are still two places in Makhachkala, where slaves are brought most often and from where they are taken by the owners: this is the bus station behind the Pyramida cinema and the North Station. We have a lot of evidence and even video recordings in this regard, but the law enforcement agencies are not interested in them. They tried to contact the police - they received refusals to initiate cases.

In fact, the slave trade is not only Dagestan, - says Oleg. - Slave labor is used in many regions: Yekaterinburg, Lipetsk region, Voronezh, Barnaul, Gorno-Altaysk. In February and April of this year, we freed people from a construction site in Novy Urengoy.

Returned

Andrey Erisov (foreground) and Vasily Gaidenko. Photo: Ivan Zhilin / "Novaya Gazeta"

Vasily Gaidenko and Andrey Yerisov were released from the brick factory by the “Alternative” activists on August 10. For two days they traveled from Dagestan to Moscow by bus. With the activist Aleksey, we met them in the morning of August 12 at the parking lot of the Lyublino market.

Came to Moscow from Orenburg. At the Kazansky railway station, he approached the guard and asked if they needed employees? He said that he didn’t know and that he would ask the boss, who wasn’t present at the moment. While I was waiting, a Russian guy came up to me, introduced himself as Dima and asked if I was looking for a job? He said that he would arrange me as a security guard in Moscow. He offered to drink.

Andrei woke up already on the bus, two more slaves were traveling with him. All were brought to the Zarya-1 plant in the Karabudakhkent region of Dagestan.

At the plant, everyone works wherever the owner says. I drove bricks on a tractor. I also had to work as a loader. The working day is from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. Seven days a week.

If someone gets tired or, God forbid, injury, the owner does not care, says Vasily and shows a huge ulcer on his foot. I when Jangiru (that was the name of the owner of the plant, he died a month ago) showed that my leg was swelling, he said: "Put the plantain."

Nobody treats sick slaves in brick factories: if the condition is very serious and a person cannot work, he is taken to the hospital and left at the entrance.

The common food of a slave is pasta, says Vasily. - But the portions are large.

At Zarya-1, according to Vasily and Andrey, 23 people were forced to work. We lived in a barrack - four in one room.

Andrey tried to escape. He did not go far: the brigadier caught him in Kaspiysk. He returned to the factory, but did not beat him.

The relatively mild conditions at Zarya-1 (they feed tolerably well and do not beat them) are due to the fact that this plant is one of four legally operating in Dagestan. In total, in the republic, according to the "Alternative", there are about 200 brick factories, and the vast majority of them are not registered.

In illegal factories, slaves are much less fortunate. In the archive "Alternative" there is a story of Olesya and Andrey - two prisoners of the plant, code-named "Crystal" (located between Makhachkala and the Caspian Sea).

“I was not beaten, but strangled once,” says Olesya under the video. - It was Brigadier Kurban. He told me: "Go, carry buckets, bring water to the trees." And I replied that I would now rest and bring it. He said that I could not rest. I continued to be indignant. Then he began to choke me, and then promised to drown me in the river. "

Olesya was pregnant by the time she got into slavery. “Having learned about this, Magomed, the plant manager, decided not to do anything. After a while, due to hard work, I had problems in the female part. I complained to Magomed for over two weeks before he took me to the hospital. The doctors said that there was a very high probability of a miscarriage, and demanded to leave me in the hospital for treatment. But Magomed took me back and made me work. When I was pregnant, I carried ten-liter buckets of sand. "

Volunteers of "Alternative" managed to free Olesya from slavery. The woman saved the child.

“Liberating people does not always resemble some kind of action-packed detective story,” activists say. “Often the owners of factories prefer not to interfere with us, because the business is completely illegal and does not have serious patrons.”

About patrons

According to the volunteers of "Alternative", human trafficking in Russia does not have a serious "roof".

Everything happens at the level of district police officers, junior officers, who simply turn a blind eye to problems, - says Oleg.

The Dagestani authorities expressed their attitude to the problem of slavery in 2013 through the mouth of the then Minister of Press and Information Nariman Hajiyev. After the release of the next slaves by the “Alternative” activists, Hajiyev said:

“The fact that slaves work at all factories in Dagestan is a cliche. Here is the situation: activists said that citizens from central Russia, Belarus and Ukraine are being held in captivity at two factories in the village of Krasnoarmeisky. We asked the operatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Dagestan to check this information, which was done within literally a few hours. The operatives arrived, gathered teams, found out who the newcomer was. And the word "slaves" turned out to be more than inappropriate. Yes, there were problems with salaries: people, in general, were not paid, some really did not have documents. But they worked voluntarily. "

"Money? I buy everything for them myself "

Volunteers of "Alternative" handed over to the correspondent of "Novaya" two telephones, one of which belongs to the owner of a brick factory, where, according to the activists, involuntary labor is used; and the second - to a reseller of people.

I absolutely do not understand what you mean. I help people find a job, - a reseller named "Maga-merchant" reacted violently to my call. - I do not work at factories, I do not know what is happening there. They just ask me: help me find people. And I'm looking.

The "merchant", according to him, had not heard anything about barbiturates mixed into drinks for future slaves. For "help in the search" he receives 4-5 thousand rubles per capita.

Magomed, nicknamed "Komsomolets", who owns a plant in the village of Kirpichny, having heard the reason for my call, immediately hung up. However, in the archives of "Alternative" there is an interview with the owner of a brick factory in the village of Mekegi, Levashinsky district, Magomedshapi Magomedov, who describes the attitude of the owners of the factories to forced labor. Four people were released from Magomedov's plant in May 2013.

“I didn't hold anyone by force. How can you talk about retention when the plant is right by the road? - says Magomedov on record. “I met them in the parking lot at the Pyramid cinema and offered them a job. They agreed. I took the documents, because they are drunk - they will lose more. Money? I bought everything for them myself: here they give me a list of what they need - I buy them everything. "

Officially

Law enforcement agencies officially confirm the fact of low activity in the fight against the slave trade. From the report of the Main Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (November 2014):

“In the fall of 2013, the Australian human rights organization Walk Free Foundation published a rating of countries regarding the situation related to slave labor, in which Russia was assigned the 49th position. According to the organization, there are about 500 thousand people in Russia in one form or another of slavery.<…>

An analysis of the results of the activities of the law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation in combating trafficking in persons and the use of slave labor shows that since the introduction in December 2003 of Articles 127-1 (trafficking in persons) and 127-2 (use of slave labor) into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the number of persons recognized as victims under the aforementioned articles of the Criminal Code remains insignificant - 536.

In addition, since 2004, that is, over the past 10 years, 727 crimes have been registered under Article 127-1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which annually amounts to less than one tenth of a percent of all registered crimes.

