The tastiest dishes of the Yamal nomads
The Yamal Peninsula in Siberia is home to over 10,000 people, the largest number of nomads in Russia.
They are mostly Nenets, Khanty and Selkup. Once a year, they come to the towns to celebrate ‘Reindeer Herder’s Day’ and present their culture to the urban dwellers. During this festival in Salekhard, we enjoyed a rare opportunity to taste some of the unique dishes of the nomads of the Far North.
The main dish is called ‘stroganina’. It’s frozen raw fish sliced in thin, almost transparent shavings. The slices can be dipped into a mixture of salt and pepper. Sometimes, they prepare venison the same way.
In Yamal, people also eat cooked fish. The most popular kinds of fish are vendace and whitefish. They are usually baked or fried and used as stuffing for pies.
The traditional hot dish is ‘ucha’ or ‘shurpa’. This is a thick and very hearty soup. Some families drink the broth and prefer to eat meat or fish separately. By the way, on ‘Reindeer Herder’s Day’ in 2023, an official record in Russia was set for the amount of venison shurpa made: 202 liters of soup! It managed to feed 300 guests.
The Nenets also have a soup called ‘Ya’ (translates as “the ground”) made from venison with the rye flour.
If you visit a nomad’s tent (chum), the hosts first will usually offer you a cup of tea to warm you up from the cold. And, for teatime, they often prepare a simple, but very tasty dessert: frozen berries (cloudberries, cowberries) with condensed milk.
