Rasstegai ( rus, расстегай) is a type of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
n
pirog
Pirog ( rus, пиро́г, p=pʲɪˈrok, a=Ru-пирог.ogg, pl. ''pirogi'' пироги ; be, піро́г; se, pirog; lv, pīrāgs, pl. ''pīrāgi''; uk, пиріг ''pyrih'', pl. ''pyrohy'' пироги; lt, pyragas, pl. ''pyragai''; ...
with a hole in the top.
History and etymology
The dish was very popular in Tsarist Russia.
In rasstegai the filling is not hidden in dough, and in Russian means "unfastened" pies.
Another version: in Moscow, in the gypsy choir, the beautiful Katya sang very well the Russian song "
Sarafanchik-rasstegaychik"; in honor of Katya, rasstegai became very popular meal in taverns in Moscow.
Information
The filling usually contains fish, but may also contain meat, liver, rice or mushrooms.
The hole of rasstegai is used to add broth to the stuffing.
In literature
The dish is mentioned in
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
's ''
Dead Souls
''Dead Souls'' (russian: «Мёртвые души», ''Mjórtvyje dúshi'') is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The novel chronicles the travels and advent ...
'' and
Vladimir Gilyarovsky's ''Moscow and the Muscovites''.
[Леонид Зданович. ''Кулинарный словарь'']
Расстегай
Москва: Вече, 2001, (Leonid Zdanovich. ''Culinary dictionary'', "Rasstegai". Moscow: Veche, 2001; in Russian)Rasstegai: The pie proudly served by Moscow innkeepers. Russia Beyond
/ref>
References
Russian cuisine
Russian pastries
{{Food-stub