Analysis of the state of crime in the field of human trafficking and the slave trade indicates a high latency of these criminal acts, therefore the official statistical indicators do not fully reflect the actual state of affairs. "

Press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia:

In January-December 2014, officers of the internal affairs bodies registered 468 cases of illegal imprisonment (Article 127 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), 25 cases of human trafficking (Article 127-1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and 7 crimes under Art. 127-2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Peter the Great, the first Russian emperor (1672–1725), was a reformer not only of the Russian state, but also of Russian drunkenness.

Until Peter the Great, God-fearing Russia was given up on low-alcohol mead, and the frantic Europeanist Peter instilled in the fatherland a craving for strong drinks- rum, cognac and vodka. Under Peter the Great, Russian drunkenness spread wide and uncontrollably, like a river, which to this day is not going to enter back into its banks.

Peter himself most of all respected vodka and made even the ladies drink it. For drunken brawls, the people affectionately nicknamed the tsar "drunkard-tsar" and "tsar of Kokuisky." Moreover, Peter gave us two more civilized vices: tobacco and coffee. Thank you, father-king!

As a child, Peter was given to be raised by clerk Nikita Zotov - a quiet man, but who loved to drink. Perhaps it was he who, in adolescence, awakened Peter's alcoholism. In his youth, Peter made friends with the German Franz Lefort, who addicted the young crown bearer not only to the exact sciences, but also to beer and vodka. Returning to his homeland from an overseas business trip, Peter, rolling up his sleeves, set about reforms: he cut the boyars' beards, ordered them to drink coffee, and ordered the soldiers to smoke.

Drunkenness and tobacco smoking were promoted by means of decrees. Peter also introduced a free distribution of vodka: one glass a day was due to St. Petersburg builders, road workers, shipyard workers, port loaders, sailors and soldiers. Peter himself set an example for his subjects: his assembly and diplomatic receptions usually ended with drinking binges. The tsar invented what is now called a corporate party: Peter celebrated every victory, important state event and the launch of a new ship, forcing the boyars and nobles to walk for weeks.

Peter affectionately called alcohol "Ivashka Khmelnitsky" and could miss 36 glasses of wine a day, and every morning he began with a shot of vodka and pickled cucumber. Gradually, the people got used to vodka and began to drink not only on holidays, but also every day, and the profit from the alcohol business monopolized by the state became an important source of replenishment of the treasury.

"Do not drive the peasants out of the tavern until pectoral cross will not get drunk. " Decree of Peter I

Naturally, having introduced daily drunkenness into the life of the people, Peter, as befits a tyrant, immediately began to regulate it with various decrees. So, the population was ordered to drink "moderately and honestly for joy and joy, and not to destroy their souls," and the kissers and tavern heads were instructed to watch so that "no one drank hard and drank to death." Peter even issued a decree that a cast-iron circle be hung around the neck of drunkards, on which it was written that "this man was zealous in drunkenness." Naturally, the country quickly ran out of pig iron.

But the drunken tsar did not stop there either: once he decided to turn drunkenness into a state institution and created the famous collegium of drunkenness - "the most sentimental and all drunken cathedral" chaired by a jester who bore the title of prince-pope. Under the Pope, there was a conclave of 12 cardinals, drunken gluttons, with a staff of clergy who bore obscene nicknames. The charter of the order was composed by Peter himself, and his first commandment was: get drunk every day and not go to bed sober. A newcomer in this cathedral was asked the question: "Are you eating?" - and sober "sinners" and heretics-drunkards were excommunicated from taverns and anathematized. Needless to say, Peter the Great to this day remains the most influential alcohol in the history of the Russian State, and his work, unlike the unpopular undertakings of other rulers, continues to live in the heart of almost every inhabitant of our homeland.

Genius versus use

1683-1695
Already as a child, he shows a penchant for great state and military achievements and creates amusing regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. He meets the Dutch engineer Franz Timmerman, works with him in arithmetic, geometry, artillery science. He meets Franz Lefort, marries Evdokia Lopukhina and immediately abandons his young wife for the sake of a sea voyage. He drinks mainly with foreigners in the German settlement. From the memoirs of Peter's associate Boris Kurakin:

"Then a brawl began, drunkenness is so great that it is impossible to describe that for three days, locked in that house, they were drunk and that many happened to die because of this." Those who survived such meetings with "Ivashka Khmelnitsky" fell ill for several days, and Peter woke up in the morning as if nothing had happened.

1696-1699
Goes on a hike to Azov. Azov surrenders, and Peter drinks in honor of the victory. Goes to the "Great Embassy" across Europe. Returning, suppresses the rifle revolt. Feasts and drinking parties give way to executions: 200 archers were executed on Red Square. Taking this opportunity, he exiles his wife to the monastery. Immediately after this, the "Most Hearted Cathedral" is organizing a party, dedicating Lefort's palace to the god Bacchus.

"Some carried large mugs filled with wine, others - vessels with honey, others - jars of beer, vodka." Cuts the beards of the first dignitaries of the state with his own hand. Requires everyone to drink vodka, including the ladies. During the celebrations, guardsmen appeared in the garden with tubs of booze, the smell of which was carried along the alleys, and the sentries were ordered not to let anyone out of the garden.

1699-1700
Issues a decree on the celebration of the New Year on January 1: "... to wish each other a Happy New Year, to make decorations from fir trees, to amuse children on sledges, and not to commit drunkenness and massacre to adults, there are enough other days for that." The atrocities of the "council" continue: according to the testimony of contemporaries, "many prepared for those days as for death." Forms an army.

1700-1710
The most impressive series of state successes of the tsar: the conclusion of a peace treaty with Turkey, the founding of St. Petersburg, the capture of Dorpat and Narva, the defeat of the Swedes at Poltava. In taverns, vodka is no longer being sold in buckets and glasses, but in buckets with a capacity of 12 liters. All types of snacks were also banned in pubs.

A decree was issued: "Do not drive the peasants out of the taverns until they are drunk to the cross." When, for this reason, Peter's army was completely demoralized, a medal of cast iron weighing 6.8 kg was cast by the tsar's decree. The medal was embossed: "For drunkenness." The medal was chained to the drunkard's neck.

1711-1712
Marries a second time - to a woman who later became the Russian Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna (Ekaterina I). The wedding feast, which lasted 5 hours, was attended by over 160 people. One of them said that "the society was brilliant, the wine was wonderful, Hungarian, and, what was especially pleasant, the guests were not forced to drink it in excessive quantities."

Performs in the Prussian campaign, takes Vyborg. He continues to drink immoderately: “I don’t know how I went from you: I was never overly pleased with Bakhusov’s gift. I ask that for everyone, if I caused annoyance to anyone, forgiveness, and even more from those who were at parting, so that every incident and so on will not remember ... ”(from Peter's letter to Count Apraksin).

1716-1720
Peter becomes commander of the combined fleets of Russia, Holland, Denmark and England. Manifesto on the deprivation of Tsarevich Alexei of the throne and death of the Tsarevich from torture. Opening of the Kunstkamera - the first museum in Russia. Taking care that the museum was visited by as many people as possible, Peter ordered to give each visitor a free glass of vodka and "zuckerbrod". By Peter's decree, a monetary payment was imposed for the delivery of monsters to St. Petersburg and punishment for hiding them.

