 Blini | |
| Alternative names | blin, bliny |
|---|---|
| Type | pancake |
| Place of origin | Eastern Europe |
| Main ingredients | wheat,eggs (optional),milk, water |
Blini (pluralblinis orblini, rarelybliny;[1][2]Russian:блины; singular:blin) are Russiancrêpes, often made with a yeast-raised batter of buckwheat or wheat flour and milk.[3][4][5][6][7][8] They may be served withsmetana,cottage cheese,caviar and other garnishes, or simply smeared withbutter.[4][7] They are a traditional dish inRussian cuisine.[9]
In the West, blini traditionally refers to small savory pancakes made with leavened batter. In modern Russian, the term most often refers to pan-sized leavened thin pancakes, although smaller leavened pancakes are also called blini. Smaller and thicker pancakes (with several of them baked on one larger pan) are calledoladyi.
Blintzes, calledblinchiki (little blinis) in Russian, are an offshoot of blini or crêpes. They are basicallyrolls based on thin pancakes usually made of wheat flour, folded to form a casing for various kinds of filling, typically cheese, fruit, or (in Russian cuisine) pre-friedminced meat, and then sautéed or baked.[10]
TheProto-Slavic term for the Russian pancakes was probablymlinŭ ('to mill'), which was transformed in Old Russian intoмлинъ,mlinŭ, andблинъ,blinŭ (cf.млинець,mlynets,Ukrainian forblin).[11]Max Vasmer, in hisEtymological Dictionary of the Russian Language, notes that a similar word is used in many Slavic languages, as well as in Latvian and Lithuanian.[12] While the modern Russian wordблины,bliny (plural ofблин,blin), also refers to foreign-introducedpancakes in general, the termрусские блины,russkiye bliny ('Russian pancakes'), is often emphasized in Russia for differentiation.
Some English dictionaries record usage of the formsblin as singular andblini orbliny as plural, which corresponds to the original Russian forms, but other dictionaries consider this usage so rare in English that they do not mentionblin at all and only record the widespread modern regular usage ofblini for the singular andblinis for the plural.[13][7]
Blini have a history dating to theMiddle Ages.[6] In Russian culture, blini were traditionally prepared at the end of winter duringMaslenitsa ('butter week') as a treat eaten twice a day.[6] There were also other occasions for eating blini, such as at funerals and during prayers for the dead.[6]
Traditional Russian blini are made with yeasted batter, which is left to rise and then diluted withmilk,soured milk, and cold or boiling water. When diluted with boiling water, they are referred to aszavarnye bliny (the Russian termzavarnoe testo corresponds to "choux pastry"). A lighter and thinner form made from unyeasted batter (usually made of flour, eggs, milk, or soured milk,kefir,ryazhenka,varenets) is also common in Russia. All kinds of flour may be used, fromwheat andbuckwheat tooatmeal andmillet, although wheat is currently the most popular. Historically, blini have been baked in aRussian oven, which was used for heat processing of all kinds of food. Even though blini are nowadays pan-fried, like pancakes, preparing blini is still referred to as "pech bliny" (i.e., "to bake blini") in Russian, and the word for "Russian oven" is a cognate, "(russkya) pech".
The influence of French cuisine in the 19th century may have led to the development of lighter blini.[6] According toLesley Chamberlain: "In a full Russianobed, blini are served after the coldzakuski. They may be followed byconsommé, then pies and then the main meat course. For all this you would need a gargantuan appetite..."[6]
Blini, or as they are known in Ukrainian,mlyntsi, are a highly popular dish aroundUkraine, the simplicity of making the thin pancakes as well as the basic ingredients yet highly favourable taste have led to the popularity of the dish. Mlyntsi have been eaten in Ukraine since pre-Christian times. Mlyntsi tend to be served in Ukraine with sour cream (Ukrainian: smetana) as well as with caviar; they can also be served as a sweet dish by serving them alongside a fruit preserve or a sweet cream. The thin pancakes can also be stuffed with cottage cheese, chopped boiled eggs, mixed green onions, stewed cabbage, minced meat, mashed beans, mushrooms, fruit and berries and raisins. However upon being stuffed the dish acquires a new title (Ukrainian: Налисники,nalysnyky), a fundamental dish ofUkrainian cuisine that is served all around the country with a number of regional varieties, for example the Chernihiv style nalysnyky are marked by their mushroom and cabbage filling. The most popular form of nalysnyky served in Ukraine is those stuffed with cottage cheese and served with sour cream. Nalysnyky as well as mlyntsi are also served for special occasions such asMasnytsya, which may originally have been a pagan festival that celebrated the end of winter and the arrival of spring (the round yellow pancake most likely symbolising the sun), but has for a millennium been the time for using up dairy products before the beginning ofGreat Lent. Nalysnyky can be formed out of mlyntsi in a number of different shapes including; tubes, envelopes and even triangles. Some recipes call for the stuffed mlyntsi to be placed in an oven proof dish and cooked in an oven.[14][15]
Some ways that blini are prepared and served include the following:
They may be folded or rolled into a tube with sweet or salty fillings such asvarenye, fruit, berry, mashed potatoes,tvorog, cookedground meat, cookedchicken, salmon, chopped boiled eggs with green onions or chopped mushrooms.[17]
Similar pancakes are eaten in neighboring countries, such asnalistniki in Belarus, although blini are also widely eaten.[18]
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Aside from referring to pancakes, the wordblin (блин) is used in Russian as a "minced oath" for theRussian swear word "блять"blyat', used as an interjection to express a negative emotion, akin to the words "damn!" or saying "Holy Moly!" while meaning "Holy shit!".[19]
There are many Russian proverbs involvingblini.[20][21] For example, "Первый блин комом" ("The firstblin is lumpy") is a figurative saying that the first attempt to do something is expected to be unsuccessful, said to calm down the person who failed the first try.[19] An English equivalent would be "You must spoil before you spin".[19]
Russian; small yeast pancakes made from buckwheat flour, served with salt herring, smoked salmon, or caviar, and sour cream.
Russian version of crepes. Although there are several varieties of bliny, the most common consist of all-purpose wheat flour, eggs, milk, and butter
Blinis are small thick Russian pancakes made with buckwheat flour. They are usually served with salt herring, caviare, or smoked salmon, and sour cream and melted butter.
Bliny (singularblin) are a type of Russian pancake traditionally made from a batter of buckwheat flour and yeast... Most contemporary street-food bliny are actuallyblinchiki, the easier-to make, nonleavened Russian version of French crepes...
The most popular arebliny, originally a Russian dish (the Belarusiannalistniki is similar).