1721-1725
Peter assumed a new title and was officially called "Emperor", "Great" and "Father of the Fatherland". Peter celebrates the conclusion of the Nystad peace with Sweden with a week-long masquerade drunkenness.

At the bishop's table, the monk, who was bowing to Peter with a glass of aniseed, could not stay on his feet and doused the sovereign's entire dress. But I quickly found it, saying: "On whom is a drop, on whom two, and on you, sir, all grace poured out!" Peter laughed and demanded a second glass.

In November 1724, Peter threw himself into ice water rescuing a stranded boat with soldiers, women and children and as a result earned a severe cold. Sufferer urolithiasis the king could no longer recover and died on January 28, 1725 at the age of 52.

Drinking companions

Alexander Menshikov

The second person in the state participated in all the drunken outrages of the sovereign: “They used to drink until (...) the Minister of War, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov (not) fell under the table and (not) came running from the ladies' half of his frightened princess Dasha to pour and wipe off the lifeless spouse "(from" Diary ... "by Korb, secretary of the Austrian emperor's embassy).

Duke of Courland

The future Russian empress, 17-year-old Anna Ioannovna, by order of Peter, was married to the 17-year-old Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Courland. Two months later, the couple went to Courland, but the next day, February 9, 1711, misfortune struck. Duke Friedrich Wilhelm died - according to historians, from alcohol poisoning, for the day before he allowed himself to compete in drunkenness with Peter the Great.

Courtiers

Peter introduced a rule: those who were late for the assembly (they were held in Monplaisir-Petrodvorets) had to drink a cup of vodka with a volume of more than a liter. The Great Eagle Cup was a big bucket. There was a case when one of the senators died after such an Execution. But delays have stopped.

Tags:

Peter the Great, the first Russian emperor (1672–1725), was a reformer not only of the Russian state, but also of Russian drunkenness.

Until Peter the Great, God-fearing Russia was given a low-alcohol mead, and the frantic Europeanist Peter instilled in his fatherland a craving for strong drinks - rum, cognac and vodka. Under Peter the Great, Russian drunkenness spread wide and uncontrollably, like a river, which to this day is not going to enter back into its banks.

Peter himself most of all respected vodka and made even the ladies drink it. For drunken brawls, the people affectionately nicknamed the tsar "drunkard-tsar" and "tsar of Kokuisky." Moreover, Peter gave us two more civilized vices: tobacco and coffee. Thank you, father-king!

As a child, Peter was given to be raised by clerk Nikita Zotov - a quiet man, but who loved to drink. Perhaps it was he who, in adolescence, awakened Peter's alcoholism. In his youth, Peter made friends with the German Franz Lefort, who addicted the young crown bearer not only to the exact sciences, but also to beer and vodka. Returning to his homeland from an overseas business trip, Peter, rolling up his sleeves, set about reforms: he cut the boyars' beards, ordered them to drink coffee, and ordered the soldiers to smoke.

Drunkenness and tobacco smoking were promoted by means of decrees. Peter also introduced a free distribution of vodka: one glass a day was due to St. Petersburg builders, road workers, shipyard workers, port loaders, sailors and soldiers. Peter himself set an example for his subjects: his assemblies and diplomatic receptions usually ended with drinking bouts. The tsar invented what is now called a corporate party: Peter celebrated every victory, important state event and the launch of a new ship, forcing the boyars and nobles to walk for weeks.

Peter affectionately called alcohol "Ivashka Khmelnitsky" and could miss 36 glasses of wine a day, and every morning he began with a shot of vodka and pickled cucumber. Gradually, the people got used to vodka and began to drink not only on holidays, but also every day, and the profit from the alcohol business monopolized by the state became an important source of replenishment of the treasury.

"Do not drive the peasants out of the tavern until they get drunk to the cross." Decree of Peter I

Naturally, having introduced daily drunkenness into the life of the people, Peter, as befits a tyrant, immediately began to regulate it with various decrees. So, the population was ordered to drink "moderately and honestly for joy and joy, and not to destroy their souls," and the kissers and tavern heads were instructed to watch so that "no one drank hard and drank to death." Peter even issued a decree that a cast-iron circle be hung around the neck of drunkards, on which it was written that "this man was zealous in drunkenness." Naturally, the country quickly ran out of pig iron.

But the drunken tsar did not stop there either: once he decided to turn drunkenness into a state institution and created the famous collegium of drunkenness - "the most sentimental and all drunken cathedral" chaired by a jester who bore the title of prince-pope. Under the Pope, there was a conclave of 12 cardinals, drunken gluttons, with a staff of clergy who bore obscene nicknames. The charter of the order was composed by Peter himself, and his first commandment was: get drunk every day and not go to bed sober. A newcomer in this cathedral was asked the question: "Are you eating?" - and sober "sinners" and heretics-drunkards were excommunicated from taverns and anathematized. Needless to say, Peter the Great to this day remains the most influential alcohol in the history of the Russian State, and his work, unlike the unpopular undertakings of other rulers, continues to live in the heart of almost every inhabitant of our homeland. Genius versus use

1683-1695
Already as a child, he shows a penchant for great state and military achievements and creates amusing regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. He meets the Dutch engineer Franz Timmerman, works with him in arithmetic, geometry, artillery science. He meets Franz Lefort, marries Evdokia Lopukhina and immediately abandons his young wife for the sake of a sea voyage. He drinks mainly with foreigners in the German settlement. From the memoirs of Peter's associate Boris Kurakin:

"Then a brawl began, drunkenness is so great that it is impossible to describe that for three days, locked in that house, they were drunk and that many happened to die because of this." Those who survived such meetings with "Ivashka Khmelnitsky" fell ill for several days, and Peter woke up in the morning as if nothing had happened.

1696-1699
Goes on a hike to Azov. Azov surrenders, and Peter drinks in honor of the victory. Goes to the "Great Embassy" across Europe. Returning, suppresses the rifle revolt. Feasts and drinking parties give way to executions: 200 archers were executed on Red Square. Taking this opportunity, he exiles his wife to the monastery. Immediately after this, the "Most Hearted Cathedral" is organizing a party, dedicating Lefort's palace to the god Bacchus.

"Some carried large mugs filled with wine, others - vessels with honey, others - jars of beer, vodka." Cuts the beards of the first dignitaries of the state with his own hand. Requires everyone to drink vodka, including the ladies. During the celebrations, guardsmen appeared in the garden with tubs of booze, the smell of which was carried along the alleys, and the sentries were ordered not to let anyone out of the garden.

1699-1700
Issues a decree on the celebration of the New Year on January 1: "... to wish each other a Happy New Year, to make decorations from fir trees, to amuse children on sledges, and not to commit drunkenness and massacre to adults, there are enough other days for that." The atrocities of the "council" continue: according to the testimony of contemporaries, "many prepared for those days as for death." Forms an army.

1700-1710
The most impressive series of state successes of the tsar: the conclusion of a peace treaty with Turkey, the founding of St. Petersburg, the capture of Dorpat and Narva, the defeat of the Swedes at Poltava. In taverns, vodka is no longer being sold in buckets and glasses, but in buckets with a capacity of 12 liters. All types of snacks were also banned in pubs.

A decree was issued: "Do not drive the peasants out of the taverns until they are drunk to the cross." When, for this reason, Peter's army was completely demoralized, a medal of cast iron weighing 6.8 kg was cast by the tsar's decree. The medal was embossed: "For drunkenness." The medal was chained to the drunkard's neck.

1711-1712
Marries a second time - to a woman who later became the Russian Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna (Ekaterina I). The wedding feast, which lasted 5 hours, was attended by over 160 people. One of them said that "the society was brilliant, the wine was wonderful, Hungarian, and, what was especially pleasant, the guests were not forced to drink it in excessive quantities."

Performs in the Prussian campaign, takes Vyborg. He continues to drink immoderately: “I don’t know how I went from you: I was never overly pleased with Bakhusov’s gift. I ask that for everyone, if I caused annoyance to anyone, forgiveness, and even more from those who were at parting, so that every incident and so on will not remember ... ”(from Peter's letter to Count Apraksin).

1716-1720
Peter becomes commander of the combined fleets of Russia, Holland, Denmark and England. Manifesto on the deprivation of Tsarevich Alexei of the throne and death of the Tsarevich from torture. Opening of the Kunstkamera - the first museum in Russia. Taking care that the museum was visited by as many people as possible, Peter ordered to give each visitor a free glass of vodka and "zuckerbrod". By Peter's decree, a monetary payment was imposed for the delivery of monsters to St. Petersburg and punishment for hiding them.

1721-1725
Peter assumed a new title and was officially called "Emperor", "Great" and "Father of the Fatherland". Peter celebrates the conclusion of the Nystad peace with Sweden with a week-long masquerade drunkenness.

At the bishop's table, the monk, who was bowing to Peter with a glass of aniseed, could not stay on his feet and doused the sovereign's entire dress. But I quickly found it, saying: "On whom is a drop, on whom two, and on you, sir, all grace poured out!" Peter laughed and demanded a second glass.

In November 1724, Peter threw himself into the icy water to rescue a stranded boat with soldiers, women and children, and as a result suffered a severe cold. Suffering from urolithiasis, the king could no longer recover and died on January 28, 1725 at the age of 52.

Drinking companions

Alexander Menshikov

The second person in the state participated in all the drunken outrages of the sovereign: “They used to drink until (...) the Minister of War, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov (not) fell under the table and (not) came running from the ladies' half of his frightened princess Dasha to pour and wipe off the lifeless spouse "(from" Diary ... "by Korb, secretary of the Austrian emperor's embassy).

Duke of Courland

The future Russian empress, 17-year-old Anna Ioannovna, by order of Peter, was married to the 17-year-old Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Courland. Two months later, the couple went to Courland, but the next day, February 9, 1711, misfortune struck. Duke Friedrich Wilhelm died - according to historians, from alcohol poisoning, for the day before he allowed himself to compete in drunkenness with Peter the Great.

Courtiers

Peter introduced a rule: those who were late for the assembly (they were held in Monplaisir-Petrodvorets) had to drink a cup of vodka with a volume of more than a liter. The Great Eagle Cup was a big bucket. There was a case when one of the senators died after such an Execution. But delays have stopped.

HOT WINE

“By distilleries, Russia, by the abundance of grain more than other states, in many, and especially its grain-growing provinces, is very overabundant, and in that not only the merchants, but also the Russian nobility have considerable thoughts, and inside our fatherland they receive these noble profits, without mentioning state from that income. " These factories produced bread, or, as it was also called, hot wine. It was made mainly from rye and wheat. There were two main varieties of bread wines - single and double or twin. The latter was made from plain bread wine by distillation. At the same time, the product was obtained two times less than the volume of distillation. simple wine... It was stronger, cleaner, and therefore more expensive.

In the Asian expanses of Russia, the indigenous population for their own consumption made hot wine not from bread, but from mare's and less often cow's milk... In official documents, this drink was called arak, while, depending on the place, it could be called differently: cancer, araka, arakha... The cooking technology was quite simple: “Milk is fermented and then distilled twice or three times in two heavily greased clay pots from which alcohol flows into an inserted wooden tube. Vodka is strong and makes more noise than grape wines. " This technology remained unchanged almost until the end of the 19th century.

There were other options for strong alcoholic drinks made from milk. For example, Buryat tarasun... For more details on this drink, see the article by V.M. Stanevich.

Nevertheless, hot bread wines of varying degrees of distillation were the main strong alcoholic drinks for consumption by the people. They drank bread wine everywhere, from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Astrakhan, Siberia and Of the Far East... It was truly an all-Russian strong alcoholic beverage. Bread wine was offered by kruzhechnye yards, taverns, taverns, taverns, fartorn stands (like a bar), taverns, guest houses, and cellars. We bought it wholesale, retail, in bulk. Nobles, merchants and other wealthy people bought hot wine, as a rule, for making vodkas and other strong alcoholic beverages at home for themselves or at vodka factories for sale.

Another source of hot wines is export to the Russian Empire. These were mostly grape hot wines. Hot wines based on various fruits - cherries, apricots, plums - were also supplied, but their share in imports was insignificant. They were bought exclusively in St. Petersburg and Moscow directly for drinking and (or) for making various liqueurs, ratafias and vodkas on their basis. Hot grape wines, French, German ("wine hot from Rhine") and Italian, enjoyed steady demand.

VODKAS RUSSIAN

Vodka in the 18th century in Russia was called any alcohol-containing flammable liquid obtained "from grape wine, bread or hot wine and other liquids through double vision (distillation production is half the distilled volume. - I.Sh.) v alembic over moderate heat. " Therefore, the term "vodka", on the one hand, was collective and could mean any strong alcoholic drink, including hot wine (see, for example, quote # 2 about arak "... this vodka is strong ..."). On the other hand, the concepts of "hot wine" and "vodka" as a product based on hot wine were quite clearly divided. In the academic Russian dictionary of 1789, the term "vodka" is defined as "hot wine, purified from foreign particles by distillation or double vision."

The origin of the vodkas were Russian and foreign. Russian vodkas were produced mostly on the basis of hot bread wine, foreign ones - on hot bread, grape and fruit wines.

Russian vodkas were very diverse in their types. They could be produced by repeated distillation with various spices and flavors... Sweet vodkas, or ratafias, were obtained by adding sugar, honey or sugar-containing fruits and berries to the final distillation, such as rowan, viburnum, veres (juniper fruits), etc. Since all vodkas were exclusively gastronomic drinks, aperitifs on the snack table , then their name was prescribed according to certain rules, telling the consumer about their technology and taste. It was always compound: the first word is the type of drink ("vodka", "liqueur", "ratafia"), indicating to the consumer the technology of its production, the second word is the source of the flavoring component. For example, “lemon vodka”, “anise vodka”, “cinchona vodka”, “mountain ash ratafia”, “apricot ratafia”, “cherry liqueur” and so on. When making vodkas at home, their name might not reveal taste features and be abstract, "for courage." For example, "clerk", "boyar", "admiral's hour", "Siberian border".

The most popular Russian vodkas in the 18th century

The export of Russian vodka began under Elizaveta Petrovna. Before that, no one exported Russian vodka abroad. In 1758, Brigadier Alexei Melgunov submitted a report to the Governing Senate that “until now no one has brought hot wine abroad, for the particular reason that the wine is simple and vodka, which is the kind from contractors in the supply, is used in foreign countries due to its poor kindness. it can not be. And the foreman wants to import different sorts of alcohols and vodkas for 20 years, smoking them in his factories of such kindness, which is not available in the supplies to taverns, with the payment of duties of 10 kopecks per bucket. The ruling Senate allowed Melgunov to smoke at his factories and carry alcohol and vodka to different states for 10 years with the payment of a fee of 20 kopecks from each bucket. The ruling Senate saw "the following benefits": 1) an increment of the toll from each bucket of 20 kopecks; 2) for Russian product money will be received from foreign countries; 3) distribution of commerce; 4) from stigmatization for smoking on those spirits and wines of cubes and cauldrons, an additional fee for the benefit of the state. "

During the reign of Catherine II, the export of Russian hot wine and vodka was encouraged. For example, in the charter “On Riga Commerce” of 1765 we find: “§5, 1) Establish vodka factories so that all sorts of sweet vodkas could be made on them. 2) Everyone, whatever his rank, from the nobility, from the merchant class, or from the bourgeoisie, if only a subject of Her Imperial Majesty and has enough property and art to forestall such a factory, to admit it without any difficulty. H) And with this vodka, when released abroad by sea, or by dry route, even if it is not sweet and has not been altered, neither state nor city duties should be taken for ten years ”.

IMPORTED VODKAS

Imported vodkas were consumed mainly in St. Petersburg and Moscow. According to the raw materials from which they were made, three types were distinguished: grain, vein (grape and fruit) and bulk (see figure below). But the main feature in the import of drinks was still the origin. In the first place were French and Gdansk vodkas. “Of all French vodkas, Nantes (today these are departments Loire atlantique and Vendee. - I.Sh.) and Poitouant (departments Vienne, Charente, Charente-Marime and Deux-Sevres. - I.Sh.) are considered the best. " If French vodkas were made exclusively from grape wine, then the Gdansk ones could be made from both grape and bread. Gdansk vodkas, up to the time of Catherine II, were the most prestigious and expensive vodka products in Russia. These are the only vodkas of that time that were not imported in barrels, but in glass vodkas, packed in boxes of 30-50 units.

Gdansk and Italian vodkas have always had a distinct taste. The most popular of them are: Anise, Franshipannaya, Angelikovaya, Juniper, Kishnetsovaya (coriander), Brown (cinnamon), Claretnaya, Lemon, Sellereinaya (celery, mb and zornaya), Thousands of flowers, Fennel, Peach, Coffee.

Imported vodkas were brought to Russia exclusively through the Arkhangelsk (10% of the total) and St. Petersburg ports. At the ports, there were so-called surrender yards, where they were sold at fixed prices, which were set by the commercial board, and exclusively from the treasury. In the middle of the 18th century, the annual consumption of imported vodka was approximately 100,000 liters. Of these, 8-9 thousand liters were supplied to Moscow, to other 25 cities of Russia, 40-100 liters each, the rest was drunk in St. Petersburg.

Marine duty regulations for strong alcoholic beverages in 1731, rubles per bucket*

* Typically, port and domestic duties were linked to the final price of the beverage to the consumer, but this correlation was significantly interfered with by politics.

The governing senate, together with the board of commerce, have always tried to regulate the import of foreign vodkas. Since the dominant share of their import was represented by the French, it appears in the documents as a collective image of all imported vodkas.

In the personal decree of Peter I of December 3, 1723, we find: "The Commerce Collegiums ... look firmly so that overseas vodkas are less exported, and more Russian vodka is consumed." This eternal theme of our government, begun by Peter I, still exists today. And again, in 1724, the decree of the Governing Senate: “His Imperial Majesty ordered to export hot French wine from foreign states to Russia as much as the Commerce Collegium needed for sale, and in that the contract would be made, and not to export too much for sale. Also, see that there are not many vodkas in export from foreign lands, and use vodka from Russian wines. " Why about the same thing almost twice in a row? At this time, Russian vodkas were made mostly on imported hot wine. This was provoked by a duty on imported hot wine, which made it a little more expensive on sale than plain and cheaper double Russian bread wine. In this regard, in 1723 the Governing Senate raised the excise tax on imported hot wine. True, four years later, during the reign of Peter II (!), He was returned to his place, justifying himself by the fact that with “the import of French wine,<…>from which, in spite of this, there were not a small number of duties in the collection, but now those duties are wasted in vain; and the tavern sale is not recognized as any obstacle, because the vile people use little of that French wine, and the export of that wine is only for St. Petersburg, and perhaps a little on vacation is in Moscow; and to allow export of that French wine with the same duty, two efimka from the anchor, from which the bargaining will increase, and there will be a considerable replenishment in duties. " To maintain Russian vodka production, changes in customs duties took place quite often.

Reporting of merchants (1761) to the Commission on Commerce established under the Governing Senate: “It is well known that inside Russia, at all ports, there was a considerable number of foreign exports, and in order to reduce the export, a considerable duty was imposed on them when composing the tariff, admittedly in order to increase the export not repaired; Why would they not deign to set a certain amount for export at all Russian ports, and furthermore ban export, just as there is a prohibition on bringing some goods to Russia and leaving Russia; on the other hand, vodka was bought from Gdansk, a bottle for one ruble, French, anchor for eight rubles or less, and in Riga it is still much cheaper to buy; and Gdansk vodka and Italian drinks are not visible in the export, but the only thing they bring is waine, which is bought at two rubles 50 kopecks, and three rubles and more, French vodka at thirteen rubles fifty kopecks or more, anchor, ratafia for three rubles a damask; and ordinary grape drinks were sold for twenty-five and thirty rubles, and now the same quality has reached thirty-five and forty Oxoft rubles, to which the loss comes to the Russian loyal subjects of Her Imperial Majesty. And if, according to the highest royal mercy, it will be allowed to make a decrease in the sale of hot wine, then it can be reliably said, and half of this export of grape drinks can be corrected unnecessarily, through which, perhaps, a many thousandth sum is observed among the people; and instead of that, for the cheapness of wine, ordinary people can prepare drinks from Russian fruits, like cherry berries, which are poured over the sea with French vodka and brought to Russia to ports, and are called kirsch; yes, they make ratathia out of it; blueberries, doves, lingonberries, raspberries, currants, dul, pears and apples, from which in other states they make a drink called sidor, which can be made unnecessarily for cheaper drinks; to the same person you can consider these healthy, because the wine will be hot, boiled from bread; and for the state there can be a great benefit to the enrichment from withholding unnecessary losses. " Before the accession of Catherine II, the effectiveness of all such proposals, decrees, the introduction of special duties aimed at the development of Russian higher pitas was very low.

Throughout the entire 18th century, attempts were constantly made to produce Russian vodkas using imported technological methods, "in their manner." Since 1750 in Russia they have been producing dupelt "Gdansk" vodkas from domestic bread wine, from hot grape French, and later from their own, from the southern outskirts - classic, in the manner of Gdansk vodkas. Catherine II in 1766 banned the production of vodka for sale based on French wine. “French vodka is everywhere and with different spices are free to sit out only for their own use in their houses, and not for sale. " By the end of the century, Russia was producing a lot of Russian vodkas. S.G. Gmelin writes: “If Astrakhan grapes never give good wine, at least good European, but it brings very great benefit, and as it is so great, the work would have been quite rewarded if the inhabitants with all jealousy took up these factories; for I, doing many different experiments, learned that they make good French vodka. "

Although the government constantly kept high duties or imposed a ban on the import of grain vodkas, there were also exceptions - “vodka yaniver, which is made from bread”. It was mainly an English product. Under pressure from the state, due to high duties, English merchants practically stopped buying French vodka for import into the country. England drank from strong alcohol its own bread wine, juniper vodka and excaba. “The British government never lost sight of rushing to the consumption of grain; for success in this it is forbidden there to make vodka from other substances until all that is expelled from their bread is consumed, and the vodka doublers have no right to mix them with grain grains other substances, the output thereof multiplying. Such an institution contributed a lot to the cultivation of vacant land in Great Britain. " Yaniver vodka was also supplied from Holland and Northern France. The modern analogue of janiver vodka is genever (genever, jenever, sсhiedam), the essence of the technology of which is distillation together with the fruits of juniper. Modern gin cannot be compared with janiver vodka of that time, since it is produced by blending aromatic alcohol based on various spicy-aromatic fruits, including juniper, with neutral alcohol.

1755 year. On the Russian market, in addition to the aforementioned imported alcoholic beverages, there are vodka from the island of Korf-Barbara, English excaba, Barbadian vodka and American vodka. It is possible that the vodka of Korf-Barbara is Greek grape vodka, overwhelmed with anise.

“Barbadian vodka, obtained only from England; but they don't know how to do it anywhere else. " The Marquis de Sade, imprisoned in the Bastille (1784-1789), wrote in his diary: “Vodkas from the city of Giles. Bayonne vodka - good (from French city Bayonne, Bayonne, near Biaritz. - I.Sh.). Barbadian English vodka is bad. Turkish is disgusting. Angelic Bohemian vodka is no good. " It follows from the note that Barbadian vodka was quite popular in Europe that even the French imitated it - "in English". Island of Barbad ( Barbud), part of the Lesser Antilles group, was colonized by Great Britain in 1632. On the island, the British developed cotton, tobacco and sugarcane crops. Therefore, most likely, the Barbadian vodka was incubated on sugar cane syrup and was a rum. In Russia, only ten years later, in 1766, rum as a class of drinks was included, along with shrom and arak, as a separate article in the customs duty regulations.

FILLED VODKAS

Bulk vodka with hot Russian wine -. They were often called simplistically: dulevka, pear, cherry, etc. Like ordinary vodkas, liqueurs existed great amount varieties. They could be consumed fresh, soon after pouring, but they were often aged in barrels and bottles, since it was the bulk vodkas that retained the property of improving their taste over time.

In Russia, bulk vodka was made from both imported hot wine and French vodka. “Different sorts of liqueurs, or liqueurs, are made from simple French vodka and pre-war vodka, by pouring them onto berries, fruits, flowers, sweetened with sugar, an admixture of spicy potions, and which are passed through gray paper in tincture. They are served instead of regular liqueurs. Others, on the basis of tincture with simple French vodka, change over and keep the name of the wein vodkas ”.

Russian bulk vodkas in a marketable form did not contain the fruits and berries themselves, while imported ones always had to contain whole fruits. This was a forced measure dictated by the customs. In this vein, one can explain the same prices for bulk vodkas imported and Russian. Since the time of Catherine I, when importing bulk vodkas, they took a duty for only a fourth of the drink, everything else theoretically should have been fruits and berries. "From the exported French vodka, poured on cherries, it is ordered to take duties for only a fourth part, and three parts are supposed to be cherries." This was actively used by merchants, deliberately reducing the volume of fruit in bulk, thereby increasing the alcoholic attractiveness of the drink. This continued until November 1773, when the commercial board, at the request of the owners (agents) of the St. Petersburg drinking fees, made an order that the duty should be levied on French vodka poured on fruits in the same way as on real French vodka.

THE JUDGMENT OF THE GOOD OF VODKA

The goodness of alcoholic beverages in the 18th century was judged in different ways. First of all, the quality was assessed visually and by taste. Good vodka"on long time keeps in itself the sign of kindness, called beads. " “In the reasoning of plain or ordinary vodka, the sellers of onya choose the color of white, pure, and pleasant taste, and which withstands their experience, that is, when poured into a glass, makes a small white foam, which, decreasing, makes a circle, which the traders of vodka call beads; which makes it an example that vodka does not have a watery moisture in it, with which it is all covered with foam. "

When determining the strength of bread wine, the so-called annealing was used: a certain volume of wine was brought to a boil, alcohol vapors were set on fire, and after they burned out, the remaining volume of liquid was determined. This method has existed since the times of Peter the Great (1698) and served the entire 18th century solely to clarify one question: is this wine worse than semi-finished wine or not? From the charter “On Riga Commerce” of 1765: “§4, 3). The Livonian nobility, who, according to the data on their estates and the most mercifully confirmed rights, can smoke wine as much as they wish, are not allowed, however, to bring wine to the city, which is simply worse than half-parched wine, and for this to establish a marriage; and if someone brings wine worse than semi-liqueur, it will be confiscated without any confiscation by the dealers established for inspection of the imported wine, who will be confiscated under the supervision of the Governor-General. " The method of annealing was at least somehow standardized only in 1817, when the "Charter on drinking collection in 29 Great Russian provinces" was adopted, according to which an official of the Ministry of Finance had to check the goodness of wine "by annealing" it in an incinerator.

In the 18th century, the kindness of vodkas was determined according to the English system - a powder test. "The experience of the kindness of rectified wine alcohol consists in the fact that upon ignition it all burns out, leaving not the slightest liquid, or, taking a little gunpowder in a silver spoon, pour alcohol and light it: when the alcohol burns out, the gunpowder should ignite."

IN DIFFERENT PERIODS OF THE XVIII CENTURY

The rulers changed, the way of life changed, the attitude to alcoholic beverages, their forms of consumption, their varietal composition changed. But this all concerned only the upper strata of society, mainly the royal court and its environs, most of St. Petersburg, less Moscow. The ordinary Russian people in the vast expanses Russian Empire at all times he drank ordinary bread wine, without any varieties and types, drank without separate snack tables, drank exclusively to change consciousness, and not because of the gastronomic peculiarities of the Russian table. The main thing from the point of view of statehood is to drink, from the point of view of morality - to “drink at the table, not at the stake”. And that's probably all.

During the time of Peter I, there were many events where alcoholic beverages were drunk. They drank Russian and imported vodka, aniseed, Janiver, French, Gdansk, drank everything, including grape wines, and drank a lot. The tsar established for his companions the "Extravagant all-joking and all-drinking cathedral", for foreigners - the "Great Britain's glorious monastery", where everyone actively worshiped Bacchus. These institutions existed for at least 30 years - from the early 1690s to the mid 1720s.

In 1718, on November 25, Peter I issued a decree on assemblies. Next came the decree "On the dignity of the guest, who has to be at the assemblies." "<…>6. When you come to visit, familiarize yourself with the location of the house in advance on an easy head, especially noting the location of the closets, and put this information into that part of the mind, which is less subject to blame.<…>8. Drink the potion to your heart's content, as long as your legs are holding it. If they refuse to drink while sitting. Do not bring to the lying person - so that he does not choke, even if he asked. Glory to the choked one! For this death in Russia has been honorable since ancient times.<…>10. Fold the drunk carefully, so as not to damage, and would not interfere with the dancing. Fold separately, respecting the floor, otherwise you will not end up with embarrassment when awakening. " They drank dashingly, danced until they dropped.

During the time of Anna Ioanovna (1730-1740), “drinking parties, which before without fail ended all festivities and gatherings, were now completely banished from court customs, because Anna Ivanovna could not see and was afraid of drunkards; but on the other hand, gambling appeared at the court<…>Treats at court festivals were always plentiful, although rather monotonous; were usually served for lunch or dinner, in all possible types, beef, veal, ham, game, arshin sterlets, pikes and other fish, mushroom dishes, pates, "boar heads in Rhine wine", "sphergel" (asparagus), pea pods, etc. All dishes were generously seasoned with spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and even a “grated deer horn”. From sweets they used: "shawls", i.e. jelly, ice cream, candy, zuckerbrodt, a variety of jams, pastilles and marmalades, ginger in molasses; then fruits, chestnuts, nuts, etc. Vodka was served from drinks different sorts, for example, "order", "brown", "Gdanskaya", "boyarskaya", ratafia; wines: champagne, rhine wine, sect, "bazarak", "basket", Hungarian, Portuguese, spanish, volosh, burgundy, beer, half beer, honey, kvass, sour cabbage soup, etc. For the expenses of the court table, by the decree of 1733, it was ordered to release 67,000 rubles annually. At ceremonial dinners, tablecloths were skillfully tied with scarlet and green ribbons and pinned with pins, and tables were decorated with various figures and "attributes; there was even a special "wooden banquet mountain, on top of a crown with a cross and a scepter, and gilded swords." In addition, artificial flowers were placed in the pyramids ”. And the people drank bread wine.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1741 - 1761) was a "merry queen". In her time, court dinners turned into whole table performances, in which gold, silver and porcelain sets, fountains, flower beds of natural and artificial flowers, picturesque pictures of sweets and fruits, and among all this - hundreds of different dishes and drunken drinks, took part. Like the menu, the toast list was pre-approved. They followed one after the other, and, as has gone on since the times of Peter the Great, the glass had to be poured to the top and drunk to the bottom. The chamber-fourier banquet magazine of 1743 April 25: “On the day of the coronation ceremony.<…>During the table, they ate about health: 1. Her Imperial Majesty. 2. His Imperial Highness. 3. Health on this solemn day. 4. Her Imperial Majesty deigned to eat: all the faithful servants. 5. Lucky weapon of Her Imperial Majesty. 6. Safe and happy possession of Her Imperial Majesty ... While the table continued, Italian music played on the balcony; and how they ate to their health, played with pipes, and beat the timpani, and fired from the cannons. " By the end of the gala dinner, the continuous cannon fire drowned out the choirs and music.

Below is a classification scheme for alcoholic beverages of the 18th century, mainly covering the period before the reign of Catherine II. It did not include alcoholic beverages from sugar syrups derived from cane and other sugar-containing plants.

NOTES

1. Chulkov M. Historical description of Russian commerce at all ports and borders from ancient times to the present, and all the predominant legalizations of the sovereign Emperor Peter the Great and the now happily reigning empress Empress Catherine the Great. T. VI, book. II. M., 1786.S. 5-6.

2. A commercial dictionary, containing knowledge about the goods of all countries, and the names of the main and latest things related to commerce, also to housebuilding, knowledge of arts, handicrafts, factories, mining, paints, spicy potions, herbs, expensive stones, etc. / Translation from fr. Vasily Levshenym. Part 1.A.B.V.M., 1787.S. 102.

3. Commercial dictionary ... p. 369.

4. Dictionary of the Russian Academy. SPb., 1789.S. 802.

5. In those days, angelica or angelic grass was called angelica or angelica (Angelica archangelica L.). Easily available plant, both wild and gardening, enjoyed a strong reputation effective remedy from many diseases. Therefore, it is not surprising that it was involved in the manufacture of many alcoholic beverages of that time. In Europe, angelica was also included in many recipes for preparing alcoholic beverages, such as Chartreuse, Benedectin, and later gin.

6. Decree of the Governing Senate in 1758, August 13 days.

7. Commercial dictionary ... p. 369.

8. Commercial dictionary ... p. 380.

9. Commerce Collegium, from him. Kommerz ("trade") - a central government institution created by Peter I to patronize trade in 1712. It ceased to exist as a state structure in 1823.

10. Decree of the Governing Senate of 1724 February 11 days.

11. Decree of the Governing Senate in 1723 April 13 days.

12. Efimok - Russian name Western European silver thaler. During this period, customs duties in Russia were accepted only by thalers.

13. Anker is a measure of volume in the 18th century for alcoholic beverages and oils. In Russia, it was equal to 3 buckets (36.89 l).

14. Decree of the Governing Senate of 1727 June 7 days.

15. Chulkov M. Historical description of Russian commerce ... Vol. IV, book. IV. S. 666 - 667.

16. Decree of Catherine II of 1766 December 28 days.

17. Gmelin S.G. Travel across Russia to explore the three kingdoms of nature. Ch. 2. Travel from Cherkassk to Astrakhan and stay in this city: from the beginning of August 1769 to the fifth of June 1770. 1777.S. 233-234.

18. In the documents of that time, the term "English excaba vodka" is repeatedly encountered. For example, "And other vodkas, about which in the same submission from the Commerce Collegium it is written, namely the Aglinskaya Excaba ...". The author will be grateful to everyone who can clarify this term.

19. Commercial dictionary ... p. 374.

20. Commercial dictionary ... S. 381.

22. Commercial dictionary ... S. 380.

23. Order of the Commerce Board of 1726 September 19 days.

24. Commercial dictionary, ... S. 369.

25. Bondarenko L.B. From the history of Russian alcohol measurement // Questions of the history of natural science and science. 1999, no. 2.

26. Commercial dictionary, ... S. 369.

27. Shubinsky S.N. Sketches from the life and everyday life of the past. SPb., T-fia A.S. Suvorin, 1888 .-- S. 27-28.

When it comes to Peter the Great, the first thing that comes to mind is the notion “a window to Europe” hammered in since school. The army of the new model, the navy, European clothing, tobacco and coffee - in a word, a whole wave of big and small changes that fell on the "drowsy" old Russia. It is logical to assume that such an area as cooking has also undergone serious changes - so to speak, redesigned in a European manner.

This stereotype is so tenacious and strong that almost everyone succumbs to its pressure. And they begin to assert in all seriousness that Peter I doted in Western cuisine and introduced German and Dutch dishes like fried sausages, longets and steaks with almost the same frenzy with which he chopped the boyars' beards.

Fortunately, there is plenty of evidence to help clarify the picture. And it does not fit into the well-worn rut of such a convenient stereotype.

No sausages

The fact is that the mentioned "kitchen reform" should have been very expensive, since it implied a complete change in the way of Russian life. And at the most basic level. Neither a steak nor a langet can be cooked in a Russian oven - for this you need a Dutch-style oven with a cast-iron oven. At worst, a fireplace and a set of pans. What is it, to demolish all Russian stoves and rebuild houses for the sake of sausages?

An impermissible luxury. And Peter treated such things strictly: “The sovereign should differ from his subjects not by panache and splendor, but by the vigilant carrying of the burden of the state. The most capable way to diminish vices is to diminish the needs - then I must be an example to my subjects in that. "

And therefore, almost the only area of ​​life that remained almost unchanged under Peter the Great was traditional cooking. In any case, this was exactly the case in the family of the first Russian emperor. Moreover, he himself had a weakness for Russian cuisine - abundant, sometimes complex, but familiar and accessible to all or almost all subjects. The only serious reform in the area of ​​cooking that Peter decided on was the introduction of sea fish like cod and navaga into the wide Russian use. The king himself was allergic to fish, but he nevertheless understood the benefits of this product for his subjects. And therefore large-scale fisheries were deployed in Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory. By the way, this had far-reaching consequences for Russian culture. It was with the convoy of frozen cod that a native of Kholmogory once went to Moscow Mikhailo Lomonosov.

Peter was not so suspicious of foreign novelties in the culinary field ... Rather selectively. There is an amusing incident. Upon his return from his first long trip abroad, Peter feasted with his confidant Franz Lefort... And he started a dive with the Polish ambassador: "In Vienna, on good bread and local schnitzels and backhends, I got fat, but poor Poland took everything back." The ambassador offendedly remarked that he - a native of "fertile Poland" - fat, well-fed and happy. To which he received the tsar's rebuke: "Not there, at home, but here, in Moscow, you ate."

"In the German settlement - the departure of Peter I from the Lefort house", Alexander Benois, 1909

Russian lemon

This is a caustic, well-aimed remark, but not entirely fair. Russian cuisine, even in the most modest version, which Peter preferred, was surprisingly balanced and did not lead to excessive completeness. Here regular lunch the emperor with his family, described by the "tsarist mechanic" Andrey Nartov: “He had a meal: cold meats with salted lemons and pickles, boiled pork and ham, jelly with horseradish and garlic. And also different cabbage soup, porridge, roast duck or piglet with sour cream, beef with pickled apple, Rye bread, sour cabbage, grated radish, steamed turnip. "

In the morning on an empty stomach, and then before each meal - a glass (143.5 g) aniseed vodka... For food - kvass. A wealthy Russian man dined in about the same way. But most of all, Peter loved pearl barley... By the way, with his light hand, it is with it that the Russian soldier mainly feeds. Another thing is that for the tsar, barley was cooked in milk, and on fasting days - in almond milk, which gave a downright extraordinary effect. There is nothing foreign here. Even lemons, for some reason considered “ overseas delicacy", With which Russia was allegedly not familiar before Peter, are mentioned in" Domostroy ", which was popular a hundred years before the birth of the emperor.

Watermelon in salt

However, sometimes the king amazed those around him with his immoderate appetite. For example, when Peter was treated on the waters in the Belgian town of Spa, he was prescribed a diet of fruits and vegetables. In full accordance with the saying about a fool who, while praying, breaks his forehead, the Russian tsar ate 6 pounds of cherries and 4 pounds of figs in one sitting. The first Russian emperor also had a weakness for watermelons, both fresh and salted, forcing Aleksashka Menshikov to start special greenhouses in St. Petersburg where this berry was grown. By the way, Peter knew watermelons from childhood - his father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, started the first melon farm in the city of Chuguev back in 1660.

If we talk about the specific predilections of Peter, then we can note his passionate love for cheese with a smell. Specifically - to Limburgsky. Dutch skippers, who knew Peter from the Zaandam shipyards, knew for sure: if you want to achieve the royal favor, take cheese to St. Petersburg.

However, there were times when the love of cheese turned into unnecessary spending. In the same Holland in 1717 he passed the city of Nimwegen. And at the inn he asked what is simpler and cheaper - boiled eggs, a piece of cheese, beer and bread. Seeing the next morning the bill of one hundred ducats, he became furious: “What is this price? Or is cheese rare here? " To which he received a witty answer: “Cheese is not uncommon. A rarity - Russian emperors asking him. "

Photo: Shutterstock.com / Elena Veselova

Ingredients:

• Pearl barley - 200 g
• Water - 1 l
• Almond milk - 2 cups
• Butter - 30 g
• Sugar - 3 tbsp. l.
• Salt - a pinch
• Almond petals, blueberries - for decoration

1. Sort out the groats and rinse with water.

2. Fill the cereal with water and leave to soak for 10 hours - so the porridge will quickly cook and turn out to be crumbly.

3. Drain the water, rinse the cereals again, pour over the almond milk and put on fire.

4. When the cereal boils, add salt and sugar and cook the porridge for 20-30 minutes. Finally, add butter and, turning off the heat, leave to simmer for 1 hour. Decorate almond petals and berries.